For Regular Folk, They’re a Sight for Four Eyes

Every time we look up, there’s another celebrity wearing glasses. Yet none of them seem to go for celebrity eyewear.

Too cool for the Linda Evans frames, is that it?

Uh, yes, says Dan Deutsch, who sells designer labels like Donna Karan and Giorgio Armani to a Hollywood clientele through his seven-store Optical Outlook chain. They’re too “suburban,” as he delicately puts it, for city scenesters.

Fortunately for the eyewear makers (Xyloware Inc., Luxottica, Welling International, Nouveau) that pay for star names to attach to their products, many American women enjoy “Dynasty” reunion movies. And they appreciate the chance to shop for eyewear (starting at $50) on their regular run to Wal-Mart, Price-Costco or the malls, where off-price vision centers often reside.

Judging by the celebrity lines available, such eyewear licensing deals favor: a) mature actresses (including Joan Collins), b) mature models (including Cheryl Tiegs) and c) mature model-actresses.