Glasses: 3 Schools of Thought

Happy day, dear reader!

Since most of us wear glasses of some kind or another (prescription glasses, readers, or sunglasses) almost every day, I thought it about time that we had a quick chat about frames! I’ve noticed three main schools of thought about eyewear: 1) Buy a frame that doesn’t look like you are wearing glasses. (The Invisible Glasses School) 2) Buy a frame that flatters your face. (The If You’re Going to Wear Glasses, Make Sure They Make You Look Your Best School) and 3) Buy a frame that you love. (The Looks be Damned, I LOVE Them School.)

Knowing me and my penchant for personality being the main driver for all our wardrobe/adornment purchases, you might think I’d go for #3. Which for the most part, I do! But taking personality into account must factor in the person’s comfort level with standing out. Also knowing how they wear their glasses plays into the decision. Do they wear their glasses all the time? Are glasses only for when they can’t wear their contact lenses? Readers only? Computer work only? How many pair of glasses do they have? Or can they afford? What do they do for a living? Now that I’ve muddied the waters, let’s tackle each of the three schools separately.

1) The Invisible Glasses School

These people want to wear glasses that look like they’re not wearing glasses. It’s not necessarily vanity. Some want the no-glasses look because they have (or someone they live or work with has) a negative impression of glasses. Others are worried about making a poor choice, so an invisible frame seems the best option. Maybe they want a pair of glasses that “goes” with everything; invisible keeps them out of trouble.

Depending on your hair cut and color, and the shape of your brows, frames like these with a rimless bottom can look almost invisible. Totally rimless frames are also available.

2) If You’re Going to Wear Glasses, Make Sure They Make You Look Your Best School

This group isn’t vanity driven either. They are often incredibly practical people. The thought process is pretty simple. “I have to wear glasses. All the time. They may as well be flattering.” These buyers may be very traditional or very thrifty. Choosing a frame that is good for the wearer’s prescription, coloring, and face shape are key!

This is an old pair of glasses I break out when meeting more conservative business persons… Like lawyers and finance professionals.

3) The Looks Be Damned, I LOVE Them School

These are the people who figure “If I am going to wear glasses, I will WEAR GLASSES!” They want to OWN their optical need. Many people start in School 1 or 2, and transition later to school 3! Or they opt for looks-be-damned (LBD?) because they already have other frames at home they can wear if they need to blend in, or look “fancy.” The unusual pair below is the newest addition to my eyewear options.

I’m lucky. My prescription has changed, but no so dramatically that I can’t still wear my old frames and lenses. Here I have another far more subtle pair of LBD frames, as well… (These predate my flattery frames up top.)

I am starting to wonder if aging gives us the courage to just go with the LBD glasses that make us happy! I know I’ve been seeing more and more of them on les femmes d’un certain âge…

As a side note: If you are new to glasses, you may be wondering how to mix and match your glasses with jewelry. Do you ignore your glasses? Act like they are their own piece of jewelry? Or something in between? No worries! I tackle some of that in this post about Balancing Glasses and Jewelry.Or Jewelry and Glasses…

So how about you? Do you wear glasses? Always? Sometimes? Rarely? Only under duress? To what school do you and your specs belong? One, two, or three? Have you always bought that class of specs? If not what has changed? Do let me know in the comments below… I love to hear from you!

Stylishly yours,