You know, as much as we might not like it, as much as we live in our heads- between this being on the internet, and I talk a lot about indie rock, books and nerdy movies, it's not exactly a physical thing, this blog- fashion, clothing, appearance is a big part of any kind of culture. Here, too, I really am searching for what's a good expression for myself. So, I have a pretty tough prescription as far as specs go, which means I have necessarily limited choices as far as eyewear goes. On top of that, I can't wear contacts. So, I'm somewhat at the mercy of optical companies. However, I've found a few possible solutions- Warby Parker, Mezzmer, Classic Specs and Lookmatic. To take away any possible suspense, I went with Lookmatic, but we'll get to that, momentarily. Here's why I'd suggest looking at these- first they're fairly "indie"- Lookmatic is very loosely affiliated with Pearle Vision, but the rest are definitely independent. Secondly, Warby Parker and Classic Specs are big with charitable giving, and Mezzmer is set up with a political agenda. They're all more inexpensive than going to the Mall. Mostly, though, they're all really cool specs. So, why did I go with Lookmatic? Well, first up, Warby Parker cannot handle my prescription. Secondly, neither Mezzmer nor Classic Specs could do my prescription in sunglasses, which is what I was looking to buy this time. However, all that makes Lookmatic seem like a second choice. There was a serious positive- I emailed all of them, and Lookmatic gave the best, fastest and friendliest responses- the customer service was better than any of my local brick and mortars. I could get more customisation than at my brick and mortar as well. I'm sure I'll be ordering from some of the others as well, but, for now, I'm very happy with the "Parkers" in tortoise shell, with super high index. Even if you don't need prescription glasses, these are better quality than the 50 dollar shades you're probably looking at.
Oh, and if you disagree with my choices, here's a great blog where you can find more choices.
Oh, and Opticians hate this: http://www.optiboard.com/forums/showthread.php/47146-Wow
ReplyDeleteIf that sways you, I bought a pair of glasses 9 years ago, online. I didn't get the lenses, but the frames I still have. I've also gotten lenses online, and honestly, the glasses I've purchased in the past 10 years- the lenses I've bought at brick and mortar have always been much more problematic. I've had to return no less than 3 pairs, and two pairs of frames, and had two pairs of frames break within 2 years. So, bottom line, what I fully believe is that once again, you're seeing the sour grapes of an old structure failing.