6 Tips For Choosing The Best Eyeglass Frames

You go online or walk into an eyewear store and the choices for glasses can seem endless. Is there a trick for how to choose glasses? Should you just grab the first pair that appeals to you or is it better to spend hours trying all of the frames on? As experts in helping customers choose the best eyeglass frames, we can tell you that, no, you don’t need to try on hundreds of frames or settle for the first ones to catch your eye. By keeping some key things in mind, you can narrow down your options and find the glasses that suit you the best. Based on our decades of experience at our Vancouver eyewear store, we’re sharing six important tips for choosing the best eyeglasses.

VISIT A BRICK AND MORTAR EYEWEAR STORE INSTEAD OF BUYING GLASSES ONLINE

Ordering eyeglass frames online seems super convenient. However, you definitely pay a price for that convenience, especially if you need prescription glasses. When you order glasses online, you have to take measurements like your pupillary distance. These measurements are surprisingly hard to do accurately on your own and even when they’re just slightly wrong, it throws your vision off, which can cause headaches and interfere with tasks like reading and driving. The fit of the glasses can also be off making them uncomfortable and less functional than normal. You may end up having to go to an eyewear store in person anyway to have them adjusted.

While some online glasses retailers let you try on a few frames before choosing the ones you want, you’re on your own picking the ones to try. You might miss ones that would actually complement your face or give you a great fit because you’re basing your decisions on how the glasses look in a picture on the screen of your device. And, let’s be real, the quality of the frames isn’t always the best.

The truth is, choosing eyeglass frames is one of those things where online shopping just isn’t as effective as in-person shopping. At the Spectacle Shoppe in Kerrisdale, we have a hand-curated selection of the best Vancouver sunglasses and eyeglasses. We personally choose all of the frames so that we can offer brands with amazing craftsmanship and quality for a fair value. Our team members are experts in helping customers choose the right glasses for their face shape and need and we ensure they fit perfectly.

We also offer state-of-the-art lenses so you can see clearly. With accurate measurements, an eye for fit and aesthetics, and excellent quality eyeglass frames, we can find you the eyeglasses that not only look outstanding on you but also function and fit exactly how they’re supposed to. You can’t find that personalized approach by ordering glasses online.

KNOW THE BASICS OF PICKING GLASSES FOR YOUR FACE SHAPE

Choosing the right eyeglass frame for your face shape will go a long way in ensuring you love how your glasses look. Here are the basic principles based on the common face shapes:

Glasses for Round Faces

Round faces are circular and have softer features. The length and width are almost equal and the jaw tends to be rounded too. The ideal glasses for round faces will give the illusion of angles. Square, rectangle, and otherwise structured frames will do just that. Another consideration when it comes to glasses for round faces is the corner. A slight cat-eye or upswept corner will narrow the face a little.

Glasses for Square Faces

Square faces are characterized by features that are angular and strong and a jawline that’s well-defined. If you have a square face, your forehead, cheekbones and jaw are about the same size. When choosing glasses for square faces, opt for frames that are wider than your cheekbones to create balance. Round or oval frames will help soften your features and you can definitely pull off a cat-eye frame.

Glasses for Oval Faces

People with oval faces have balanced features and the length of their face is approximately one and a half times the width. The chin is just a bit narrower than the hairline. Choosing eyeglass frames for oval faces is pretty simple since most styles will be flattering. You can create balance with square, upswept, or rectangle glasses. Oversized styles will also complement an oval face.

Glasses for Heart-Shaped Faces

If you have a pointed chin, cheeks that are a little wider than the forehead, and a forehead that, in turn, is wider than the jawline, you likely have a heart-shaped face. The key when choosing glasses for heart-shaped faces is creating harmony between the different widths. Wayfarer, oval, and round eyeglass frames, as well as rimless styles, will look amazing.

If you’re not sure if your face falls into one of these categories, that’s okay too. The basic principle when it comes to glasses for face shape is going with a contrasting shape to that of your face. So, if your face is more angular, look for oval or round frames and if your face is softer or curved, choose something with a structured shape like rectangular frames.

DON’T FORGET TO ACCOUNT FOR YOUR SKIN TONE

While face shape plays a big role in choosing the best eyeglasses, don’t forget that frames also come in every color of the rainbow. Picking a color that complements the undertones of your skin can make them pop. Skin tones are typically thought to be either warm, cool, or neutral. How can you tell if you have warm, cool, or neutral undertones? If you look best in gold jewelry, you’re likely warm-toned. If you think silver jewelry looks better on you, you’re probably cool-toned. If you look equally nice in both, you’re neutral-toned. You can also assess this based on the color of your veins if you can see them. If your veins look greenish, you probably have warm undertones, while purplish veins indicate cooler undertones. If your veins match the color of your skin or look colorless, you likely have neutral undertones.

The best eyeglass frames for those with neutral tones could really be any color. The ideal color frames for people with cool undertones are black, blue-gray, rose, silver, magenta, pink, blue, darker tortoise, lavender, and charcoal. If you have warm undertones, consider honey, olive green, shades of brown, coral, copper, gold, peach, off-white, red or lighter tortoise. Of course, this is just a starting point and you should always go with a color you love!

THINK ABOUT YOUR LIFESTYLE

Lifestyle is a big factor as far as how to choose glasses. For example, if you’re active and planning on hiking, biking, or running with your glasses on, lightweight frames will be ideal. You might want to consider titanium since it’s more flexible and durable or get a pair of sports glasses to wear for activities. If you’re into making a statement and prefer fashion-forward glasses, then a colorful acetate frame might be more up your alley. Ultimately, when choosing the best eyeglasses, it’s important that they’re comfortable and fit into your lifestyle.

CONSIDER CURRENT GLASSES TRENDS (BUT TAKE THEM WITH A GRAIN OF SALT)

Considering current glasses trends doesn’t hurt. Sometimes, it can even help you find a style you never would have thought to consider. And, it could end up looking fantastic on you. If you want a style that’s modern, current glasses trends are a good place to start. That being said, unless you’re replacing your glasses frequently, going too trendy can mean they quickly fall out of style. If you tend to wear your eyeglass frames for years and years, a timeless glasses style will serve you well.

DON’T OVERLOOK THE IMPORTANCE OF QUALITY LENSES AND LENS COATINGS

While most of our tips have focused on choosing the best eyeglass frames, your lenses are equally, if not more, important. Even if you don’t need vision correction, coatings, such as anti-reflective coating, or innovations like blue-light blocking lenses can dramatically improve your glasses-wearing experience. If you do wear prescription lenses, going for high-quality lenses will allow you to see clearly, which is the primary purpose of wearing glasses. At the Spectacle Shoppe, we offer state-of-the-art, high-performance lenses individualized to your needs. We want to help you make the most out of your vision and get lenses that are durable, which is why we carefully choose lenses from Zeiss, Essilor, Nikon, and other technology leaders.

We hope you find these tips for choosing the best eyeglasses helpful. However, nothing beats having an eyewear professional, like the team members here at the Spectacle Shoppe, tap into their expertise to offer personalized recommendations, and ensure an excellent fit. To find the best eyeglasses for your face shape, lifestyle, and vision needs, visit our Kerrisdale eyewear store. In order to keep our customers and team members safe, we do encourage contacting us to make an appointment. Your perfect pair of glasses awaits!