So, it’s been 7 years since I had a new pair of specs and I su”spect” (har har!) that these are going to fall apart sooner rather than later. They’re Anne Klein frames and I got them at LensCrafters (they have fantabulous coupons on-line, by the way). Bucket of dough, of course, which is why I want to start budgeting for a new pair so I’m not shelling out $300 with no warning.
Having taken a cursory glance around some optical joints, I see that the rectangular frame shape is still very in, but I wonder if that trend will have run its course soon. Can you imagine how hard we’re all going to laugh some day looking at photos from this era? “Oh my gosh, look at those harsh rectangular glasses! That was SO 2003!”
I have noticed some of the kids in the mall and here and there sporting frames that we wore in the 80’s: classic Wayfarers, big almost-round nerd glasses, and the — how do I describe them? — sort of big square shapes with the plastic rims a bit heavier on the top. Sort of Gloria Steinhem aviator-ish. Not like this, though (although I love these):
I wonder if it would be interesting and maybe a bit different and fun to do something different like the kids, and then I think, “No, I wore those already, let them have their fun.” I sure am getting sick and tired of this look, though. EVERYBODY has these glasses:
What are you wearing as face furniture, possums? ($5 and a huge kiss for whoever gets that reference first!)
[Widdy got it right away! None other than the fabulous Dame Edna Everedge! 
I need new frames, too, and i’m terrified at having to make this choice. Current frames are very fine metal in a purply-pewter finish, where the lenses just sort of hang off the top frame like that crazy roller-coaster that hangs from the rail. Basically rectangle lenses with a hint of an arch at the top. I like them because they come with magnetic sunglass attachments which fit them PERFECTLY and which have no threat of scratching the lenses. But it’s been 3 years and I’m just so tired of them. I love the look of the rectangle frame in the plastic, but I once begged my mother to buy me that style and I only liked them for 2 weeks (which was how long I had them before they went out of style) and then had to wear them for 2 years. I know that if I buy them they will go out of style again. And I’ll have to buy prescription sunglasses as well. So, (*sigh*) I guess I’m sticking with some kind of metal. And because I have a relatively small head I’m guessing it will just be a variation of what I’m wearing now.
Please donate the $5 to the PBSpeck-tacular fund!
Why, that would be Dame Edna, of course! [applause!! smooch! *throwing five bucks at you*- PB]
And I do like the ones you’ve got already . . .
I almost always wear contact lenses, but I do have a pair of proper glasses for times when my eyes are tired or I just feel like it. I wear a muted gold frame, the whole frame, not those unlined on the bottom ones. Mine are fairly oval. I like to mirror the line of my eyebrows, which I keep fairly natural. I’ve tried trendier frames, but these are the frames that make me feel like me. Which is exactly the line my 6 year old used on me on friday to talk me into buying him the identical frames from the ones he lost on the playground. “Mom, I’ve tried them all on, but when I put these on I feel like I’m really looking at Micheal.” His are the same shape, baby blue.
I have several pictures of my Dad wearing those glasses in the fifties.
Try zenni optical. I got glasses that I’m very pleased with from there for $30 shipped that included anti-reflective coating.
My husband (a retired ophthalmologist) gets his online – lots cheaper – same frames. Get your prescription from your ophthalmologist or optician and check it out. All the fashion you want.
Ok, objectively looking at your face shape I’m thinking something with a touch of width and height at he corners would be nice for you. A slightly lighter color–maybe a metallic like silver or copper (not gold unless you wear mostly gold jewlery) or a lighter plastic frame.
If you are wearing them in front of people the ar coating is worth the money. if you ONLY wear them at home, it isn’t. But then you probably don’t need new ones, right 😉
I got some new ones–they are rectangular but in a really soft color–and I find I wear them more than I used to and that’s a good thing. Good luck!
(I can’t go back to the big round frames. I have some pictures from high school and college that make me shudder. I have optometry in my blood and that’s why I have so many opinions about this but of course feel free to disregard. I’ve helped a lot of people pick out frames. . . .)
I’d post a link to mine, but the website uses flash, so it won’t work. It’s Pro Design Denmark style no. 1648, which are quite similar to yours. I might get new frames year after next when I’m eligible. I love the idea of “edgy” glasses, but many edgy styles have really thick temple pieces, and I worry that it would be annoying.
They do have styles that are rimless on the bottom that aren’t the black hipster styles similar to the pic you posted. I think those are really flattering.
I used to waer retro glasses. They looked nifty. I’ve considered going back to them many times. I hear the place to get Retro glasses in fabulous Fanny’s in NYC>
I just bought these cute Liz Claiborne ones–they’re mostly brown with a hint of turquoise accent. Very cute and must be popular, as they were backordered.
http://www.coolframes.com/glasses/liz-claiborne-eyewear/liz-claiborne-321-womens-prescription-eyeglasses.html
You can sort of see mine in this pic:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v484/templegoddess/?action=view¤t=WendyandArchbishopRowan001.jpg
I don’t do anti-reflective: they LOOK better, but I am so light-sensitive that they give me terrible headaches (which is not the point of vision correction!). The reason they reflect less light is that they let more light through.
Mine, to describe them better, are dark forest greeny-grey metal, with what a friend describes as ‘cheese grater’ sides’. The green works with just about every imaginable clothing colour, and is very close to the colour of my eyes. The small size is right for my small face, and the angular shape gives some definition to very ‘soft’ features.
