MAIN PHOTOGRAPH: The entrance hall at Javits, celebrating 40 years of Silhouette. ABOVE, FROM TOP: A display wall of Silhouette advertising. Tom Cruise in Silhouette. Kristin Davis in Silhouette.

The name Silhouette stands for the power behind an innovative idea that eyewear can be more than an implement to improve vision; rising to become a fashionable, stylish accessory

HE YEAR was 1964. My Fair Lady starring Audrey Hepburn was showing in movie theatres; the first Ford Mustang rolled of the assembly line; the Beatles made their very first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show; and, in Austria, Arnold and Anneliese Schmied launched their vision of creating the first eyewear company to design glasses that are both beautiful and functional. They named their young fledging company Silhouette, and started a revolution in the international eyewear industry that has shot them to the top.
   This year marks the 40th anniversary of the creation of the Sil­houette Eyewear Company and to pay tribute to their excitingly influential past, the present con­tinued success of the company and to further great­ness and pros­perity in the future, Mr Schmied and company held a stunning extra­vaganza at the 2004 International Vision Expo East in New York City to kick off their year-long anniversary.
   The name Silhouette stands for the power behind an innovative idea that eyewear can be more than a simple implement to improve faulty vision; rising to become a fashionable, stylish day-to-day accessory of unique design. Silhouette eyewear pieces are verified expressions of personality, combined with exclusive quality and function. To this day, Silhouette International Schmied AG is a family-owned business with a total of more than 1,000 employees, with Silhouette's collections exported to over 90 countries.
   At the International Vision Expo East 2004, held March 25–8 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City, Silhouette invited 400 of its customers—mostly optometrists who sell its glasses—to reflect on its four-decade history. ‘We wanted to give a sense of the past and the history of Silhouette, and its evolution over the years,’ Cynthia Srednicki of Vision PR said, ‘and then focus on the experience of projecting to the future.’
   That history was expressed in many ways, beginning with a historical tribute that reflected the diversity and history of Silhouette eyewear. As guests walked up the red carpet, models lined the entrance hall wearing retro clothing, hair, make-up, jewellery and of course eyewear from 1964 to 2004. Each look was exquisitely detailed for authenticity.
   In the cocktail lounge, a display wall of Silhouette ads and eyeglasses showed the evolution of the brand. While guests drank champagne and sampled hors d'œuvres, aerialists from the Amazing Imago Balance Acrobats wearing Silhouette sunglasses (who used only silk rope for support from the high ceilings) flipped and spun above the crowd.
   Guests were then ushered into a conference room for remarks and keynote speeches from Silhouette president Arnold Schmied, NASA chief optometrist Keith Manuel and NASA astronaut William McArthur Jr (Silhouette is the official eyewear provider for NASA). A cool, custom video wall that split open as the headliners made their entrances gave the event a high-tech element. In his speech, Arnold Schmied, president of Silhouette, charmed the crowd as he talked about the past and future of the company, which his parents set in motion so many years ago.

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