I was approving messages this morning and came across one that I've talked about before but which warrants a bit of a refresher. IT's one of the more common hurdles in talking yourself into buying your first (and there will be more once you've taken the leap) pair of online eyeglasses. I won't hit all of the specifics -- but you can at the original post.
I don't know exactly what it is about my face that makes most glasses look bad, but whatever it is, it's not going away. Maybe it's related to the thing that makes 2 frames with the same measurements fit me in completely different ways - as in, one pair will fit fine and the other won't fit at all.
I can deal with this by trying them on in the store, but - of course - I want to get mine online! So how do I go about doing this?
I felt the same way you did. The fact of the matter is, the style center of the brain starts to wrestle with the economic portion when it sees the $250 price tag dangling from the frame. The result is clouded vision that doesn't allow you to really see the frames. I could *never* find a pair of frames I liked. I'd spend hours in the store -- paralyzed.
Since I started ordering online, I've only gotten three pairs (out of 40ish!) that I wouldn't wear every day, and two of those was purchased on a lark.
They're not expensive. My advice is to use the measurements on a frame you like (concentrate on total width if you can) and find something similar. Order up, maybe at EyeBuyDirect (for 15%-off) and see what you think. If you can't live with them, return them.
My guess is, you'll be surprised how you feel when they arrive.
5 comments:
- At January 7, 2010 at 1:46 PM Discobubba said...
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Don't forget about the emphasis that a lot of B&M retailers/online guides put on the shape of your face. Its tough to figure out exactly what that is sometimes tho!
What I've found is that there are certain shapes (and of course sizes) of the LENSES just work well for me and so that's what I'd recommend concentrating on.
Worst case, you can maybe go yourself or with a friend and find something in the store ya like then try and find something similar (or even get the frame make & model) online. But then, that's a whole other debate which has been touched upon here as well... - At January 7, 2010 at 2:35 PM Unknown said...
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Sometimes a good frame will look lousy on your face because it's not adjusted properly. I've taken pairs to my optometrist for adjustments when they needed more than I knew how to do myself, and never gotten any attitude about it, even when I've been honest about getting them online.
If you have a pair of glasses you don't like, take the time to really look at them and figure out what aspects of them you don't like. Don't just look at shape and size, get specific-- Where are the widest and narrowest parts of the lens and frame? When you're wearing them, where's your eye in the lens? Is the inner corner higher or lower than the outer corner? Are they so big they overwhelm your face or so small they make your head look cartoonishly large? Are they too wild or conservative for your style? You get the idea.
Then do the same with a pair you do like, and compare what you like about that pair to what you don't like about the other pair. Look at them side by side, maybe even take a picture of yourself in each pair and look at those side by side. If you have many pairs of glasses, try this with each of them. You'll probably start to notice that the ones you like (or don't like) have a lot of the same traits, even if they seem to look nothing alike. I know for me, frames with the outer corner lower than the inner corner will always look terrible, and frames with a cat-eye shape will look great.
And if you do all this and still get a frame that doesn't look good, just accept that some frames are not going to look good on you and donate them to a charity that provides eyeglasses to people who can't afford them. That's easier and much more rewarding than trying to return them. - At January 7, 2010 at 9:15 PM Gordon Scott said...
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Ira's right on target. There's a big difference between laying out $299 for a pair versus $75 (mine are progressive). At the lower price, I'm willing to experiment a bit, and if I don't like them, they go in the bag as an emergency spare pair.
Just having a spare pair is amazingly reassuring. - At January 8, 2010 at 12:25 PM Anonymous said...
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I haven't been as successful as Ira, but with practice I have gotten much better at finding glasses that work for me. YMMV, but I discovered that I really need to take into account bridge measurement--mine's small and my eyes are close-set. I found that when a pair's bridge measurement's 17 mm or above, they tend not to sit well on my nose (even styles w/nosepads) and can even make me look a bit cross-eyed. This makes rimless a no-no too--having the hardware sitting on my nose draws attention to my issues. It's a little like playing lotto, but for me that's part of the appeal.
- At January 12, 2010 at 5:57 PM Chuck Knight said...
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A lot of "how the frame looks" also has to do with whether you're comfortable in them. It's more a matter of how it looks "to you."
I second the suggestion about paying attention to general size and shape, but thanks to the online prices you can afford to play with stuff you wouldn't have otherwise considered.
Additionally, watch Robert Roope's series of videos. He's great, and will teach you what to look for in eyeglasses. It really is in the details.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVSjFZy0Rug
