Glasses for very petite women's heads?

May 14, 2023 6:09 PM

After another disappointing trip to Warby Parker in search of glasses yielded only 7 frames - all plastic, mostly brown, and all resembling the one pair I own already - I am expanding my search for glasses frames for very petite women's heads.

I have a very small head - children's hats fit me, and some of the children's glasses I tried on at Warby Parker fit me too. The one pair of glasses I own is the "extra narrow" size at Warby Parker, and the measurements are 46-16-130.

I am looking for either:

• Gold metal frames: I really liked these frames, but even the narrow size was too big and made me look cross eyed.
• Funky acetate frames: something that looks like your art teacher would wear, maybe like this? Also open to fun colors.

I've tried a few Google searches for "extra narrow glasses", but upon further examination, the frames all end up actually being bigger than my current pair, so I'm hoping for a more search by asking here. Thank you!

posted by airplant to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (16 answers total)

Zenni! You can filter searches by your actual exact measurements. Have it pull ALL glasses, narrow by your measurements and enjoy the wealth of options.
posted by Bottlecap at 6:14 PM on May 14, 2023 [7 favorites]

A couple makers I love:

• Anne et Valentin
• Rapp

Schau Schau out of Austria make supercool frames. I have a pair of rx sunnies that look like welding goggles, if you want an idea of what direction they go in.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 6:38 PM on May 14, 2023

Another small-headed glasses wearer here. It's my experience (Zenni, Eyebuydirect, and my local glasses store) that it helps to decide which of your small measurements is the most important to you, because it's almost impossible to find much variety if you have to match all three. Arms are somewhat adjustable with heat, so I often deprioritize that measurement. The bridge size turns out to be more tied to a good fit for me because I also have a small nose. Once I find a bridge size, then I start seeing what lens sizes appeal to me aesthetically and based on my head width.

Your face will be different though, and your priority about which measurement is most important might be different. But to remain sane while searching, you might try prioritizing a specific measurement.
posted by cocoagirl at 7:14 PM on May 14, 2023 [1 favorite]

I would echo Anne et Valentin and add Bevel.
posted by fies at 7:15 PM on May 14, 2023 [1 favorite]

Kate Spade brand frames also have reliable options for small-headed folks. I think that the brand lives on?
posted by desuetude at 9:56 PM on May 14, 2023 [1 favorite]

I really love my ProDesign Denmark frames and I noticed when I was trying things on, they had a great variety of sizes and styles to fit lots of different shapes. I have a difficult to fit face and prescription, but I was able to find enough pairs that I had trouble making up my mind.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 12:07 AM on May 15, 2023

+1 zenni. I have a similarly toddler sized head. Check the kids section too. A couple of my browline styles are from there. Filter by size. Like all of my glasses are from zenni at this point. ETA: my socials are in my bio, if there are any you like I can send you a link.
posted by Crystalinne at 1:20 AM on May 15, 2023

I have a big head but a narrow face. My driving glasses are bright purple children's RayBans and I love them, the frame has lasted maybe 8 years, I've had new lenses put in. The shape is much like the second pair you liked.
posted by mareli at 5:49 AM on May 15, 2023 [1 favorite]

I'm guessing if you're searching by sizes, these might pop up anyway, but explicitly kids' sizes/styles might be a useful "frame" of reference.
posted by adekllny at 5:55 AM on May 15, 2023

nthing zenni. I haven't bought glasses from anywhere else in ~7 years now. You can search their bazillions of frames using any/all of those measurements. (I had a pair of Warby Parkers at one point but on a return trip found their selection disappointingly small, and really they're not better quality than zennis but are like 4x the cost)
posted by goodbyewaffles at 6:15 AM on May 15, 2023

(Just as a specific example: these look really similar to the first pair of warbys you posted, measurements are 47-21-127 so similar to yours, though the bridge might be too wide)
posted by goodbyewaffles at 6:20 AM on May 15, 2023

Seconding Bevel, and adding Hiero for petite options in metal. Both are Japanese brands.
posted by veery at 6:41 AM on May 15, 2023

I've had a good experience with Etnia Barcelona. I'm on my second pair with that brand.

Just a datapoint on Bevel - the fit is fantastic and the frames are beautiful, but the color coating on my frames did not hold up well (lots of little chips) and one of earpiece screws stripped after only 6 months.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 9:03 AM on May 15, 2023

I also have a small head and am currently wearing kids frames. I got a pair of kids Zennis for computer glasses but they are just ok. I bought my teen some frames she’d seen at the optometrist from Daniel Walters and that was a good experience, though.
posted by leahwrenn at 12:37 PM on May 15, 2023

I have a really small face but a really large head, so your eye & bridge measurements match mine, but my temple is longer -- like 140. Anyway, I wear the kids' "fox" from lindberg air rim. These are expensive but the frames last literally forever unless someone deliberately uses tools to tear them apart (yes I have an anecdote). Then you just have to put lenses in like every 5 years or so.

https://lindberg.com/en/collections/kid-teen
posted by toodleydoodley at 12:51 PM on May 16, 2023

It’s $$$, but Tom Davies makes custom sized frames - you pick from the styles they make, and then they’ll make your frames in the exact measurements you need. It’s been a game changer for me and my narrow face + high Rx. I could never find traditional frames that fit - my glasses were very heavy, often painful on my nose, constantly sliding off, and were so wide my face would look distorted through the excess lens… very much worth it for me to pay for customized sizing.
posted by annie o at 8:21 PM on May 18, 2023