NEW! 80'S WAYFARERS ARE BACK!

[COOPER&BURNETT]

NEWS FLASH!!!Did you love the 1980's wayfarers like Crockett wore?Are you frustrated because the frames of every version made after the 80's just wasn't the same?Wayfarer I and II. What the heck?? It just wasn't the same.Wish you could just get the 80's frames without trying to find a used vintage pair?YOUR WISH HAS COME TRUE!RAY BAN is now producing BRAND NEW 1980'S WAYFARER SUNGLASSES!They started noticing that auction sites were selling vintage pairs for a lot of money, and people were buying them. They decided to take matters into their own hands, and, well, just make the 80's versions again!They used the actual original frame molds that they used in the 80's!They still have the grey/green G-15 lenses, but also offer optional POLARIZED LENSES for the first time.The frames are made of a MUCH better material than was available on the old 80's versions. These won't fade, or discolor like the old ones. They will always look new.They decided that they should update it to make sure that they are not mistaken for a vintage pair, so they do have the current "ray ban" logo written on the top left lense, and on the sides to fit with their current modern style, but they are made just like the 80's versions....even the temple hindges are the same!They still offer them in Tortoise, and black frame, but also in lots of other colors.They fit just like the 80's versions. Modern Wayfarers were always a disapointment, because it was just a restyled version....NOT THESE!It has the exact same frames that are slightly slanted like the 80's versions. I compared them side to side with the vintage models, and they abolutlely used the same molds from the 80's, not simple recreating them to look something like it.They don't come cheap. I bought mine at MACY'S for $150.00. The polarized lense version is nearly $200.00.This is the closest thing to owing a vintage 80's pair of wayfarers.

[COOPER&BURNETT]

[COOPER&BURNETT]

Here's the new pair next to the last version that came out. The last version had different sizes, like this smaller version. The old style 80's version is much, MUCH better!

[COOPER&BURNETT]

See how the new 80's version looks sooo much better than the restyled version. It's bigger, more angular, and the frames are raked back!

[COOPER&BURNETT]

Here's the last restyled version, the 80's version, and the new 80's version all together.

[COOPER&BURNETT]

Compare the temple hindges on the vintage 80's, and new 80's version. They are the same style!

[COOPER&BURNETT]

To maKe sure the vintage pair is kept seperate from the New 80's pair, there are a few changes, such as the mini rayban logo on the side, unlike the 80's version.NOTE: Notice how the frames are raked back in a somewhat agressive style the 80's style offered. They did away with that in later restylings. It's back now!

[COOPER&BURNETT]

Vintage, and new style, side by side!

[COOPER&BURNETT]

Here's a link to see the HISTORY of the RAY BAN WAYFARERS, and photos of vintage wayfarers I took, and posted.http://www.miamiviceonline.com/showthread.php?2860-RAY-BAN-WAYFARER-HISTORY&highlight=WAYFARER+HISTORYHere's what's on page one.THE HISTORY OF RAY BAN WAYFARER SUNGLASSESThe Ray-Ban Wayfarer is a design of sunglasses manufactured by Ray-Ban since 1952, when their design was a revolutionary break from the metal eyewear of the past. Wayfarers enjoyed early popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the sunglasses had faded from the limelight by the 1970s, a lucrative 1982 product placement deal brought Wayfarers to their height of popularity. Since the mid-2000s, the sunglasses have been enjoying a revival.Wayfarers are sometimes cited as the best-selling design of sunglasses in history (although Ray-Ban Aviators have also been credited with this achievement) and have been called a classic of modern design and one of the most enduring fashion icons of the 20th century. Wayfarers were designed in 1952 by optical designer Raymond Stegeman, who procured dozens of patents for Bausch and Lomb, Ray-Ban's parent company. The design was a radically new shape, "a mid-century classic to rival Eames chairs and Cadillac tail fins."According to design critic Stephen Bayley, the "distinctive trapezoidal frame spoke a non-verbal language that hinted at unstable dangerousness, but one nicely tempered by the sturdy arms which, according to the advertising, gave the frames a 'masculine look.'" Wayfarers, which took advantage of new plastic molding technology, marked the transition between a period of eyewear with thin metal frames and an era of plastic eyewear.After Wayfarers' heyday in the 1950s and 1960s, sales declined. Though Wayfarers were worn in the 1980 movie The Blues Brothers, only 18,000 pairs were sold in 1981, and Wayfarers were on the verge of discontinuation.The sunglasses' fate was reversed, however, when in 1982 Ray-Ban signed a $50,000-a-year deal with Unique Product Placement of Burbank, California, to place Ray-Bans in movies and television shows. (Between 1982 and 1987, Ray-Ban sunglasses appeared in over 60 movies and television shows per year.Ray-Ban's product placement efforts have continued through 2007. Tom Cruise's wearing of Wayfarers in the 1983 movie Risky Business marked the beginning of a Wayfarers phenomenon; 360,000 pairs were sold that year. By 1986, after appearances in MIAMI VICE, Moonlighting, and The Breakfast Club, sales had reached 1.5 million.Wayfarers rose to popularity among musicians, including Michael Jackson, Johnny Marr, Blondie's Debbie Harry, Madonna, Elvis Costello, Morrissey, and members of U2, and among other celebrities such as Jack Nicholson and even Anna Wintour. Bret Easton Ellis' fiction often name-dropped references to Wayfarers, and Don Henley's 1984 song "The Boys Of Summer" contained the lyric "You got that hair slicked back and those Wayfarers on, baby". Ray-Ban's Wayfarer offerings expanded from two models in 1981 to more than 40 models by 1989,and Wayfarers were the decade's sunglasses of choice.Ray-Ban New Wayfarer sunglasses As the 1990s began, the frames again became unpopular. The 1950s revival that fueled the glasses' popularity in the 1980s had lost steam, and Wayfarers were outcompeted by wraparound frames. In 2001, the Wayfarer underwent a significant redesign, with the frames made smaller and less angular, and changed from acetate to a lighter injected plastic. The changes were intended to update the frames' style during a period of unpopularity and to make them easier to wear (the frames' previous tilt made them impossible to perch on top of one's head, for instance).Wayfarers were brought back into fashion in the late 2000s when celebrities including Chloë Sevigny and Mary-Kate Olsen began wearing vintage frames. Ray-Ban designers soon noticed that vintage Wayfarers were commanding high prices on eBay, and the 2007 re-introduction of the original Wayfarer design aimed to respond to the demand. (As of 2007, Wayfarers were available in Original Wayfarer, New Wayfarer, and Wayfarer Folding styles.Ray-Ban's marketing strategy was threefold: a return to the sunglasses' original, rebellious design, an "edgy" advertising campaign and "high-profile PR events", and the use of new media like MySpace to connect with consumers. Sales in 2007 were 231% greater than in 2006 at Selfridge's London; as of October 2007, the Wayfarer was the Luxottica Group's third-best-selling style. As of July 2008, sales had increased 40% over 2007.As of 2008, the Wayfarer model is available in a wide variety of colors and patterns.(This information was obtained from Wikipedia, The photos are mine.)

