Can you see clearly, now? Four eyes beats two eyes every time. Here’s a quick list of favorite spots for fashionable specs.
The Cool ClubThe Monocle Order is a NYC-based members club for sunglass lovers. To join, buy a full-price pair of glasses from brands like Retro Super Future, Lotho, and Karen Walker. You’ll be entitled to member benefits like 50 percent off additional glasses, a one-year warranty, free returns, deals on replacement of lost sunglasses, member-only styles, pop-up shop invitations, and Skype consultations.
They Have a Vision Warby Parker, a booming hipsterish brand, focuses on classy, quality sunwear and opticals that don’t cost a fortune (offerings come in at $95). Though theirs is a web-based company, Warby Parker takes appointments at a sunny showroom loft as well as at Bird boutique. Added plus: through their Buy a Pair, Give a pair program, your purchase means a new set of glasses will go to someone in need.
Edgy AestheteThere are times when a new pair of glasses calls for a new context for your life. At Bond 07 by Selima -- a spinoff of Selima Optique’s mini empire -- you can frame your face with a pair of severe acetate opticals (not just for Parisian filmmakers!), and frame your look with perfume, hats, cufflinks, and vintage jewelry.Bond 07 by Selima, 7 Bond Street, between Lafayette Street and Bowery (212-677-8487).
Kind of a SpectacleOne of the most distinguishing characteristics of Morgenthal Frederics is that the staff are obsessed with their glasses. Try any outpost of the David Rockwell-designed frame shop, and in-the-know salespeople will have you trying on rims you never thought you could pull off in buffalo horn, wood laminates, and titanium. Buyers beware: Frames may be “legendary,” but they are also pricey, and they don’t take insurance.
Euro Clause For cutting-edge accessories, look closely at Naked Eye Optical on the LES. The full-service shop (the affable owner is often the salesperson) carries German, Swiss, and American brands, along with one-of-a-kind and hard-to-find vintage sunglasses that will have you dressed to impress.