Oh, the Stigma of an Astigmatism. . .

[BoPeep]

fftopic:My first pair of glasses were octagon wire rims. I looked 80 years old in college! lol But I still have them . . . for when I turn 80.

 

[moonmatrix]

I have about 8 pairs of vintage cat eyes and one pair of late 40's glasses. I only have my script in one pair. I need a new place to put my script in the other ones, My normal place wants almost $200 to do it. Way too much in my opinion.

 

[Deco_Green]

It would have taken every fiber of my will power to resist saying "Of course not, silly. They aren't your prescription."

That's exactly what I was thinking. lol

 

[Deco-Doll-1928]

I was reading the responses here and thought I should post. I got completely thrown off when I saw a comment I made on another thread here! I was like, "Whoa! Where was I when this happened?" lol!!!

I've been wearing glasses since the first grade. If I remember correctly, my first pair were half pink and half blue with Mickey Mouse on the side of them. Then my next pairs were lavender, a wire frame that had bright specks of pink, green, and white I think (I never liked those frames for some reason--I guess I had the most problems whenever I wore them), olive green, and the black thick rimmed glasses (because I became obsessed with the thick rimmed glasses of the 50s and 60s). I now wear a simple wire frame. They look black, but they are actually a really dark blue. I remember when we bought them, my mom and I got into an argument about the color of the frames. I told my mom, "They're blue." My mom says, "No, they're black!" Thankfully the optometrist says, "Actually they are a really dark blue." I know my eyesight has gotten bad, but I knew it wasn't that bad! lol!!!

The funny thing whenever I look back on all the pairs of glasses I used to wear was that the frames were so big! I didn't realize how huge frames used to be. Thank God for my much smaller frames!

I've thought about doing eye contacts, but watching my sister lose them all the time, didn't seem like a whole lot of fun. Plus, I wasn't comfortable with the idea of laser eye surgery. So I stuck with just wearing the glasses. I've gotten much more attached to the idea of wearing them because I feel like they define me now. If a guy doesn't like me wearing glasses, phooey on him! I can't really see without them (I can see stuff, but everything is really blurry). Some people have told me that I am prettier without the glasses and other people feel like they've seen Frankenstein whenever I don't have them on! lol!! The only time I been "officially" photographed without my glasses on was for my high school senior picture and that picture never made it into the yearbook. I was listed as "camera shy". Whenever I look at the proofs for those pictures, I absolutely hate them.

I haven't had too many problems wearing glasses. I used to have these pair (I think it was the colorful specks one too), that used to fog up a lot whenever I was playing tether ball. I remember always having to take off my glasses whenever I went on a roller coaster that had a loop that went upside down because I was afraid of losing them. Or I had to "brave" wearing those really horrible eye glasses holders. lol!! Can't they make those things a little bit cuter?

My hugest gripe about wearing glasses more than anything in the world is having to wear those stupid 3D glasses over your own pair of glasses! It really hurts to have to wear two pairs of glasses to experience anything 3D. If only they can come up with a more comfortable pair to wear! I've become convinced it's more the thickness of the glasses that the problem. If the glasses were paper thin (like the old paper kind) it would be so much better.

I have recently bought a pair of cat eye glasses (always wanted a pair). I want to turn them into sunglasses. Driving without sunglasses is really horrible.

And, oh yeah, I am so a sucker for a fella with glasses on! Very sexy!

 

[Sharpsburg]

I would like to order a complete set of P3 ful-vues at a reasonable cost. Can anyone recommend a reliable company? I have my recent prescription.

Thanks! Mary

 

[Stray Cat]

Oh, my..
I JUST returned from my doctor.. and here goes.. I'm back to wearing glasses!
(as soon as I take a cute picture of me with them on.. I'll change my profile pic)
They are from Burberry. I used to wear them, and then my eyesight improved.. I guess it didn't last long.. and I took the glasses out from the drawer.. onto my face.

 

[Little lady]

I wanted to tell you about my fabulous experience at Lunetiers (http://www.lunetiervintage.com/), which I got recomended in my going to london thread

Tamar has opened a shop specialising in vintage frames 3 doors down from us at What Katie Did. Although his site features his fashion stuff he does have some great '40s and '50s frames and can fit prescription lenses. 2 of the girls in our boutique have bought great frames from him.

http://www.wearehq.com/2011/06/lunetier-vintage-and-contemporary-eyewear/

If you're going to Portobello Friday is the best day for vintage!

