Frustrating eyeglass shopping experience

Makrame

I went to pick out a new pair of eyeglasses since my vision insurance provides some coverage for one pair per year, and I haven't had my prescription checked for a while. I was inspired by the fabulous eyeglass-wearing YLF members and armed by Angie's guidelines and hoped to pick out something funky and fun. Instead, I spent more than an hour trying to find some frames that were even remotely attractive. I ended up picking the "least bad" frame that was covered by my insurance. Here are some pictures. One of these frames is new, the rest are old; I am curious how people would rank them.

I think the problem is that the optician I can use with my vision plan has very limited selection of brands; it's Guess, Coach, CK, Rampage, Vera Bradley etc. I did not see anything really funky or different. I looked online to see what other optical centers are nearby (I would have to pay full price there), and it's mostly places like Sears, JCPenney etc. There is an independent optician that offers frames from "LaCoste, Esprit, Modo, Versaci, Bolle, BCBG Maxazria, Vera Wang, Armani"; not sure if these are going to be better.

If anyone has suggestions for good brands to look for, that would be great. I am also not sure if this is worth it since I usually wear glasses for just an hour or two a day (distance only); but I enjoy seeing a lot of people here sport cute eyeglasses so it would be nice to have a funky pair.

This post has 3 photos. Photos uploaded by this member are only visible to other logged in members.

If you aren't a member, but would like to participate, please consider signing up. It only takes a minute and we'd love to have you.

14 years ago

Shopping

8 replies

Latest reply was from Mander

nancylee

Veteran

Of the three you posted here, I prefer #2....I think they have some visual interest because of the color. #1 doesn't provide enough contrast with your fair skin, so they tend to make you look a little washed out. #3 is better than #1, but they seem a bit severe.

I know how frustrating glasses shopping can be. I didn't like anything for the longest time until I discovered these Kate Spade "Kendall" frames:

http://www.amazon.com/kate-spa.....qid=131931

Here's a link to a recent post of me wearing them:

http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....tern-scarf

The slight cat's eye shape lifts the face, which Angie cites as very important....and I agree!

14 years ago

Kari

Veteran

Makrame, I totally emphathize. In the past I've had some really frustrating specs-shopping experience, and have had times where I was really disheartened by the lack of cute frames available - or worse yet, found frames that I loved, but they were all too small to fit my face.

I'm not sure if your vision plan is like mine, but we get a certain dollar amount every 2 years to spend towards lenses, and we get a discount for certain providers (such as LensCrafters or PearlVision, Sears, or JCPenney Optical.) If we go outside of those providers we have to pay out of pocket and get reimbursed for the dollar amount provided by insurance.
Sometimes I've had good luck finding cute frames at the discount providers; other times I've gone elsewhere even though it meant higher prices. In the end, given how often I wear glasses, I'd rather have frames that I'm 100% thrilled with and that fit my face comfortably, AND know that the lenses are made well.

All I can say is to keep looking, try not to get discouraged, and if budget allows, try to look at some other optical stores even if they aren't necessarily the best deal covered by your insurance provider. My family & I have even had some luck in the past at Costco and found that often their frames were cheaper than what we'd get through one of the providers contracted through our vision insurance plan.
Another option my sister recently opted for - she got some super cute, unusual glasses at an independent store, but she had the lenses made at Costco Optical. (We have had very good experiences there with them making our lenses well, and it ended up being much cheaper for her to do that than to have the lenses made at the place where she purchased her frames.)

Of the frames you posted, my favorite is #2 - I like the dark wine-red color and how it emphasizes the green in your eyes. #3 is my next favorite - I like the sheen of the metal, but I feel like the sharp edges/rectangular shape are less harmonious with your pretty features than the frames in #2 are.

14 years ago

klauren

Active Member

Hi Makrame! I too am an eyeglass wearer, however, I've got to wear them all the time, with bifocals no less! Personally, I think the #3 pair is kinda cute. Is there a possibility of using readers? they are all over the place, and come in some really interesting and fun, even crazy designs, colors and prints. When I wear my contacts with the readers over for close stuff, I am able to have some really far out, funky pairs - I even have some cat-eye type with rhinestones just for a hoot.
For my days when glasses are a must, I just purchased a pair in an interesting olive-y green (my eyes are green so it makes them just pop!) designer Chloe and from Costco of all places. I roped a friend whose taste I trust into going with me to pick the frames. We liked these right away - I don't hardly wear olive at all in my clothes, but somehow these work with green eyes and red hair.
You can also keep looking for frames you absolute love and have one of the online folks put your prescription in them for a excellent prices. That works if there is no bifocals involved. They can even put them into some reader type glasses too.
Good luck!!

