Probably misses his old glasses

August 28, 2006 7:35 AM

What brand are my glasses frames and where can I get some more?

After years of use and numerous repairs, I've gotta replace my frames. Metal bits on the earpieces have fallen out, hinges are on their last legs and can't be repaired any better than they already have been multiple times, they're crooked, etc. Problem is, I'll make some people (including me) mad if I don't get something extremely similar. No idea where I purchased the frames in the first place other than it being a glasses store possibly in Montana. Pictures:


Part of the brand name is visible (see picture above), but I can't figure it out based on brand names listed on various frames websites (found in other questions on askme). Maybe your glasses have the full name. I've searched online and off (in the US) for black frame glasses and haven't found much that I like; most are too narrow top-to-bottom and I think they make me look like a weasel. My current frames are 1-3/8" top to bottom, at the widest measurement of the interior of the lens hole (there's gotta be a better word), and 2-1/8" across the top at the widest measurement of the interior of the lens hole. They're a bit bigger and more squarish than similar frames at the glasses shops I've visited. It's very possible that the model name is a generic American male name, i.e. Steve, Michael, Andrew, etc. (sorry Steves, Michaels, and Andrews; you are not generic...)

Really, I'd just like very much to get another pair of the same frames I have now.

So, what brand are my glasses and where can I get another pair exactly like or very similar to them? Is there a good, offbeat glasses shop in Chicago or online (alas, Seattle's Eyes on Fremont, which friends recommend, doesn't have an online catalog). Ebay seems like an option, but reading feedback, it seems like a lot of this sort of frames on the site are little more than costume frames and can't hold up to daily wear or, um, having lenses in them.

posted by msbrauer to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (6 answers total)

Best answer: Have you actually gone into a decent optician's store and told them what you're looking for? I'm not talking about Walmart or some other such place where folks were selling pizza last week and eyeglasses this week.

The dudes where I go in NY have been working there for a long time. They can easily tell you what might be similar. Names on glasses and styles change so much that I don't that's a useful way to approach things. The specific frame that you have probably doesn't even exist anymore.

Just show a real optician what you've got and explain what you're looking for. Your glasses look pretty plain and basic to me. I'm sure that you can find something similar. No need to reinvent the whell.

Good luck. Enjoy your new frames. And get your eyes checked first -- before you bother to get new frames and lenses.
posted by bim at 7:48 AM on August 28, 2006

Best answer: I think getting a new pair of glasses just like one that is several years old might be challenging, but there's no shortage of non-chain, interesting specs places in Chicago. Here are a few:

Eye Spy Optical

Lincoln Square Optical

Visual Effects

Eye Want

Wear Eyewear

Or if you want something really unique, this guy is coming to Renegade this year.
posted by j-dawg at 7:57 AM on August 28, 2006 [1 favorite]

That actually seems like the kind of pair that might be easier to get at Walmart or something than a designer shop (which will probaby have more multi-colored frames in slightly harsher rectangle shapes--all the rage). You could check this site out too, I'm pretty sure it's aimed at actual eyeglass wearers.
posted by shownomercy at 8:12 AM on August 28, 2006

Best answer: It looks like Giorgio Sant'Angelo, to me, but I don't know where you'd get them.
posted by stefanie at 9:23 AM on August 28, 2006

I think Stefanie has it. And any upscale optician's shop worth its salt--probably one or more in the Chicago list provided above--will have someone in the store who will both recognize your glasses and know how to fit you for alternatives.

Also, for many years I wore Oliver Peoples Zuko glasses that were similar in style to yours and extremely flattering.
posted by werty at 1:08 PM on August 28, 2006

Response by poster: Trying to mark a couple of these as best answers, but nothing's cooperating.

bim: you're right. I've just struck out at all of the optometrists I've visited thus far. Everyone's got frames with narrower lens holes. And it was an updated prescription that precipitated this whole sojourn.

j-dawg: now I know where I'll be going on the next visit into the city.

stefanie: that's it! I thought I'd remembered "Giorgio" but forgot the "Sant'" part.

Thanks all around.
posted by msbrauer at 9:40 PM on August 28, 2006