Ladies, Love Your Cat-Eye Frames? Thank Inventor Altina Schinasi Who Is Honoured By Google Doodle Today
Such a cool invention!
All my lovely ladies who have the most beautiful eyes but have to wear glasses because their eyes don’t do the one job they were supposed to – SEE THINGS, I feel you. For people like us, our lives are incomplete without glasses. Life partners also come second to them, if I am being honest. And there was a whole era when cat-eye glasses were much in vogue. Every woman I saw with glasses had this fancy frame perched up on her nose. August 4 marks the 116th birthday of Altina Schinasi, the designer of the iconic cat-eye frame, and Google Doodle is celebrating her life. Here are more lesser-known facts about this American designer.
Altina Schinasi really said "eyes on fleek" when she designed the Harlequin eyeglass frame– popularly known as the "cat eye" eyeglass frame. Celebrating the Manhattan-born inventor and designer who brought innovation to women's fashion accessories as seen in today's… pic.twitter.com/s26mWYQmaT
— Google India (@GoogleIndia) August 4, 2023
Who is Altina Schinasi?
Altina Schinasi is an American designer who is credited for introducing the world-famous cat-eye glass frame that is also known as the Harlequin frame. Born to a Greek mother and a Jewish father in Manhattan, Altina moved to Paris to pursue her career as a painter. She came back to the US and continued to study at The Art Students League in New York. Altina Schinasi began working as a window dresser and gained experience from popular artists like Salvador Dali whom she had immense respect for.
Altina Schinasi (August 4, 1907 – August 19, 1999) was an American sculptor, filmmaker, entrepreneur, window dresser, designer and inventor. She was best known for designing what she called the "Harlequin eyeglass frame", popularly known as cat-eye glasses.#FridayMotivation pic.twitter.com/5WnfMB2kF0
— Vanita Vivek Narayane (@VanitaNarayane) August 4, 2023
Invention of cat-eye frames
While she was working as a window dresser, she realised that glasses for women came only in round shapes and basic designs. This led Altina to want to create a funky frame design for women’s glasses. She took inspiration from the Harlequin masks, the masquerade masks that she saw people on the streets of Italy wear.
Today is birth anniversary of Ms Altina Schinasi (04 Aug 1907 – 19 Aug 1999). pic.twitter.com/CbWvYfPRSn
— Chinmay Das (@cdas1711) August 4, 2023
A local shop owner saw the potential in Altina Schinasi’s idea and asked her to make exclusive cat-eye frames for him for six months. The frames were an instant hit among the ladies who were delighted to wear fancy glasses.
Also read: Who Is PK Rosy, Malayalam Cinema’s 1st Female Lead Who Is Being Remembered By Google Doodle?
Film career
After the massive success of the cat-eye glasses, Altina Schinasi turned to films and began producing documentaries. She also wrote her memoir titled The Road I Have Traveled. Her invention did not just stop at cat-eye glasses. She also went on to create portrait chairs and benches which she named Chairacters.
Altina Schinasi was one visionary of a woman, and we wish her a very happy birthday!
First Published: August 04, 2023 10:37 AMGoogle Doodle Will Make You Crave Pani Puri Today With This Interactive Game!
