Glasses have long since ceased to be a utility item: they are an accessory to be enjoyed. You should give as much care and consideration to choosing a new pair of glasses as you would to choosing a new pair of shoes. You may not have quite as many pairs of glasses as you do pairs of shoes but that’s a good reason to go out and choose another pair. The glasses that you would choose to wear to the office are probably not the ones that you would choose for an evening out or that sportscar ride down through Italy.
Your Lifestyle
You need to choose glasses to suit your lifestyle, if you are outdoorsy then it’s probably a good idea to get some prescription sunglasses as well as your usual prescription glasses. You might also consider glasses that adjust the shade of the glass according to the light. If your glasses are likely to suffer a bit of rough and tumble, then take a look at durable/flexi glasses.
Buying glasses is not just a case of spotting a pair you fancy and plucking them from the stand, you need to consider the shape of your face, your skin tone, your eye colour, your hair colour, the context in which you intend to wear the glasses and the personal style you wish to present.
The Frame
So, let’s start with the shape of your face, the wrong choice of frame can accentuate your facial features in an unflattering way so it’s important to understand how frame shape interacts with your features. If you have an oval-shaped face, you should choose frames which are as wide, or even wider than your face, this will enhance the natural balance of your appearance. If you have a heart-shaped face, you need to avoid frames that will accentuate the width at the top of your face, so you should consider light frames which are larger at the bottom than the top. If you have a broad forehead and strong jaw, consider narrow frame styles that have more width than depth. If your face is round you can make it appear thinner with the use of narrow frames.
The Colour
Most people choose frames in neutral colours because they want their glasses to match a range of clothing, but you can choose your frame colour to compliment or clash with hair and eye colour. Orange or tortoiseshell frames will make blue eyes stand out, whilst grey eyes might benefit from the vibrancy of brightly coloured frames. It comes down to where you want to wear your glasses and what you want them to say about you. Thin frames are light to wear and make your glasses less of a feature, but thick frames make a bold statement and work well with strong facial features.
Enjoy your glasses, if you are happy with the way that they look on you, then that is all that matters. There is no right or wrong.
