Eye am sad about my glasses

January 16, 2011 9:17 AM

Is it possible to have a pair of vintage Ray Bans repaired?

I have a pair of totally badass vintage Ray Ban Buenas. I got them in a weird little charity shop almost 20 years ago for maybe $2.

I wore them to DEATH. The hinge on the right is mostly broken, and held together with a safety pin. The left side is stretched out like crazy.

Is it possible to get the hinges replaced? I would LOVE to be able to wear these again.

Bonus points if you know anywhere in Chicago that could accomplish this. Thanks!

posted by bibliogrrl to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (5 answers total)

Take them to any decent eyeglass place. If it's just the hinge that needs to be replaced, pretty much any place that sells, repairs, or adjusts glasses should be able to help.
posted by decathecting at 9:59 AM on January 16, 2011

You might try a jeweler if no eyeglass place wants to take them on, too.
posted by pjaust at 10:24 AM on January 16, 2011

I used to work as an optometrist's assistant and we loved seeing cool old frames still in use! Your hinges can definitely be replaced. Most optometrists' offices keep a supply of generic replacement parts on hand, but if you need something more specific they can order parts from Ray-Ban or Luxottica (Ray-Ban's parent company).

Some chains might not want to bother with it, or might have employees who don't know what they're doing, so try an independent optometrist's office first, especially if it's an older doctor who's been in the same practice for ages, because they're the ones who have the best selection of parts laying around.
posted by amyms at 10:49 AM on January 16, 2011

Give Labrabbit Optics a call -- they deal exclusively in vintage stuff.
posted by ism at 10:51 AM on January 16, 2011

Oh! I've heard of Labrabbit! And it isn't far from work for me. I do believe I will be giving them a call when they open back up.
posted by bibliogrrl at 3:06 PM on January 16, 2011