Bringing Fashion to Reading Glasses

Nonprescription reading glasses can get a bad rap -- you've seen the turnstiles at the drug store featuring bland "unisex" frames in uninspiring silver metal or black.  But wearing over the counter reading glasses doesn't have to be a fashion sentence of doom.  Today we're interviewing Angie Stocklin, Co-Founder and COO of Readers.com. Several years ago I started following Angie on Pinterest and found her to be a constant source of eyewear fashion! I was repining nearly everything she posted.  Here's her take on the best ways to let over the counter reading glasses become a stylish part of your wardrobe.

Tips for Making Readers Fashionable

Reading glasses are a fantastic and inexpensive way to test out eyewear trends to see if they work for you. But if you’ve been watching eyewear trends emerge from the Fall 2015 runways, you might be wondering how you can pull off the massive sizes and bright colors that graced the models from Jonathan Saunders, Zac Posen, Versace, Emporio Armani and Karen Walker. It’s not always easy to pull runway fashion off the runway and make it applicable to your daily wardrobe, but with a little creative thinking, you can translate the essence of fashion trends into everyday looks.

1. Try a new shape

Adding a pair of reading glasses in a fun shape is a super easy way to work fall trends into your wardrobe. Play up the retro vibe by trying a cat eye, browline or round style this fall. 

Bookworm 

Brit

Feeling brave? Try an oversized square sun reader for a bit of a glamorous look.

Pearl

Rue

2. Focus on the details

Trends often hide in the details, and this fall is no exception. Look for readers with a plastic front and metal temples, or add a reader with a keyhole bridge to your collection.

Hayworth

Saginaw

Dorian

Feeling brave? Try a pair with a bit of glitter or a sassy animal print.

Roman

3. Update your color palette

If you already have an eyewear shape that looks great on you, and you’re not quite ready to add glitter to your glasses, try updating your readers with a new color. This fall is calling for a range of blues, with a splash of olive and a hint of pastels.

Applause

Catherine

Sylvia

Feeling brave? Try a frame in grey, or experiment with a clear frame or any other translucent color.

Countess

How do I know what reader power I need?

The best way to find your correct magnification is to ask your eye care professional during your examination. Your eye doctor can tell you if OTC reading glasses are a good choice for your eyes, and they can help you figure out the correct power for each reading task. We find that our customers are typically unaware that the reading glasses they use for their newspaper will often be a different power than the readers they use for computer work, and that they may need different glasses to get their best visual performance.

If you have a prescription handy, you can call us for help. Once our optician has your prescription in front of her, she can do a bit of optical math to determine the best magnification for your OTC reading glasses. Some prescriptions like those with moderate to high amounts of myopia or astigmatism, or those with significant differences in prescription between their two eyes, aren't great candidates for OTC readers and will need custom prescription reading glasses instead. For a quick check in, you can always print out a handy guide to give you an idea of what power you need for your reading glasses. When printed out correctly, this guide allows you to hold the paper at your desired distance to see the necessary magnification for each task.

Want more style inspiration?  Follow Angie on Pinterest to see all of her favorite eyewear trends -- including boards for looks straight off the runway.