Quite Continental

Yours Truly, wearing the Owen in striped chestnut.

Law school thrashed my eyeballs. I went from not needing glasses to realizing I had no idea what my professors looked like in less than a year (please add this to the list of cons for law school).  So since then, I’ve worn either glasses or contacts to correct my law-scarred vision.  (Is that a tort?) (Law school jokes!) (Sorry.)  I’ve been wanting a new pair of spectacles for some time and in my search for the perfect pair, I came across Warby Parker.

Briefly, for the 3 or 4 of you who are not yet aware, Warby Parker is an entirely online, extremely affordable, frame manufacturer that specializes in vintage-inspired styles.  $95 will get you a new sparkly pair of prescription spectacles, shipped free to your door (with free returns as well).  While currently only producing eyeglasses (and a monocle, in case you were in the market), Warby Parker will be adding sunglasses to the repertoire this summer.  Also worth noting is the fact that for every pair purchased, they donate a pair to people in need.  The combination of excellent style, affordability and philanthropy completely sold me.

Leery to purchase glasses you’ve never tried on before?  Well, Warby Parker has that covered through their Home Try-On program.  You select 5 pairs you’d like to test out, they send them to you free of charge and you get to try them for five days.  Then you send them back (yep, for free) and place your order online.  For those who are bit too impatient or too indecisive to narrow it down to 5 pairs, you can also elect to pop by a Warby Parker showroom (currently in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Portland, San Francisco, Oklahoma City, Dallas and Omaha).  I made an appointment with the exceptionally helpful Patrick, and dragged along the lovely Sarah of StyleOnTheCouch to help me select a pair and take a few pictures.  The images, unless otherwise noted, are hers.

The showroom, located just off Union Square, is a lofty, light-filled space that shares quarters with the Warby Parker corporate offices.  After a warm welcome I immediately set to work narrowing down my options to a group of semi-finalists, and pulled a group of five.  I then began plaguing Sarah and Patrick with multiple try-ons and demands to know which pair looked best.

Semi-finalists from top: Tenley, Crosby, Owen, Miles, Roosevelt
I’m obviously fixated on tortoiseshell.

Trying on the Tenley in burgundy fade.

In the Roosevelt in striped chestnut.

The shape of my face requires I stay away from overly narrow frames or anything severely cat-eye, so I knew I wanted a pair of larger, heavier frames, but wasn’t eager to venture into Man Repeller territory.  My finalists were the Owen (pictured at top) and the Roosevelt (pictured above).  So what do you think?  Which pair looks better?

See which pair I chose after the jump.

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