Good article. It takes everything they’ve got to correct my vision and not furnish me with thick ol’ goggles, so that rules out a lot of styles and my glasses are muy expensivo. Last pair I picked out in a rush, and my prescription rules out a lot of styles, but my new pair was not a good choice, I regret to admit. Thankfully, my prescription sunglasses have held up very well for four years now and I love wearing them, even though they have some sort of designer logo on the sides — I would prefer not to be a billboard.
After 35 years of wearing glasses, I had Lasik, and I couldn’t be happier with my choice. It’s not perfect, but I never have to worry about frames!
My favorite “OMG what was I thinking!” pair of glasses – the one time I did NOT do the usual rimless – was when I was in law school and trying to look scholarly. I had a pair of tortoise-shell oversized John Dean glasses (OK, I’m old, and it’s a legit reference for me to make – google him from the 70s).
MOST of the years that I wore glasses (which I had to wear 24/7 in order not to trip over large objects such as couches) I wore the lightest, most rimless ones I could find, and I had two primary reasons. First, it kept my nose from getting huge red dents in them; second, my specs didn’t arrive 5 minutes before I did.
Like I said, though, the Lasik has been great. I’ve never looked back.
I mostly wear contacts–I feel I see better with them and they go with everything.
My glasses are a kind of funky rectangle shape with the little extra that sticks out at the top outside corners (if that makes sense). They are a “tortoise shell” look that is a subtle green and turquoise-blue instead of the traditional shades of brown and black. They aren’t so wild that I can’t wear them for work, but they are different enough that I feel snazzy when I wear them. Most importantly, they are a small lens, which works for those of us with not-so-good vision; less distortion and the edges of the lens aren’t a half inch thick.
What I don’t wear them for is preaching, because I feel like I have to bend my head down every time I need to look at my notes. Beware the diminished peripheral vision with the smaller frames.
14-point double-spaced Verdana means no reading glasses for preaching, but I do need them for othe parts of the service. I don’t know what I will do if that gets too small! I mostly wear my glasses on my head–it’s my celebrant trademark.
Another reason to go smaller, related to the distortion-at-the-edges issue, is that as we age, the glasses can sometimes become a magnifier for the eye area (and any fine lines, crepe-y skin that we might not want magnified).
And a lens that goes halfway down your cheek? Why? First of all, it buys you nothing in terms of extra visual space (do you use anything below your cheekbone to see?). Secondly, again, it magnifies the eye area. Thirdly, it puts a big DROOP mark (often U-shaped) right where most of us don’t need any more droop.
Well, one of the places we don’t need more droop, anyway… 😉
I want to second the Zennioptical.com suggestion. I have gotten two pairs of glasses from them and been super happy. Go try on frames at lenscrafters, decide what you like, and then take your prescription to the website. My last pair (lost in an unfortunate wave runner incident) were red plastic rectangle frames with little flowers carved into the sides. and even with the ar coating and higher quality lens, they were only $50. It takes about 3 weeks to get them, but it’s SOOOOO much cheaper.
I encourage you to try a pair of glasses from an online vendor. They really are just as good as the $300 ones from your local optician, and you can try several styles without breaking the budget.
I’ve used both optical4less.com and 39dollarglasses.com with great success.
When I visit my mother, her senior friends ask me to help them order glasses online. I’ve gotten nothing but positive feedback from folks who’ve been wearing glasses for years and are thrilled to buy bifocals for less than $100. [I am TOTALLY going to do that! Thank you! – PB]
I have Ted Baker frames called “Lilian.” I love them!!
I also did the Lasik thing and couldn’t be more thrilled. (Except that now my anxiety dreams feature an element of not being able to see clearly, which freaks me out a smidge.)
My worst frames ever: in the category of what was I thinking: the huge 80’s frames with red bottoms, white temples, and blue tops. I am not kidding. I believe I destroyed those school pictures. All you saw was this huge nose (which I hadnt yet grown into), a giant head of hair shaped like a triangle (it took me years to figure out how a salon could properly cut my huge heavy hair), and these big bug eyes.
Naturally, this was over a babydoll sweater dress with stirrup pants and ankle boots. I was stylin’, then, baby. I was also 12.
I’m so ashamed!
I usually wear contacts but will wear glasses from time to time or at home. I got bifocals (the kind without the line) and new frames at Costco for less than $100. Score!
I’m actually going through the same process – (unfortunately likely to be laid off soon, so it is time to get updated frames for an interview). The new hipster frames are what my father wore, so they are out of the question – I can just hear my family during the holidays “You stole Dad’s glasses – I’m gonna’ tell!” Since I may have to live with them for a long time I’m going to try for something classic – the John Dean tortiseshells might not be too far off the mark. If I have to wear them until I’m in my 60’s, I’ll try not to look too ridiculous.
I am counting the minutes–and my pennies–until the omnipresent rectangles are truly gone. I’m on my second, and least loved, pair and I hate both the color–that burgundy that’s almost brown–and that harsh horizontal line across the top.
What was I thinking the day I picked these out? Oh, I know! This was the pair the optometrist “recommended” because unlike the 199 other pairs of rectangular glasses in the store, these were deep enough for no-line bifocals. If I could do it over, I’d get Junior Soprano’s glasses instead. I swear they’d be more flattering, and they’re definitely “deep” enough.
I find myself trying on glasses in any retail store casual enough to let people walk up and pop ’em on without actually committing.
If you’re in the market, 39dollarglasses.com is having a sale right now. Use code LD15 at checkout for an additional 15% off…
Also http://www.zennioptical.com and http://www.Goggles4U.com. I have used both and am very impressed!
I love the Kenzo titanium frames I bought this year. Last year I bought Face a Face acrylic frames which were heavier but funky. DD prefers the Kenzo ones, maybe because they’re purple. Who can tell!