learn how to work your (dorky) quirk
Hello, I’m a glasses nerd. I’ve worn glasses since I was 4. I’ve done the whole history of dorky glasses. Oooooh, yes: horn-rims, over-sized flastic fantastics and….an eye patch. 
When I tell this story, I found most people struggle to top it: when I was 12 I had to wear an eye patch for a 18 months. Not a cool pirate one; a piece of beige tape over the left lens of my horn-rimmed frames.
It gave me a particularly BROWN and befuddled look. Yessum, I was special. Right at a time when the 6 other girls at my primary school were getting boobs and boyfriends.
Which puts me in a most authoratative been-there-done-that position to advise on embracing an awkward aesthetic fixture.
Yours might be a bald head. Big boobs. Crooked teeth. Or a “thing” for wearing combat boots that you just can’t shake.
The thing is: I could get corrective surgery. Or contacts. But I never have, despite even being offered it for free. Why? Glasses are part of me. My look works around them.
So instead I:
- don’t shirk. I wear my glasses boldly. And I wear bold glasses. When you make a stamp firmly, people believe what you’re doing is the right thing to do. People believe that my glasses-wearing is good because I don’t apologise for them. The bald man can do the same. It doesn’t have to detract from an evolutionary mating POV…it doesn’t have to suggest weakness (bad eyes, follicular inadequacies).
- work with, not against or around. I don’t wear jewellery near my face to detract from the “glasses effect”. Glasses are my jewellery.
- be an expert. I also know what shapes suit my face. A tip: for most women a bold line across the top that emulates the shape of a great brow is best. I also think that a shape that extends a little beyond the cheekbones can add some great structure to a longish face.
Frames from Hongkong markets:$10. Chat with HH: Priceless.
- have fun with it: Over the years I’ve learned you don’t need to buy glasses from an expensive optometrist. These ones above I bought for $10 in Hong Kong from a street stall of dress-ups toys. I’ve got a pair of red sunglasses from Sportsgirl that I put prescription lenses in.
As a BTW note:
The ever-delightful Frankie Magazine has just done a Nerdy By Nature shoot in their latest issue…I’m onto something!
All of which:
Is a bit of an excuse to display these pics….
dorky glasses circa 1985...me in the middle looking quite unimpressed
- Colin Firth sees good in The Single Man
One of Jo from Eye heart Glasses' friends in some spic specs
I like this girls’ glasses (below). They’re from her own collection at Prism. Ditto the ones above.
mid-glasses moment with our PM
Megan Fox: hot
Some other bits and pieces of advice:
* If you’re in New York, Silver Linings in Thompson St has the BEST vintage specs. I also like Vintage Frames Co.
* Have fun buying online via glasses direct.
* Look out for double-bar action. My latest sunglasses have these. I rather love.
*Check out Jo from NZ’s sweet blog Eye Heart Glasses. She is a true quirk embracer.
Jo and her glasses...
* Whenever you’re in Asia, get your script made up… it’s soooo much cheaper. Vietnam and Hong Kong are great – about $30 for a standard prescription and they generally take about an hour.
* And look out for GRAZ specs. You can buy via grandsocial. The best Australian sunglass designer. Hands down. He’ll soon be doing standard frames, too.
Thanks for this piece again. I wonder why I’ve never visited your blog before until Sunday.
I, too, wear glasses all my life. Recently I tried to ‘conform’ – wear contacts during weekends when Im going out (I prefer having my glasses on while working due to long hours concentration on writings and drawings). I feel like a stranger to myself in those contacts! Who’s that I asked?!
Your piece strikes a chord, you’re so right, it’s about working with it, not against or around it. Finding the RIGHT glasses is hard! Frames that suit and enhance your personality. I’ll check out those links in your blog… Maybe I’ll chuck away those contacts after all.
Hi Sarah, its funny to think of glasses as a fashionable item! I’ve also worn glasses since my year 7 science teacher told my parents I needed them and from then on, glasses are a part of who I am. The funny part for me about being a fashion item is that to me they are not – I wear them because I have too.. (its called a medical condition – bad eyesight). To be glasses free would be an amazing thing – but for me I don’t think that day will ever come. So thank you for sharing your story!
[...] Wilson: always good. (That should be her slogan.) Learn how to work your dorky quirk (featuring pictures of my friend Jo & her site Eye Heart Glasses!) & Sunday Life: in which [...]
Wow. This could not have come at a better time! Only yesterday I looked at my pair of contacts and realised that I didn’t want to wear them anymore. I even remember thinking quite recently that my face just didn’t look right without my glasses. I just needed someone to articulate what I was feeling, et voila! I think that I’m finally ready to work my dorky quirk. GLASSES 4 LIFE.
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Great post, Sarah! I’ve had to wear glasses everyday since 8th grade and feel the same way you do about corrective surgery. And there’s nothing like a strong pair of frames on your face. I wouldn’t trade it in for the world.
Might I suggest Gentlemen’s Breakfast as a Los Angeles location for vintage and unique frames? I’ve gotten three pairs there and they have an amazing selection and incomparable service. =)
totes tweeting material. thank you for making me feel empowered because i prefer glasses over contacts.
viva le geek-chic!
God, if you could see the pair I have on now. They’re huge, and I got a call to pick up a new pair today. Blogging about it later this week. Hmmm, where’s that link. You can see the pair I’m wearing right now in this pic: http://katiecrackernuts.blogspot.com/2009/02/know-your-stash.html
[...] Wilson learns to work her (dorky) quirk and half the commenters over at Yes and Yes love their glasses too (the other half [...]
Just ordered my first (2) pairs of glasses (go specsavers!) – one sensible, one ultra nerdy. Actually really looking forward to trying out a new look!
Thought you might be interested to know about Warby Parker… they don’t ship to Aus but if you’re in the US they might be worth checking out. Very cool frames, for US$95, their name is inspired by Jack Kerouac, and they donate glasses to charity. http://www.warbyparker.com