Best glasses for low bridge, high cheek bones

May 31, 2017 2:50 PM

Hi everyone! I have a very low nose bridge and high cheekbones, but I'm not Asian. My face is medium width! I have a heck of a time finding eyeglasses that fit. Any recommendations aside from Warby Parker?

I say "aside from Warby Parker" because I have their Dahl frames and I love them, but those are the only ones that look good on me. The other low bridge, medium width glasses, Vence, are too blocky and thick for my delicate features.

Here's me in the Dahl frames. I also own another (non-low bridge fit) pair of WP frames that are discontinued, called Marshall. Here's me in those recently. In order for them to even come close to fitting my face, I have to use stick-on thick rubber nose pads. I like these more in theory because they're funkier.

I'd love some funky frames that fit my face a lot better. Any recommendations would be great, thanks!

posted by ancient star to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (15 answers total)

I also have a low bridge and have tried some brands designed for Asian features, with varying success. My current pair are by Masunaga, so they may be worth checking out.
posted by Cheese Monster at 3:07 PM on May 31, 2017

Have your frame vendor put on the wired nosepads. They attach permanently and work really well. Makes any kind of plastic framed glasses fit my female, asian nose!
posted by tipsyBumblebee at 3:12 PM on May 31, 2017

Consider giving http://www.tc-charton.com/ a try?

A note about Masunaga - some of their frames come in BOTH "low nose" and "high nose" versions. But shops rarely carry both. Be sure to ask which version they have, and whether it is available in the other format.
posted by FlatHill at 3:20 PM on May 31, 2017

I also prefer funky plastic frames but have low nose bridge problems, and really like ProDesign Denmark frames. They make a ton of plastic frames, most of which you can get with nose pads if desired, at no additional cost. They're not too thick or blocky and the color combinations are great!
I've also had luck with Modo brand glasses, but not as consistently.
posted by gemutlichkeit at 3:44 PM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

So do frames for Asian faces NOT fit you? I don't completely understand your question in that regard. Brands I've tried that fit low bridges are ProDesign (plastic with nosepads) and Jins (some of the plastics have an alternative fit to fit low bridges instead of nosepads. There were a couple of frames by french brands in acetate that had nosepads but the brand name escapes me atm.
posted by oneear at 4:27 PM on May 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

My wife and I are trading off between Anne et Valentin and Theo (I had the former first and now have the latter, and vice versa). We get compliments everywhere. I have a really skinny nose and a strong prescription, and all-plastic frames just slide down all day. They're not cheap, though.

For more reasonably priced frames with some funk, I like ProDesign Denmark and Modo, both mentioned above. They both have good lines of titanium frames with articulated nosepieces, some of which come in pretty interesting colorways. There was also a brand called Roger I liked but didn't love the last time I went shopping, and I think they were almost as expensive as Anne et Valentin and Theo.
posted by fedward at 4:29 PM on May 31, 2017

Found them they are Ovvo optics. There was another line too whose name I don't remember but was also French where they were funky plastic with nosepads.
posted by oneear at 4:36 PM on May 31, 2017

Response by poster: I forgot to mention that I'm in the US! I love the Masunaga frames but I don't know how I would get them.
posted by ancient star at 4:59 PM on May 31, 2017

High cheekbone, low bridge? As a guy I like small wire frames like Marchon Flexon 633s on me... They are also durable as all hell.
posted by Nanukthedog at 5:30 PM on May 31, 2017

If you're in the SF area, memail me and I'll give you the names of a couple of places that carry Masunaga frames.
posted by asphericalcow at 6:20 PM on May 31, 2017

+1 to Prodesign Denmark. For sunglasses, I also love my Maui Jim frames although it was painful to pay for their fancy ultralight polarized lenses only to replace them with heavy prescription lenses.
posted by serelliya at 7:17 PM on May 31, 2017

Check out Zenni Optical. Scroll down and check out the measurements section. Measure some glasses that fit you well, and try some glasses from Zenni that match those dimensions.

You can filter on Zenni by frame width. I'd start there.

On Zenni I normally buy a pair of glasses with the cheapest lenses, wear them for a week and see if I like them, and if I do, I but the same frames but with more expensive lenses. I keep the pair with the cheapest lenses as a backup and wear the glasses with the expensive lenses.
posted by gregr at 8:00 PM on May 31, 2017

See Eyewear has a "universal fit" collection that is tailored to some of these specifications. I was in a store the other day and they had a sign with more detail, but I can't seem to find the description on their website. If you live near one of their retail stores, you might try stopping in there.
posted by LKWorking at 7:45 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

Honestly, I think you need to go to a store with good salespeople and have them help you find a good paid. I also love SEE. They have a ton of great frames (and I have a really hard-to-fit face), and their salespeople are great. Last time I got sunglasses, I got the first frames the guy picked for me.
posted by radioamy at 11:23 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

Oh, also, SEE glasses are very affordable. They're not dirt-cheap like Zenni or Warby Parker, but their slogan is "hip without the rip."
posted by radioamy at 11:23 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]