Eyewear Style Advice from Eyestylebook
Hello,
I originally sent a message to EyeStyleBook on Facebook, and they
suggested I send an email to you and that you might be able to help me.
I am 40+ female, but always mistaken for 29.
Recently I found out I have to wear reading/computer glasses
(progressives). i also have a small face, so 47 seems to work. 140 temple
is a bit long - not sure what the next measurement down is.
Attached are some pictures. I am open to colors and shapes and styles - though rectangle and geometric shapes seem to look best, as well as blues, purples/plums. I also like
quirky.
It's really important to me that I feel pretty and young. My eyes are one
of my biggest assets.
Can you make some recommendations? Let me know if you need more info, if you're able to do this, whatever. I appreciate it.
Thank you for getting in touch with us about style suggestions: we are more than happy to share some tips and recommendations with you! Choosing eyewear can naturally be overwhelming, since one small detail in a pair of frames can change your entire look. Considering that, for the most part, you’re going to stick to one pair, you should choose frames that compliment your features and can be easily worn anytime, anywhere. I am going to use sample products from an online retailer I am most familiar with, and try to break it down to top looks you can easily find at leading eyewear suppliers and try on. I used one of your headshots to show you how the frames would look on you.
My first suggested look for you is to go rimless. Rimless glasses are trendy for a reason: they wear well on just about anyone since they are all about the lack of accessory. You have very soft lines around your cheeks, low but prominent cheekbones, a smooth jaw, and a well-defined nose. If you choose to wear full-rimmed plastic glasses, you would be taking away from all of these features. Also consider how much you might like to switch up your wardrobe, what kind of clothes you wear, where you wear your glasses… While full-rimmed glasses may seem like a great accessory one day, you might find yourself stuck on making them work with an evening outfit or for a particular mood. Not a limit you want to run into last minute.
This doesn’t mean that rimless glasses are boring because there are certainly many examples that use the arms of the glasses, the temples, and the bridge, to the fullest advantage. This can be through unusual design, materials, or colours. Titanium is a popular material now, because it’s very sturdy and lends itself well to modern styles. I suggest Alves Star in “gunmetal” because it has a unique curve to the bridge of the nose that many other rimless glasses lack, which balances out the natural curves of your face. While it seems like a tiny detail, a straight bridge can give your eyes the appearance of being a bit wider apart than you would like.
Another great option for you is to look at half-rims. They will give you some more design features to play with and are very easy to style a wardrobe for. You also have more opportunities to try something unusual and unique to you. My first suggestion for half-rims is something like Calier Black. These are very understated frames with no accessory to them and a basic black colour. What makes them stand out from the rest is their curve. Not quite cat-eye, and certainly not as demure as a simple flat-top pair of half-rims, this kind of curved frame can give you a bit of a saucy look. Personally, this is my favourite look for you because of the unique angle in the curve. It is perfectly in balance with the rest of your face. While the frames are simple, you’re not likely to see many others wearing this style because a dipped half-rim frame is very limited in what faces can wear them well every day. Congratulations, you’re one of them!
The second image is an alternative half-rim suggestion, without the curve. It is a more standard design, so you are more likely to spot it on others. Nevertheless, it has just the right angles and the lenses are a perfect fit. Some half-rims have a downward droop. This works well for some facial features, but my recommendation for you is to stay away from those, because you need to balance your curves with upward-angled rims, or almost straight lines. Half-rims are just as finicky as any other type of frame however, so watch out for the size of lenses and the shapes of frames. For example, the Suri frames (pictured here) are not a good match for you because they have too much of angle above the cheeks. They are not proportionate to your features because they narrow far too quickly. Also, the rim is too thick, too prominent, and unbalances your look. Try to aim for slimmer frames on half-rims, which will not block your eyelids or distract from your brows.
If you really want to go full-rim, there are many options, but you have to be just as careful in picking out the right shape. This applies to every kind of frame you look at: since you have well-defined but soft features, you should stay away from the two extremes of eyewear, being too angular and too round. A comfortable medium leaning more towards rectangular frames will suit you very nicely. Round frames have a tendency to make wearers look older than they are anyways, while slimmer rectangular frames are a very modern design.
Here are a few suggestions for full-rimmed frames. The first image is of the frames Passion. Their thickness is about as far as I would suggest you go for your rims. Any thicker, and they will look bulky on you. Passion is a good example of how you can find frames that use interesting design elements (these frames are black on the outside, with a touch of green colour inside), and still have an accessory that works well with just about anything you might wear. The second frames are called James. They are touch more unique because of the small angles around the temples and the narrowing angle at the bottom of the lenses. Unlike the half-rim Suri frames earlier, this narrowing should fit you well because it is gradual and short. The third frames are more of a wire-frame, called Alfont Grey. They have very modern arms, with a hint of industrial style, and are otherwise very subtle. As you have noticed, each is slim and rectangular, without sharp and boxy lines.
Colour frames tend to be a bit more of a risk, just because you limit what kind of clothes and makeup you can wear with them. However, if you do choose to look at colours, look for warm earthy tones like mahogany or chestnut.I hope these suggestions give you a useful foundation to work with! These are the shapes, rims, and styles that I would most highly recommend for you based on your ability to wear them all day, every day. Please do email us again if you have any more questions!
