Style icons Cary Grant, James Dean, Buddy Holly and Michael Caine wore them.

Edgy sex symbols Elvis Costello, Johnny Depp and Bono have donned modernized versions.

Now rectangular, dark-rimmed plastic glasses have become the power tool local "technorati" are using to say, "Look at me: I'm smart, sexy and ready to do business."

	Michele Migliuolo
	Jim Rock
	Doug Sheilds

The bold, thick, horn-rimmed plastic spectacles have been going in and out of fashion as often as that equally attention-grabbing feminine fashion counterpart -- the miniskirt.

In Pittsburgh's traditional business landscape of various shades of the navy blue suit, these "geek-chic" eyeglasses, said tech executives, are a safe, mature means of showing style -- without overdoing it.

Wearing a well-made, old-fashioned, two-piece suit accessorized by an eye-catching, conversation-sparking, impression-making pair of frames is how Michele Migliuolo likes to step into a meeting.

His latest pair -- dark, rectangular with a slightly thicker rim made by the famed fashion house from his native Italy, Versace -- he bought on a whim during a weekend trip to Rome in March.

Fellow tech executive Mark Cavicchia said he didn't want to be remembered for his frames when meeting with potential investors in his Coraopolis-based startup, WhereverTV.

The frames should be a complement to your appearance, said Mr. Cavicchia. "I want [investors] to take away something about me," he said, not his eyeglasses.

But Dr. Migliuolo, a biotech entrepreneur who also is executive-in-residence at the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse, said he enjoyed the reaction he elicits with his eyeglasses.

When wearing frames that are both bold and flattering, "You turn around, a woman will smile at you, and you know you've hit it on the nose," Dr. Migliuolo said.

In our information-driven society, it's cool to be smart, and eyewear is still associated with smart people, said Richard Leonard, vice president of The Zandl Group, a New York-based research firm.

That's one of two broader cultural trends that he said are fueling what he called "the rise of eyewear."

The second is the aging eyesight of the 78 million baby boomers who have reached 50 and increasingly need to wear glasses. "Boomers have always redefined fashion to suit their life stage, so they are also making eyewear seem stylish," he said.

The past five years have seen Pittsburgh men embrace stylish, "power look" frames, a softer, sleeker, reinvention of its horn-rimmed forebears, said Eyetique founder and Chief Executive Officer Norman Childs.

The update on the classic style is thinner, Mr. Childs said, making them appear more sleek, less geek and versatile enough that they can be worn casually with slacks and a sports shirt or with a tailored suit.

The in-house designed collection of about five frames that bears his name, are among the biggest sellers to his style-conscious clientele of professional men and women typically 25 to 54 years old.

Still, most tech leaders who sport the frames say they are more interested in finding a pair of eyeglasses that suits them than aiming to emulate someone's style.

"I'm a nerd who stumbled on some cool specs," said Jim Rock, CEO of Akustica Inc., of his light, titanium "not obnoxiously large," rectangular frames.

	Mark Cavicchia
	Mark DeSantis
	Louis Piconi

Apangea Learning chief Lou Piconi said the Jones New York frames he purchased in January "make me look about 10 IQ points smarter than I am."

Mr. Piconi said he tried on about 100 pair of glasses before he found the perfect blend of "fairly hip, professional and intellectual."

"They are successful, smart-people glasses," said tech consultant and mayoral candidate Mark DeSantis with a laugh.

He selected his spectacles from a selection handpicked by eyewear consultant Heidi Weitz at HeidiOptics, Downtown.

Ms. Weitz said she doubted that the dark distinctive frames seen on men (and some women) around town signified a new trend as much as the peak of a once-hot, but-now-cooling look.

The distinct frames have been around for a while and are fairly standard, she said.

Hot now are the heavier, darker, more attention-grabbing or "rock 'n' roll" versions of the horn-rimmed frame, said Ms. Weitz.

In other words, when hip frames go from being propped on the fresh faces of the in crowd to the faces of the conventional set, their cool quotient is heading downward.

They could be considered "over" when they appear in the display cases of lower-end optical retailers -- and can be obtained for free with the right insurance plan.

Ms. Weitz expects round frames similar to those worn by architect I.M. Pei -- and younger icon Harry Potter -- to be the "Next Big Thing."

But leaping out ahead of a trend can be risky business.

Two years ago, Ron Graziano, an engineer and chief of the city's department of building inspection, was ridiculed when he arrived home wearing the retro-looking dark plastic frames.

"Dad, you're going to look like a dork," Mr. Graziano's then 12-year-old daughter, Maria, said.

Now 14, Maria's new eyeglasses are nearly identical to her father's previously dorky frames.

"When I bought them, people weren't wearing them." Mr. Graziano said, "Now I see them on everyone."