Super-size at Dead Men's Spex

Hi there
We are into super-size this week and no, it's not because Deadman's been overindulging on the pork scratchings, although there is always a strong possibility of that!
He's just bought some beautifully made 1940's tortoiseshell frames, we're always on the look out for large frames and these certainly fulfil that criteria. They are fully jointed with perfectly reproduced metal joints and even have a metal support in the bridge, Deadman thinks they must have been part of an optician's display.

That's a big one, display frames compared with a standard frame

.
We've just got to find someone with a super-size head and we'll all be happy....!

TTFN Mrs Deadman

Kustom Kulture Blastoff 2013

Hi There

Doug's pick up (from The Tonsorial Artist barber's in Holt)

On Sunday 1st September we went to Spalding in Lincolnshire to Kustom Kulture Blastoff run by the magazine Pinstriping and Kustom We had a great day out admiring some fantastic vehicles and watching artists and tattooists at work; Deadman junior loved the airbrushing. We met Doug and Graham from The Tonsorial Artist in  Holt, they had both arrived in their rat rods.

A decorated Lambretta.

It was a great day out!

TTFN Mrs Deadman

Twinwood Festival 2013

Hi There

The August bank holiday saw Dead Men's Spex at  The Twinwood Festival in Bedfordshire. It was lovely to see so many of our customers and friends again and we had a busy weekend. In the Twinwood tradition we also had loads of rain; on the Saturday morning the local village of Clapham was flooded and there were three female mallards dabbling around the cars in the High Street!

Mrs Deadman on the stall

However, this did not stop the fun, it delayed things a little, but a good wartime spirit prevailed and festival goers kept calm and carried on in their best wellies and brollies. By all accounts the Colonial Club; a large marquee with a stage, tea and stalls, provided a welcome refuge for soggy re enactors.

Inside the Colonial Club

On the main stage there was some excellent music and Terry Elliot and John Miller entertained us all with their usual witty banter. We particularly enjoyed Kai's Cats and Michael Law's Piccadilly Dance Orchestra.

Three Belles and the Bevin Boys on the main stage

Luckily by Monday we had glorious sunshine, so I went out and about with the camera.

                                           1950's stage                                           

Thank you to everyone who came to see us.

 TTFN Mrs Deadman

Glasses from Amsterdam: a potted history.

Hi there

We have just returned from our short break in Amsterdam, it is one of the few cities that is really easy to get to from Norfolk! The flight takes thirty five minutes from Norwich airport.

The Brilmuseum

Dead Man assures me that the main allure was the Brilmuseum ; the glasses museum. Amsterdam has an eclectic selection of quirky museums, including the torture museum and the Tassenmusem museum of bags and purses. However, we had a first with our landlady as she had never heard of the Brilmuseum!

Inside the Brilmuseum

The Brilmuseum did not disappoint and is a fantastic place for lovers of vintage glasses. They have a comprehensive collection of all things optical. The first floor is a shop selling vintage spectacles (although most only dated to the past 30 years) and the museum is on two floors of a traditional Amsterdam house.

safety and industrial specs

We were excited by the frames; there was a wide range, including rare 18th century 'Martin's Margins' (see the Deadman's own fine example here),  great flying goggles and a wide selection of dramatic 1950s and '60s  cocktail glasses.

Cocktail and Viennese ball inspired frames 

If you're ever in Amsterdam and fancy feasting your eyes on a great selection of vintage glasses it's worth seeking out, and you won't have to queue, we had the place to ourselves.

TTFN Mrs Deadman

Dead Men's Spex; A Little Vintage Lover of a lovely little village. (Say three times very quickly!)

Hi there

It's August already and on Sunday 4th August  Dead Men's Spex is off to a Little Vintage Lover Fair in Heydon, a privately owned village in deepest rural Norfolk. Heydon is a beautiful place with only one road for access. It has a parish room, church, pub, bakery, tea room and some attractive cottages all nestled round a very pictueresque green.These are all close to the Elizabethan Heydon Hall, home of the Bulwer Long family.

The fair is held in the recently refurbished parish room; a world war one soldiers' hut which was moved from Staffordshire to Norfolk in 1922.  The shows here have a lovely old world atmosphere, perfect for a vintage fair. So if you fancy a day out come and see us all at Heydon!

Heydon  Parish Room

I look forward to a fun day out,

TTFN Mrs Deadman

Dead Men's Spex

Sunglasses - 50 shades of glamour.

Hi There
Wow! We've got a proper summer at last! This provides a perfect opportunity for a bit of vintage glamour in the form of some cool sunnies. I was looking into their history; it is only in the last 50 years or so that they have been widely available to the masses. Modern sunglasses originated in America; in 1929 Sam Foster began selling sunglasses through his eyewear company Foster Grant, an enduring name which is still popular today. In the thirties and forties sunglasses were luxury items mainly worn by the glamorous elite.

Polaroid, a brand name synonymous with sunglasses was created by Dr Edwin Land who invented polarizing glass which effectively filters out horizontal rays of  light. Polaroid went on to be the biggest seller of sunglasses and is now part of Safilo, the Italian eyewear company. 

In 1936 American pilots were issued with large sunglasses to protect their eyes, these were soon known as aviators after the people for whom they were originally designed. These were manufactured by Ray Ban and Shuron. They proved so popular that a year later they were sold to the public and have been an enduring fashion statement ever since. General MacArthur, the WW2 commander of Allied Forces in the Pacific was regualrly photographed wearing his and did much to promote the style.

The most common lens colour of vintage sunglasses is green. Dead Mens Spex. can fit green, brown or grey lenses, either plain or prescription, into any pair of our vintage spectacles. Take a peek at our range of sunglasses which include original vintage frames and Swing frames from the Polaroid Hertiage range.

So have fun in the sun.


TTFN Mrs Deadman

Clare a great place for antiques.

Hi There

Summer is finally here and recently we had a few days away in Clare, Suffolk. It is a small wool town full of lovely mediaeval architecture and history, consequently it is great place for antiques and vintage.We spent a morning browsing in Clare Antiques and Interiors gradually working our way through the four floors of goodies. According to Deadman there were 106 dealers. They had a wide selsection of items including some lovely vintage clothes and handbags and loads of books, but alas, no glasses. We also had a good brevit in a bookshop, one of Deadman's favoured habitats, this one's called Harris and Harris .

Clare Antiques centre

We're back in Norfolk now and Deadman's bought some new ladies' frames  which are just about to go the website.

Original 1960s Polaroid Cool Ray sunglasses 

Supra (top) and two tone cat's eyes frames.

TTFN Mrs Deadman