Lately I’ve been noticing a lot of stylish glasses on other people. New styles seem to be popping up left and right that actually fit people’s faces. I’ve found myself wondering: Where exactly are these people shopping? In the past, no matter how many trips I made to the mall, I could never find a pair I liked (actually, I found a few that I liked, but they were always way out of my price range). I always had an idea of what I wanted but couldn’t explain it to the salesperson—they always seemed to tell me, “Those look great on you!” no matter what I put on my face, and then I’d get home with way-too-trendy frames and buyer’s remorse. One day, I asked a stranger about their glasses that I assumed were designer, but he told me that they were from Warby Parker. Apparently, he got them for just $95, lenses included.
Warby Parker(I’ve now learned) sells super high-quality glasses and sunglasses at an affordable price, which they’re able to do by cutting out the usual middlemen and selling directly to their customers. Their frames are stylish and their Home Try-On program is a dream come true. Basically, you pick five of your favorite frames on their site, and they send them to you for free. Once the frames get to you, you have five days to try them on, collect opinions from friends, and then send them all back. If you find a pair you like, it’s super easy to order it with your prescription online. The whole process is simple, and there’s no pushy sales clerk to pressure you into a pair you don’t like.
Ordering a Home Try-On starts with a quick quiz, which asks a few questions about your preferences and narrows down all the options to find just the kind of frames you’re looking for. I’ve always loved how round frames look on other people—I’d never had any luck with them myself, so I picked round and square hoping that I could find some that worked for me. As for color, I wanted glasses that would blend seamlessly with my face. I skipped the bright colors (which are just too much for me), and I passed on the crystal look (honestly, I’m already too pale and need a little contrast). I picked tortoise (my favorite), black (classic and sleek), and two-tone (just wanted to see if I could pull them off). The material might be the most important factor for me when picking glasses, because I refuse to wear metal frames. Metal frames remind me of the first pair I got when I was six years old, so I’m done with those (just personally—but I’ve seen them look fantastic on other people). That said, I selected mixed-material and acetate. As soon as I completed the quiz, I was presented with a long list of picks for me.
For my five pairs, I found a couple of square frames similar to what I normally wear in tortoise and black, and I threw in some rounded ones to see if I could pull them off. The glasses arrived a few days later. I couldn’t decide between two pairs, so I ended up picking both, since together they were still less expensive than what I normally spend on one pair. Shopping with
Warby Parker has opened up a whole new world to me, and it was easy to find the perfect frames with their free home try-on.
Take the Home Try-On Quiz
