The story of Altina Schinasi's early life sets the tone for exploring how she came to create her iconic frames. Schinasi (pictured) was born in 1907, into a family that was fabulously wealthy thanks to the efforts of her father, Moussa, who after migrating from Turkey became an American millionaire after inventing a patented design for a cigarette rolling machine. Moussa's inquiring mind and eye for design certainly passed to his daughter, who developed artistic interests in her youth. As her skills developed, she began a career as a window dresser for various Manhattan stores.

It was during this time that Schinasi became aware of the dearth of fashionable glasses frames for women in the window of a nearby opticians shop, and became determined that she could develop a new design that was both elegant and fashionable. Her Harlequin frames, which she brought to market in the 1930s in partnership with the high-end optical boutique Lugene, and her sleek design soon became a major fashion item, worn by countless screen heroines such as Lucille Ball, Audrey Hepburn, and Marilyn Monroe. In 1939, she received Lord & Taylor's American Design Award for the already iconic frames.

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