Since high school, I’ve needed help with my vision, so I’ve owned a lot of eyeglasses. I’ll turn seventy next year, but glasses are still optional. I need them if I want to read small print or recognize my friends from across a room. I now look better in eyeglasses, so I carefully consider their style and other points. Knowledge is power, so below, I share a big mistake and how I learned to find the best size, shapes, and colors of frames.
In 2023, I bought my first pair of high-end designer frames from the Tom Ford representative during a trunk show at my local optometrist. Not only did she encourage me to buy glasses that were too big for my face, I was highly allergic to the frames. It took three weeks for the swelling and hives to subside! As always, I hope that sharing what I’ve learned will help you avoid the same mistakes.
I recently took the Warby Parker Frames Quiz here. It helped me determine which shapes would best suit me. I also looked at the diagrams found here to help me decide which frames would look best with my face shape.
The tortoise frames below appeal to my more casual looks and are appropriate for my classic style.
The darker frames below have an interesting lift to the outer edge to draw the eyes upward visually.
The frames are comfortable and fit within the boundaries of my face.
I wore the Nancy in the photo above from the last post. I chose these frames for the uplifting details and the color. Too-pale colors or thin wire rims do not offer any style benefits since they blend in and fade away into your face. Since I have a roundish fleshy face, I avoid round frames.
The frames above are a little lighter in color and weight, so they are great for wearing the whole day. Frames with temples attached near the frame’s top are uplifting more than those connected to the bottom or the middle. I avoid downward angles in all styling details.
Can I ask what a trunk show is please?
A trunk show is an event in which vendors present merchandise directly to store personnel or customers at a retail location.
Great list of things to consider. Thank you. I’ve worn glasses since I was six years old, and while I wore contacts for many years, I now only wear glasses. As much as I see so many frames I love, I have a very narrow nose bridge, so I am usually relegated to the frames with nose pads. I have found I cannot buy frames online, so I rely on a couple of great shops in my area where I can try styles. One tip – because my eyesight is so bad that I cannot see what I look like in the test frames, I take photos of myself in the glasses. Then I put on my old glasses and look at the photos to get a better idea of how I look in the test frames. Much easier than squinting into the mirror at the shop. I also usually give myself a couple of days to look at the photos. (My favorite shops will hold frames for me for a couple of days until I can decide.)
Great tips! Thanks for sharing.
Do the WP glasses have silicon nose pads – not just the plastic of the frame? I couldn’t tell from the photos. I’ve tried plastic frames as sunglasses and they keep falling off my face. But I like the look of WP
The frames I’ve purchased do not have silicone nose pads.
Going forward, how can you insure you won’t be allergic to the frames? I’ve had the same issue. Does anyone make hypoallergenic frames?
I used the try on at home feature from Warby Parker to test out the frames I was considering. You can keep them for five days and return shipping is free. In the past, I’ve been able to tell in a couple of hours if I am going to have an allergic reaction.
Madam Librarian.
I now must wear progressives fulltime and since they’re part of my signature I always carefully select them. For many years I’ve used Zennioptical.com exclusively. I love their many options, customer service and very reasonable price ( progressives with frame and lens approximately $100). The only thing I can add to your article is that nose pads are a deal breaker for me; I prefer nose pads that are incorporated into the frames.
Thank you Susan ….. very timely as I have an appointment for an eye check next week. I will buy new frames and this post is so helpful!
I think those frames you chose are too large for your face! I have a frameless frames from Cartier that allow you to see my eyes not the frames. I would rather see my face that frames!
The area around my eyes is wrinkled and the skin is starting to sag, so I prefer to use the frames to draw attention away from my face.
Perfect! Love your choices!
Like you, I’m not keen on the big statement glasses. They dominate the overall head to toe look. And like you, I’ve also had allergic reactions to the materials in frames.
I have a long oval face and once thought that large squares would be the bees’ knees, but they just don’t work. So I buy discreet tortoise shell squares or rectangulars. I do have a pair of wonderful double bridge glasses which are a little round, but the double bridge offsets that and I can get by without looking like Harry Potter. I’m a big fan of the double bridge and have 3 different styles of sunglasses (not aviators) with the defining bridge.
The one problem I do have which might be the same for others, is long and relatively straight eyelashes. Which means my glasses must sit a little further down my nose. It’s okay when I remember to curl my lashes or when I have the occasional lash colour and curl but frequent assaults on the eyelashes are not a healthy thing.
I am going to try the frames’ quizz so thank you very much for the link. Best wishes.
Susan, thanks for the detail, but am I missing something? The link to the “Warby Parker Frames Quiz” simply asks if my face is Narrow, Medium, or Wide. The next step is them sending me 5 frames to try on. Is that the extent of the quiz? Thanks again, I appreciate all that you do!
