Monocle
A single lens wedged into the eye socket – men’s fashion’s best-known accessory.
The monocle became fashionable in England and Germany during the 19th century, especially among officers and dandies. It required tensing the eye muscles, which gave the wearer a stiff, haughty look.
After the First World War the monocle was associated with the Prussian officer and went out of fashion. Today it is a symbol of a vanished age.
Materials: Glass, metal ring, cord or chain
Manufacture: Made by opticians in England, Germany and Austria from the early 19th century.
A single round lens in a thin ring.
The eyelet for the cord or chain.
Sometimes a gallery that holds it in the eye socket.