Glasses - what to buy?

[MitziK]

Oh God, I am so sorry for the wittering I'm about to do!

I've FINALLY managed to get an eye test tomorrow because I desperately, desperately need new glasses (probably varifocals for the first time - I've always been quite shortsighted, but now I can't see close up either).

My current glasses are bog standard, trendy around 2000, vaguely rectangular things in a wide(!) selection of Black, Brown or Tortoiseshell. Which obviously will not do anymore - and probably haven't for about 15 years - if nothing else because with masks, I have next to no peripheral vison and have to look down before stepping onto the bus without faceplanting into the pavement.

I don't want to look like a 'Zany Middleaged Woman'. I'd like to look calm, classic and maybe even (ha!) a little bit - elegant. My work clothes are generally boring wide trousers in dark blue, grey, black or dark green with a vaguely fitted blouse or jumper in ivory, oatmeal, light blue, plus a couple of sort of fawn/brown ochre things. I am very definitely not a ditzy print and bows person. I'm also in the process of braving the growout of hairdye to transition to having white stripes gradually take over.

Cat's Eyes look AWFUL. Round look HORRENDOUS. Square look HIDEOUS. The only style that has ever suited me (large forehead, relatively small nose and ears, high cheekbones and now middleaged fat bird sag around what I used to be told was a cat like face) would be Wayfarers.

I kind of like the idea of rimless glasses, but I really have no idea how to not look ridiculous.

What on earth do I look for?

Because it's my eyesight, money is (sort of) no object. And I am considering also getting fancy contacts, but need glasses for the 5am starts for work (there is no way on earth I'm fannying around with contacts when I can hardly open my eyes at stoopid o'clock). I'm not a fan of designer for the sake of it.

I just want to be able to see AND not see I look unhinged/about 90 at the same time.

Can S&B help me?

I’ve worn rimless for years including silhouette this time I went for a radical change and went for tortoiseshell raybans - I can’t believe how much younger they make me look
I pay a fortune for thinnest possible, customised varifocal Zeiss lenses that are also reactolite but I only change every 2-3 years so around a pound a day

Book an appointment to view and discuss frames at an independent. Take your prescription if you are having your sight test elsewhere and try loads and loads of frames on. Check, before trying that they are suitable for your prescription. The frames you immediately dismiss put away and then put the rest into pairs, try both pairs on and then dismiss 1 and keep back the pair you like. Go through your selection like this until you have some 'yes' frames. Keep dismissing in pairs until you finally have the pair you want. This is how we do it in the opticians where I work. You may surprise yourself. PLEASE do not order your 1st time varifocals on line, the measurements are very important and can only be measured correctly when wearing frames that actually fit you and have been individually adjusted by the dispensing optician.

Personally I think you need to to go into an optician & try the rimless ones on. I don't think they are very flattering on most people.
I've just bought these from glasses direct. I was really happy with their service.

www.glassesdirect.co.uk/glasses/ted-baker-dio/?prca=PRCA50058287&aspect=front

I have some Chanel glasses, black plastic frames, which I love the look of. But they seem to leave dark patches of skin on the bridge of my nose, maybe because they are rubbing on the skin? Does anyone know which glasses would not have this problem?

Optician here... In my experience in trendy/high end practices, rimless frames are most popular among the older patients.
I agree with all posters advising you to go to a good independent for your glasses. Ask for recommendations from any friends who have nice glasses.
I would and do discuss continuous wear contact lenses with my patients but I would never recommend them as a first choice. Besides, you will need a pair of glasses anyway in case you had an infection or other reason why you couldn’t wear glasses.

Can you get to Manchester? I go to an independent there called Seen. The team are brilliant and I've now bought several pairs, including ones I'd never considered seen,co.uk .
I'm very short sighted and to be able to wear amazing fashionable eyewear has been very liberating.

@opinionatedfreak

But every time I go to the optician I get a big lecture so I suspect they never tell anyone that they actually exist voluntarily.

Depends on the optician I find.. although my latest did the full shebang (including that thing where they dye your eyeballs yellow) and pronounced them totally healthy, with a slightly surprised voice, so perhaps the tide will slowly turn. I did find them myself though, you're right, no optician has ever recommended them, just tolerated them.

However, if you have reached varifocal territory I'm not sure if they are suitable? There was mutterings about me potentially needing some reading glass (I'm starting to lean back a little when reading to improve my vision).

My optician suggested I reduce my prescription! I tried it.. hated it.. They do do extended wear varifocals now, so I hope that by the time it becomes a thing, they'll have that sorted.

It took just 3 days & nights to develop a corneal ulcer and then an entire Christmas and New Year looking like a pirate!

OMG! I have to say that I find my eyes are moister with the continuous wear (they're on the 2nd or 3rd generation now, so depends how long it's been since you tried them, might be worth another go). And with dailies, I can feel by about 8:30pm that they want to come out, which I don't get with the continuous... But OP perhaps they're just not for you :S

As others have already said, please go to an independent optician. You will get the best advice and a better selection of frames.

I got my first ever pair of varifocals from my local independent (admittedly in Shoreditch so hipster land). Ther staff all look amazing and very stylish in their own glasses so it gave me confidence that they had good taste and weren't uber-conservative. I ended up with a pair of Lindbergs. Not a style I would have looked at on my own but my God they look amazing on! I wear contact lenses most of the time (I do a lot of sport) but when I put my glasses on, people often do a double take and say how good both me and the glasses look.

Lindbergs are excellent. Very well made and hard to break. And worn by the Danish royal family so if you want to rock the Danish architect look, they have a large selection of rimless or fine rimmed frames.

I also love Mykita frames. My previous glasses were Mykita (also recommended by my great Shoreditch opticians). In fact now all my sunglasses are by Mykita as I love their frames so much.

Neither Lindberg nor Mykita are cheap but in terms of quality, you definitely get what you pay for.

Sorry in my opinion (although I am not exactly a style icon) the rimless ones are a bit "older" than other styles.My DH has some for reading although he could do with wearing glasses for washing up, checking bb dates when shopping and a host of other things and we all call them his father christmas glasses. He has some black framed ones that are loads more flattering. I wear glasses or contacts (depending on what I am doing) . I have 2 pairs of glasses. One is from the teen range at specsavers and the others are adult. Both are black but with a slight colour inside (one pair is bright pink, one pair is green) which I think makes them slightly less harsh.

You are inundated with advice here. so mine is simple. Go to the most stylish optician shop in town, and try on everything you fancy. A good independent will have a lot of choices, but be open to suggestions.. Choose favourites, photo them and ask for opinions.