Where to buy large eyeglass frames

March 28, 2005 6:56 PM

Are there any brands of eyeglass frames with an extended size range for those of us with large head and high nose bridge? Or a source for custom frames at a reasonable price?
posted by Jackson to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (4 answers total)

Eyeglasses.com has the largest selection of frames I've ever seen, and a fairly sophisticated advanced search. (Notes one and two: That said, I'm not aware of any specific manufacturers with an extended size range. And I've never purchased anything from the site.)
posted by box at 9:45 PM on March 28, 2005

I wound up having to buy the Silhouettes, which are not cheap, for my (apparently) giant head and stupendous nose bridge. They were the only eyeglasses I could find with stems that actually reached from the glasses to my ear. And, even then, they just barely reach.

I really don't think that anyone meeting me would scream, "giant head!!!" I certainly know of people with larger heads than my own. My point is that the eyeglasses industry seems to produce for a very, very narrow range of facial types (as well as taste; if you don't like teenytiny frames you're screwed).
posted by argybarg at 10:12 PM on March 28, 2005

I fussed around with buying new glasses at all the major chains, to no success. I finally visited a smaller boutique, and the woman there let me go through all the catalogs and helped me determine the actual measurements of my head. I actually ended up with some big chunky Persol sunglass frames that fit great.
posted by patgas at 6:11 AM on March 29, 2005

I understand that it's easier to go with metal frames. If you're looking for plastic/bakelite frames that all of the cool kids wear these days I had decent luck mail ordering larger sizes through my optician.

I had no idea my head was big until they informed me that they didn't carry any frames in my size, but that they'd gladly mail order them and if I didn't like them they'd return them, no charge to me. In other words, I doubt you'll be able to walk into Lens Crafters/Binyons...
posted by togdon at 8:22 AM on March 29, 2005