Eyeglasses but Make it Fashion
Eyeglasses are quite the hot commodity. With celebrities wearing unique pieces to express their style and retailers and etailers popping up everywhere, the choice in eyewear has increased exponentially.
I’ve been wearing eyeglasses since the age of 13. I never saw them as a fashion accessory then, as there wasn’t much choice for a 13 year old who simply cared that she could see the board again and that they wouldn’t fall off her face when she decided to run wild into parks, playing tag and flip over monkey bars. Yes, I was a tomboy.
The first time eyeglasses became a fashion statement for me was during my university years. Eyeglasses were out of the question during high school, when contact lenses ruled my life – how else would the boys see my pretty eyes. (Sidenote: I don’t have pretty eyes, they’re basic, but such was the life of a high-schooler who was trying to look cool and not be seen as a nerd.) During university, I purchased – or rather my mother purchased for me through her insurance – my first pair of slim rectangular D&Gs, silver-rimmed with wooden sides. These were narrow, “barely there” in comparison to today’s lightweight oversized glasses. I wore them for at least four years until I graduated. Glasses were supposed to last, you weren’t supposed to change them with your outfit. These babies were pricey!
Then I went to Korea – and everything eyeglass-related changed for me. Korean optical stores offered free eye exams with the purchase of a pair of glasses, in addition to creating the ready-to-wear glasses within an hour and at a shockingly low cost of $17! I was so blown away at the price, I selected two pairs – one grey, a safe and professional bet, and one red with Hangul down the sides, my fun and quirky pair. This was the first time I had fun with eyeglasses, because I could afford to! At that price, I didn’t mind buying more than one pair to try out with different outfits on different occasions. I’ve never seen this scale of optical cost-effectiveness in Canada.
In 2015, I later purchased two pairs of glasses as soon as I received my own work benefits. A $160 pair of black Coach editor-style full-rimmed glasses and a $350 tortoise Burberry editor-style full rimmed pair. Both were heavier than any other pair of glasses I had ever worn, but they were durable and a pleasant relief being oversized versus the narrower frames’ field of view, to which I had become accustomed.
Now in 2017, there are a ton of retailers offering eyeglasses at a $100 a pair if you have a low prescription, check out Warby Parker (a favourite among my friends) and Bon Look (a favourite of mine simply because of their recent marketing efforts and the variety they offer). These retailers offer new names with trendy fashion eyewear styles, making it less necessary to buy luxury brand eyeglasses, like Gucci, Fendi, Prada, etc.
Let’s take it one step further though and enter into the world of e-tailers, selling eyeglasses for $7 to $30 a pair! Of course, the more customization you add on and the stronger your prescription, the higher the price, but you’re still coming in less than $100 or $300 a pair. Now, I’m not sure what additional care more expensive optical stores add to their glasses and if there are medical advantages/disadvantages to be aware of. Read more here and here. Late last year I grew tired of the heaviness and dark rimmed look of my Coach and Burberry glasses and wanted something brighter and lighter. So, with my benefits reset, I had my eyes checked, prescription updated and web browser opened. Along came Zenni Optical – an e-tailer based in California offering eyewear from $6.95 and above. I uploaded my photo to virtually try on the 10 pairs I favourited and began the process of elimination.
I have been itching for a prescription pair of sunglasses but am not yet willing to shell out $300+, and this isn’t an affordability issue. It’s because I’m so careless with sunglasses. I always toss them into bags caseless. I lose them. I pick weird colours that I outgrow. I pick safe black frames in weird shapes that I outgrow. So I wasn’t yet willing to spend $300 on branded prescription sunglasses. So priority #1 was a pair of prescription sunglasses. Priority #2 was a pair of eyeglasses I could use every day, something professional (black) but something trendy that showed off my style (gold). So I picked a pair of half rimmed black and gold glasses.
What happened next is sheer lack of self-control and the convenience of the internet and the negative effect of cheap goods (see: fast fashion). I picked a pair of grey acetate frames with peach sides, a pair of oversized blush frames and a gold rimmed aviator pair. Yes, I placed an order for five pairs of glasses and a pair of prescription sunglasses. Being my first time trying this e-tailer, I decide to add on only a tint for the sunnies, and an anti-reflective coating for the black and gold pair. The other three were just frames with Rx lenses - very basic, no frills.
The order was easy to place and I got an email as soon as the package was shipped out, which was four days between placing the order and shipment. Delivery took two to three days so I received the five pairs within a week! Great service in my opinion.
The verdict: All the glasses are lightweight. They come in a no-fuss green plastic case with a slightly larger than usual cleaning cloth, which is quite thick and has a massive Zenni promo on one side. The glasses on first touch feel a bit flimsy in comparison to my heavier more durable glasses and there is a lightweight-plasticy feeling to them. But with time and wear, you get used to it. The sunglasses and the black and gold eyeglasses were great purchases. I wore the sunglasses during my lunch break today and I’m currently writing this piece with the black and gold frames on, which I’ve been wearing since I opened the package. I love them both.
My remaining three pairs that were spontaneous additions aren’t perfect, simply because I didn’t add an anti-reflective coating to each. I should’ve added the $5 add-on, but I was hesitant since I didn’t know if this was even a legitimate site. While Zenni offers 50 per cent off your amount upon return, they don’t cover return shipping, so my 50 per cent return amount would only cover my shipping cost. So I’ve decided to put the three pairs on Kijiji and Letgo and once they’re sold, I’ll rebuy the three pairs from Zenni with a $5 add-on of anti-reflective glare. (I’m trying not to hoard.) I do recommend an anti-reflective add-on because I see the difference in clarity with my pair that does have the AR added on. My vision is clear and crisp, meanwhile the pairs lacking this AR are distractive as there’s a halo by every light and I see the reflection of my face in the glasses, so weird! The AR is worth the investment, especially for just $5 per pair!
Update: April 9 – The non-AR pairs work well during the day and the lack of AR isn’t bothersome then. And I still have not re-bought new pairs. I think I’ll just keep these three non-AR ones as backups, though I wear the oversized peach ones as often as the gold and black rimmed ones.
Pricing – if you care.: My total initial order came up to $103 for five pair, two of which had add-ons.
Glasses can be so much fun when they are cost-effective. I appreciate the variety in frames and costs that give us glasses-wearers more choice in our everyday style. I can’t even be upset at purchasing three pairs that I won’t be able to use that frequently (but are very viable backups), since I did get two pairs that I can use for $103, which is about $52 each pair, which is still cheaper than any in-store offer! You know a pair of glasses has won over my heart when I think about wearing them to a client meeting or an event, rather than contacts. These black and gold half rimmed frames were clearly a great find!
First written by me on madderandshade on March 21, 2017: https://madderandshade.wordpress.com/2017/03/21/eyeglass-etailer-experience/
Reposted on this final madder and shade site in 2018