After learning which shapes would look best on my face shape on Zenni Optical, narrowing the choices down to just the medium size glasses gave me the best choices without sifting through all the others. You can take your time and pick out the five you like best to try on at home and test drive for a few days before making a decision. The tips in the second image above helped me most.
Can you show a picture of the blue frames you chose?? Did you find them on Warby Parker? I have a very similar face shape/coloring to you and have been researching blue frames., which is what I previously wore and loved. I am also in Johnson City, so if you found tours locally, that is also an option for me. Thanks!
I found the teal blue frames I wear often at LensCrafters in the JC mall. They are by Ralph Lauren. I am wearing them in the first picture here.
The new blue frames I chose are in this post at the bottom of list.
Your hair looks so pretty in the last picture. Love the tortoise shell glasses. Thank you for the tips. I bought reading glasses last year from look optic and hate them. Will look for another pair using your tips. Hope you and Mr. Mickey have a lovely weekend.
WOW, super helpful thank you!!
Carolyn
Thank you for the glasses post. It was helpful.
Susan, thanks for the very helpful info. I choose my eyeglass style/shape in order to distract from the under eye bags I’ve had practically all my life (even in my high school class pics). I also dislike too pale colors…wore red wine colored frames for several years, but my newest ones are similar to the blue ones you purchased.
Thanks for the tips!! I also have worn glasses for years. I found, via a very expensive mistake, that the shape at the top of the frames needs to mimic the shape of my brows. My brows are relatively straight and frames with rounded tops made me look clownish.
Thank you Susan for these helpful ideas. I only wear readers so I’m fortunate I can experiment with colors and shapes. I love the glasses you selected!!! My cheeks sadly are a bit chubby and I know a frame like that would rest on my checks so I don’t ever try that style on but I may moving forward as you said your face is round as well. BTW my red coat arrived yesterday and it’s fabulous! Thank you for sharing that look with us.
Thx for these tips. It’s so hard for me to choose frames.
Very interesting post as I have worn glasses my entire life—until I had cataract surgery and had corrective lens monovision implants. It’s amazing how that works—one eye is corrected for distance vision and one for near reading vision. And somehow the brain figures out how that all works. I do think eyeglasses can be a fashion statement—depending on the cost of one’’s correction it is possible to have several pairs as you do. And they add to one’s look. I did notice in the first picture where you’re wearing red that your glasses are a bit tilted on your face, not quite level—I was wondering with all the mail order options for eyeglasses now, does one get an adjustment?
That might be an illusion because of the detail along the top outer edge of the frames.
Thank you, I wear my glasses every day (since 3rd grade) so I am very careful about selecting my glasses and your advice is very useful. I would add to your advice on the eyebrows showing at the top to also look at where the frames are below the eyes. A good frame can diminish dark circles under the eyes while an unflattering frame can underline and emphasize the dark circles.
I clicked on the QUIZ site. I chose Medium face. Then it took me to SAVE QUIZ RESULTS FOR LATER. It gave me NO quiz. It asked for my email address under the Save quiz results etc. I was very disappointed with this site.
Clara from IA
If you continue on, you need not enter anything and the site will show you all the styles that are in your size range.
Thanks for the tips. I do wear glasses for distance and might give these a try. I do feel that sometimes I do look better in glasses. I really like the colorful frames. Especially the teal ones.
These were ideas I never thought of and really appreciate thinking about! Thank you so much!
Imogen Lamport from InsideOut Style offers an wonderful master class on eyewear. I recommend it highly.
Enjoyed and great tips. I am seventy, still wearing contacts, but I figure at some point and time I will have to give up my contacts. How do you address putting on eye makeup when wearing glasses? I do not know how to handle this situation since currently I can not put on eye makeup while wearing my glasses. Do you have a specific make up mirror magnifying strength you use?
This lighted magnifying mirror is life changing.
What glasses are you wearing in the first photo where you are dressed in the white turtleneck top ??
Thank you so much for putting this post together. Glasses have become so important for correcting my vision as I age and they are definitely a fashion accessory. Thank you for your help. I love your blog and have been following you for many years.
I’m wearing the teal blue Ralph Lauren frames in that photo. They are about six years old.
Hi I love your style but have somewhat gone in another direction, After years of plain black glasses with absolutely no trim , my last pair are teal with red burgundy, yellow, turquoise and green trim! Not colors that I was wearing but I love them and now wear the colors minus yellow along with my old faithful black and navy. Not a life sentence but I was ready to try something new!!! Still wear mostly plain with no prints except the occasional stripe.C
Great tutorial! Thank you.