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I’ve been wearing glasses since I was 7 years old. Back then I pretty much just wore what ever my folks picked out for me. But, as long as I’ve been able to purchase my own specs, I’ve always gone for the classic looking frames. I choose my glasses frames the same way that I shop for closes. Glasses, just like clothing are a personal statement and an investment. In both respects, the classic look seems the most obvious choice for me. Following fads means that you have to invest in new glasses every year or so to keep up with the latest trend. Also, those classic frames just look better in my opinion.
A few examples of brands that produce classic looking frames would be Ray Ban of course, Warby Parker and Benji Frank. I’ll leave Benji Frank for last because the brand is the newest and least expensive.
Everyone knows Ray Ban. This Brand has been making glasses frames for almost an entire century. Fun Fact: Ray Ban was created as a division of Bausch & Laum after the medical company was asked by the U.S. Air corp to design sunglasses specifically for fighter pilots. You guessed it… those glasses were called the Aviator.
Some time in the early 1950’s a designer for Ray Ban created the Wayfarer. This style of frame is most popular for prescription glasses. They’ve been worn through the decades by everyone who’s cool. Musicians especially love these frames. Buddy Holly sported a variation of these frames in the 1950’s. And almost 50 years later Rivers Cuomo wore the same glasses on stage as the lead singer of the rock band Weezer. These are just a couple of examples, but I’m sure you’ve seen these frames around.
Warby Parker is a relatively new brand, but they look sick. The frame that I specifically like are called the Chandler. They offer that classic style with a bit of a twist. They give the wearer that “I spend most of my afternoons playing crocket and sipping mint juleps” look. Basically, you can’t go wrong with a set of these frames.
Benji Frank is an awesome new brand. The 2 guys that founded Benji Frank, are one a mission to help those less fortunate. With every pair of Benji Frank glasses that you buy, an impoverished somewhere in the world is given vision assistants. When purchasing your frames, you get to decide weather you want to donate a pair of glasses to someone or help pay for eye surgery. This doesn’t mean Lasik surgery or anything like that. I’m talking about surgery to correct severe cataracts. On top of that, the frames look great. They have about 25 different styles that are modeled after classic frames from the 19th and 20th century.
