When looking for vintage eyewear, you need to be cautious as not all options are a good investment. You may come across vintage eyewear that works well as a collector's item rather than actual eyeglasses.
Most vintage eyeglasses are made with outdated materials or may be unpleasant to wear. Look for vintage eyewear designed by a reputable company for creating high quality, wearable and durable vintage frames.
Here's how to find vintage eyewear on a budget
1. Find your Decade
Even before you go online to look for vintage eyewear, it's best to know your preferred decade. This may be determined by your dressing style, where you may realize that a particular decade suits you more than the other.
Your decade could also be determined by your facial features or face shape. For instance, eyeglasses in the 1970s were characterized by metal specs such as aviators or round lens glasses, while the 60s brought in acetate frames with geometric shapes, bold colors and thick frames.
2. Always Try the Eyewear before Purchase
If the seller is not letting you try on the glasses, it probably shows that they do not trust the quality of the material used on the eyewear. A credible seller will send you a trial kit at home to help you choose different vintage frames and experience their feel and how they look on you. You can also fit the glasses at their physical shop if you can.
After trying on the glasses, enquire if they offer discount eyeglasses if you buy more than one pairs of vintage eyeglasses.
3. Pick a Frame that Complements your Face Shape
It would be best to find a precise vintage frame style suitable for you. This is why many sellers have detailed information on different face shapes on the frames they sell. The specific face shape that suits a particular pair of eyeglasses is specified in the product description.
Browse the seller's website to look for the frames that would suit your face shape and utilize the virtual try on tool to establish how the vintage eyewear looks on your virtual face. You can try on dozens of vintage frames as the process does not take much time.
This will help you see the design that looks great on you while providing your preferred fashion appeal.
4. Ensure the Glasses are made from Premium Materials
When looking for vintage eyeglasses online, you'll come across tons of websites selling vintage eyewear. Many of them sell authentic vintage glasses, and an equal number sell knock offs made from low-quality materials. The price ranges from the lowest to the overpriced ones. Do not think that an overpriced pair of eyeglasses means quality; you have to establish that the material used is worth the price.
Alternatively, find vintage eyewear that goes for even less than $10 but is made from quality material.
If you are looking for plastic vintage eyewear, purchase those made from cellulose acetate, as this is the best material for plastic frames. Cellulose acetate is hypoallergenic, durable, lightweight, and has visual quality. Vintage styles available for frames are brow-line, aviator, round, cat eye, wayfarer and more. Apart from cellulose acetate, stainless steel is another quality material for making vintage eyeglasses.
5. Inspect the Frame
If possible, inspect the frame before purchase. Inspect for cracks or breaks on the structure and always ensure that the arms function as expected. This may be as simple as changing old parts like nose pads with older glasses. It would be best to buy a hard glasses case to protect them from damage.
When shopping online, ensure that photos of the vintage frames are available and visible from all angles. The images should be clear because flash lighting can sometimes conceal damage and marks; therefore, photos taken using natural light are preferable.
6. Check the Measurements
Physically shopping for vintage frames is advantageous as you can fit them before buying. However, when buying online, remember to check the measurements. Take the dimensions of an old pair of glasses and use them to compare the new vintage pair you want to buy.
If the seller has not included measurements, ask them to measure the frame. The seller can also look at the inside of the eyewear arms, where sizes are sometimes printed, although this might not apply to older frames.
You can find vintage eyewear in various styles, colors, and shapes across the years. Choose the best vintage frame to suit your unique style by finding a frame fitting your face shape through a vintage glass frame guide.
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