14 years ago

nancylee

Veteran

I agree with klauren that bringing a friend along when glasses shopping is a huge help!

14 years ago

Kari

Veteran

Oh, and in case it helps, these are the brands I've purchased over the past several years that I liked. Keep in mind that I'm very wide across the temples and needed to purchase wider specs than normal; I don't know that all of these brands run wide, but the specific models I purchased certainly did!

#1: Calvin Klein - an older pair that I no longer wear (they are my "backup spare pair) because they feel a little narrow for my face now, but I liked them a lot for several years, and they were basically my introduction to cute plastic frames. Red with a contrasting orange inner color.
#2: DViations - Black with white inner color, and a very subtle floral/rhinestone motif on the sidearms.
#3: Adrienne Vittadini - Burgundy with turquoise inner color & a thin white stripe separating the colors. A bit more lifted/pointy towards the upper outer corners.
#4: Orgreen Pussycat. So, these were a LOT pricier than the 3 plastic pairs in #1-3 - they are titanium and are a bronze color that is bright green on the inside, and they are light as a feather.

I wear #2-4 regularly. The only reason I've been able to accumulate a lot of glasses in the past several years is that I had some job changes that involved new insurance providers, and even when I stayed at the same job (like this year) our insurance provider changed and our "clock" for when we could get new lenses started over. Going forward, unless I have a frames-destroying disaster, I'll probably just use my insurance money to update the lenses as necessary in each of these frames so I can continue to rotate between my favorites.

I don't know if the information helps, but I learn a lot through visual examples, so just wanted to throw this out there. Wishing you lots and lots of luck on your search!

This post has 4 photos. Photos uploaded by this member are only visible to other logged in members.

If you aren't a member, but would like to participate, please consider signing up. It only takes a minute and we'd love to have you.

14 years ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

You have already received some excellent advice. I just wanted to add my commiserations; shopping for glasses is very difficult for me as well, and I've never yet been completely satisfied. Which is one reason I wear my contacts more often.

I agree with the other votes for #2 (of the ones you have showed us here.) And I hope you are able to find some other options to try as well. It is such an important purchase and you would really enjoy it if you found the perfect ones.

14 years ago

Makrame

Veteran

Hi everyone, thanks! I guess I did not do so bad - #2 is the new pair I picked out today.

#1 is an old pair in a style that I used to get all the time (thin metal half-frames) and that is the style my husband still likes best on me. Last time I went to select specs, I was told that style was outdated, and the optician steered me towards #3, which I think is not too bad but my husband absolutely dislikes. Today I tried to pick out something that was less "severe", and the lighter color was one of the attributes that I liked about #2.

Funnily, when I chose frames #3, I was shopping with my son, and he got a pair of glasses from the same brand (an Italian brand, I think); he said "in these glasses, I look like an Italian movie director", so that's what I usually think about when I put on these glasses, they seem to have a bit of a retro look.

Kari, you were actually one of the people I had in mind while shopping for frames. I remember that you have a few very cute pairs of glasses, and kept looking for something similar. Thanks for the visuals, the frames are all very nice, each in its own way, and this gives more ideas.

Nancylee, I love how the lighter color and the shape of the frames looks with your hair. I was trying to find something in a similar shape but most frames were much more rectangular.

14 years ago

Mander

(website)

Veteran

You might enjoy playing around on Zenni Optical's website. I think Angie's review of their glasses was not so great, but I have found their virtual "try on" facility to be instructive. I uploaded my photo and tried all kinds of frames, and was surprised by what I found to be flattering when viewed in a photo, rather than the mirror. While I ended up buying some glasses from them that I am happy with, you don't necessarily need to follow suit. It's just a convenient (and sometimes amusing) way of trying out your face with many possible colors and combinations.

14 years ago

Category