[Jimmy]

wish i had the money to buy those beauties... i'll just stick to my old RAY-RANS

[codemaster94]

I've got something to say...I bought from the Ray-Ban website, some Ray-Ban 2140's, Model 954. They are Light Tortoise, with B-15 XLT lenses. This is the only problem. They're not G-15 XLT. It's about as close as you can get to the old 80's 5022 Models. Just change out the lenses. Here's the link for the glasses. http://www.ray-ban.com/usa/products/rb2140/954 A couple of pics:

[Gary1911A1]

http://www.ray-ban.com/usa/products/rb2140/954A couple of pics:

Thanks for the link. At a little under $100 I consider them a good buy!

[codemaster94]

Thanks for the link. At a little under $100 I consider them a good buy!

No problem. I bought mine from the Ray-Ban website, and they were $139. Ray-Ban offers free shipping online for purchases at $100 or more, but if you want better, faster shipping, you have to pay more.

[COOPER&BURNETT]

I bought from the Ray-Ban website' date=' some Ray-Ban 2140's, Model 954. They are Light Tortoise, with B-15 XLT lenses. This is the only problem. They're not G-15 XLT. It's about as close as you can get to the old 80's 5022 Models. Just change out the lenses.[/quote']This is interesting. Mine are listed as RB2140 902 50022 3NMy lenses are distinctly green/grey like the G-15 lenses of the vintage style. The photos you show seem to have a brownish lense. Mine are not like that at all. I wonder if "B"-15 stands from Bronze or brown lenses? And I wonder if "G"-15 means Green lenses? I don't know. All I know is that when I look at my vintage wayfarers lenses, and my new wayfarer lenses, they look identical when wearing them, and when they are off.According to the ray ban site, they do offer G-15 lenses. Perhaps your frame didn't come with those lenses. But, like you said, the lenses can be changed. I LOVE MINE!! :happy:

[codemaster94]

This is interesting...I wonder if "B"-15 stands from Bronze or brown lenses? And I wonder if "G"-15 means Green lenses? I don't know.

B-15 XLT is Brown. G-15 XLT is Gray or Green.

[COOPER&BURNETT]

B-15 XLT is Brown. G-15 XLT is Gray or Green.

Cool! I guessed right!

[Beach_Vice]

Now, if they could just bring back the wider sized 5024 and I wouldn't have to hunt some down on Ebay every couple years.

[COOPER&BURNETT]

Now' date=' if they could just bring back the wider sized 5024 and I wouldn't have to hunt some down on Ebay every couple years.[/quote']Yeah. I understand. These are made from the molds from the same style Don Johnson wore, the 80's 5022.

[Icemanmike]

Thanx for the info COOP... Just showed my girlfriend and it looks like we're going shopping and since it's my Birthday... Woo Hoo!!!:clap::clap:...Mike

[Icemanmike]

Just checked the Macy's site and for $119.00... time for a new prescription gasses set...Mike...:thumbsup:

[Ferrariman]

Ok, how much and where do I get a pair?!

[COOPER&BURNETT]

Ok' date=' how much and where do I get a pair?![/quote']Gotta read this thread for all the info. :)But seriously, I'll PM you all the info.

[codemaster94]

What sucks is that Ray-Ban offers specific models, but you can't customize your own glasses. They just give you models to choose from, and it's near impossible to find lenses anywhere online. Sunglasses Hut, here I come...

[Ferrariman]

Shop around pal, Sunglass Hut is one of the most expensive places I've found yet!

[COOPER&BURNETT]

What sucks is that Ray-Ban offers specific models' date=' but you can't customize your own glasses. They just give you models to choose from, and it's near impossible to find lenses anywhere online. Sunglasses Hut, here I come...[/quote']Has anyone checked with an optomotrist, or a place that sells perscription eyewear to see if THEY can order the correct lenses? I mean, what would happen if one of your lenses broke???I'd check with them.