Katie

I bought some great black 1950 new old stock frames, cat eye with carved wings at each side. I haven't bought the glass for them yet, as I have to check my eysight again, but I look forward to doing so soon. These are my first vintage glasses, and I'm really excited about them!
The shop keeper was very nice, and fun. He was really good at telling what shapes suited me, much better than what I could, I really apriciated his advice. I would reckomend anybody who is looking for vintage glasses to make the visit if you are in the area.
The price was very good too, my former frames probably cost twice as much. Although you can find vintage frames for cheaper than that if you shop on the internet (I have browsed around since I have long wanted a pair), to me it matters so much to be able to try them on first, and to get advice, I definitely prefer to be able to go to a shop.

I wear glasses everyday, so it is part of my face, not like a sweater I only wear some days, and it is also more expensive, so it is very important to me that they are right, in fit, in look and that it suits my face shape.

It was unusual at first, I had never tried anything like it, and they are not only a different kind of shape, but they are more eye catching than anything I have tried before too. My old glasses typically where of a less flashy kind of design, but I do really feel like they suit me. I can't imagine going back after this, if I need new glasses at some point, I don't think I could buy a modern pair anymore. I don't think they compare at all, vintage glasses are so exciting, and seem classic yet very unique since few wears them today.

When visiting the shop, and after it I got some new thoughts too.

The shop keeper mention how vintage glasses needs to fit with what kind of person you want to make (I hope that everyone realizes I can't remember the exact words, and I can only explain what meaning I found it what he said, I can not actually say what he for sure meant, so realize that this is my opinion I'm going to talk about, I don't want to put any words into anybodys mouth that may not have been there, it's my interpretation of what I can remember).
I think I feel that vintage glasses (or maybe other more flashy glass styles) seem to have more personality of their own, or when they are on. Putting that in a better way maybe, is that they bring out something different from you, that maybe already is there in part. I guess maybe it's like wearing nice underwear, or wearing a different shape skirt, or dress to suit your mood, or improve your mood. Or choosing a costume that fits with what you are or want to be. But naturally, also a style thing.

I'm also excited to be able to add this new layer to my vintage interest, and to visually announce it to people like that. It's great sometimes to go out and know you look different and some people probably think you are a bit too eccentric, but it not mattering to you in a negative way at all, or it being amusing to be able to shock while doing so little, or just doing things in a different way. Or to be unusual in a way other people find to be good, or fun. But some days it is nice to be invisible too, I do have that kind of mood as well, I guess everyone does, but I have them very strongly, and it probably can be a stark difference some days, when it's hard to communicate with people at all (but maybe the style will work with that too, visually marking me as an outsider, could it discurage people to make contact?)

For me I've always felt glasses improoved my looks, and gave my face a little more wideness, or maybe put more emphasis on it than before. I don't think round glasses looks good on me, so it isn't a rule for everything, but I find it hard to tell what makes me look better or worse sometimes. I thought it was great when I first learned I needed to wear glasses, and had waited for that to happen for a while. Many of my friends had them, and I thought they looked nice, and fun too. Most of my family has got glasses too.

 

[LinaSofia]

I bought a pair of vintage specs from dead men's spex .
They're fairly low-key cats eyes from the 50s. I wanted something a bit more subtle and I've always worn dark-rimmed glasses so I'm looking forward to the change! They should arrive tomorrow.. so I'll post back with a pic of how they look on! (fingers crossed they look alright! lol).

 

[pineapplefruitcake]

My eyesight problems are a little bit ridiculous - I have astigmatism in both eyes, my left eye is mildly longsighted and my right eye is extremely short-sighted - needless to say my depth perception is laughable ! I wear glasses when I'm driving, at the movies or plays or when I attend lectures at uni. I try not to wear them that often though as my right eye is getting worse and I'm trying to slow that down. Apparently as the distance between the foci of my eyes increases I may have to move to contacts as glasses tend to give people migraines after they reach a certain point - but I hope not !! I actually really love wearing my glasses ( but not all the time) and I was hoping to get some vintage frames. I guess we'll see at my next appointment but fingers crossed I can still wear my frames

 

[Flicka]

I need to get new glasses soon and I'm deliberating on what kind to get - the cat eyes are nothing for me. I thinking small, square, horn-rimmed ones. What do you all think? Could that work with a vintage look?

ETA: now that I looked at dead men's spex, I'm sort of considering oval frames in thin wire instead. I used to have that and they worked well for me. Hmmm....

 

[LinaSofia]

Flicka, oval wired ones would work really well for your 30s look! I vote for that! You could also go all-out with round horn-rimmed ones if you're really brave, but maybe that's too far for everyday lol.

Here's how my new specs look on. I'm really pleased. I had to take them to the opticians to adjust the arms so they fit right behind the ears, but otherwise they're spot on!

 

[crwritt]

I have about 8 pairs of vintage cat eyes and one pair of late 40's glasses. I only have my script in one pair. I need a new place to put my script in the other ones, My normal place wants almost $200 to do it. Way too much in my opinion.

I sent my frames to be relensed to this place http://www.goggles4u.com/relens.asp They are in California, and charge $25-$35 plus the cost of the lens. Waiting impatiently to get them back!
I think I paid less than $60 with shipping.
If you are in the US or Canada, it is worth a try.

To update, I asked if they relense vintage frames, and they do. They said it is best if they aren't very curved. They also want the model number and a digital image of the frame.Then I asked the question I probably should have asked before, how long does it take? Turn around time is about two weeks.

 

[Mrs.Williams]

I'm cheating, since it's not really vintage (gasp!), but my new eyeglasses are from WalMart (GASP!!). The frames were part of their 'vintage' line for men and ladies. They're a subtle cat-eye in tortoise shell. I'll put up pics later.

 

[olive bleu]

:bump:



The time has come for new specs. Ok, to be honest, I am waaay overdue. I last had my eyes examined and aquired new glasses about 8 years ago.At the time, i mainly used them for driving, but now my eyes are nearly a decade older, and over half of that time has been been spent working 8+ hours a day on a computer and my eyes are shot.

My last pair were a very classic pair of Ralph Lauren wire frames. I thought i would be happy with them for a lifetime, but lately I feel they make me look tired and grannyish.


I am still wanting something Vintagey but a bit bolder. Having actual vintage glasses relensed is out of the question as my insurance through work is just too complicated. For modern, Ray-Bans, seems to be the obvious choice, but what else is out there? I tried on these:

but i thought they actually looked too small for my huge, horsey face...( Holy cow, look at the size of that picture! ha ha)

There must be others..any recent pics to share anyone?

 

[sheeplady]

Shuron has some vintage glasses that are quite bold- or are you looking for something more modern?

http://www.shuron.com/classic.htm

They are a great company- they custom made clip on shades for my glasses on the request of my husband.

 

[olive bleu]

yes, those look great..not sure i can get those here, though

 

[Miss Sabrina Fairchild]

I have been wearing glasses since I was four and I can't imagine not wearing them. This year I got my first vintage pair. A pair of black cats eye glasses. I bought them on etsy and spec savers put my prescription in. I purchased two new pairs at the same time and they are gathering dust. I haven't taken my vintage ones off.

I have decided something like what Lix wears in "The Hour" is my next pair...now I just have to find them

 

[sew.momma]

I have been wearing glasses since I was four and I can't imagine not wearing them. This year I got my first vintage pair. A pair of black cats eye glasses. I bought them on etsy and spec savers put my prescription in. I purchased two new pairs at the same time and they are gathering dust. I haven't taken my vintage ones off.

I have decided something like what Lix wears in "The Hour" is my next pair...now I just have to find them

those are great glasses!!!

has anyone checked out warby parker? they have really nice looking frames and they are all $95. You can order 5 for an at-home try on and decide which ones you like best. I just got mine today and it's so hard to decide-I want all 5 pairs haha!

 

[LinaSofia]

I really like those cat eyes she wears in The Hour too. They're quite an unusual shape actually when you look closer.

I recently got my first pair of 40s style rounded frames. They're not vintage, they're by "Epos Milano" an Italian eyewear designer that have a really great classic line with 30s-50s styles. It's a new look compared to my normal cats eyes, but I like the change

excuse probably huge pictures!

 

[Katinka von K.]

I really like those cat eyes she wears in The Hour too. They're quite an unusual shape actually when you look closer.

I recently got my first pair of 40s style rounded frames. They're not vintage, they're by "Epos Milano" an Italian eyewear designer that have a really great classic line with 30s-50s styles. It's a new look compared to my normal cats eyes, but I like the change

excuse probably huge pictures!

I love your new glasses, they suit you perfectly!

I might need a new pair of glasses next year and have been thinking about a round shape for some time (mostly because the rectangular shape collides with my hats...) and looking at you I might give them a try