90s sunglasses and Y2K glasses aesthetic

90s and Y2K glasses are having a moment, bust out your bucket hats and take a peep at our range of original preloved vintage noughties and Y2K glasses and sunglasses.

Y2K covers off the late 90s and early-to-mid 2000s and the retro aesthetic is here for those who like clean lines and a little narrow frame nostalgia.

90s narrow rectangle

Inpired by 90s sitcoms and celebrities, rectangular glasses were the shape of the moment - just pair with oversized sweats and cycling shorts for off duty Princess Diana vibes.

Oval sunglasses

Vintage styling and shape of the moment like these original 90s sunglasses by Jean Lafont. Made in Paris, these rare beauties are a fabulous example of a noughties oval cateye in stunning leopard print on amber crystal acetate... meow.

90s minimal metal frames

1990s metal frames are a vibe, from Brad & Jens matching rounds to Brad and Gwyneth’s matching ovals, sleek simple lines and minimistic stylings like these Cazal sunnies with their cut away detailing and intricate metal work make a subtle statement.

y2k oversized sunglasses

Oversized and wrap around sunnies are perfect examples for Y2K and also for giving maximum protection to your peepers from the sun’s glare. Go big and bold for the win.

What’s not to love about noughties and 90s frames - there’s styles for every face shape - checkout our range of preloved planet friendly frames.

Jo

70s sunglasses style guide

Iconic 70s sunglasses styles and the shapes that made them famous. Everything in the 1970s was a statement piece, from the Farah Fawcett’s hair to the denim jumpsuit and the sunglasses were no exception. Here’s our take on sustainable 70s sunglasses styles to get that authentic seventies vibe…

The seventies were about making style statements in mother earth tones like harvest gold, burnt sienna and avocado (seen on both sunglasses and bathroom suites).

Amber and orange tinting was popular, seen on icons like John Lennon and graduated tinting was de jour; lenses dip dyed in tanks by hand (we still do it like this today) to produce a sumptous dark to light fade effect.

Actress Sophia Loren enjoyed showing a bit of eye and wore a washed, eye revealing sheer tint throughout the seventies with her oversized sunnies. Her love of sunglasses was so great she became the first celebrity to have her own eyewear brand. 

Mould breaking materials were being used and bold shapes were being used from influences like the Vietnam War, actors and activists.

Oversized 70s sunglasses

Superiszed 70s shades are having a moment. The bigger the better to make an authentic style statement, plus oversized sunglasses give the most protection from the sun, a happy bonus. Original 70s vintage oversized shades are not only the eco friendly choice - they’re the real deal. Perfect for those days when less is definitely not more.

70s aviator sunglasses

like the kind activist Gloria Steinem wore when she first championed female rights in the 70s. First invented by Bausch and Lomb for RayBan as sunglasses for pilots in the 1930s, aviator sunglasses are so classic that they resurface every decade, but were beloved in the 1970s in both acetate and metal, square and teardrop. We just can’t underplay our love affair with the double bridge and those iconic rock’n’roll lines.

70S BUTTERFLY

The 70s butterfly is feminine and easy to wear shape inspired by the symetry of the butterfly. Metal or acetate, create the perfect 1970s aesthetic and get your boho on with a pair of butterfly sunglasses. Based on the wings of a butterfly, these sunglasses have all the extra vintage design details to make your style stand out from the crowd.

70s SQUARE sunglasses

70s squares are easy to wear, possibly the perfect retro accessory, oversized square frames are the shape of the moment and we can’t get enough of them. The oversize angles give us that superstar look with a laid back 1970s feel. Bold and beautiful and instantly recognizable as sunglasses from this era.

THE DROP SIDE

The devils in the detail and they were big on adding details to sunglasses in the 70s when they invented the drop side. Sitting lower down the frame, usually accompanied by the most intricate designs, makes the vintage pieces more like works of art. If you’re after something extra special go for a pair with drop sides.

During the 70s sunglasses transitioned from being functional, with the sole purpose of sun protection, to fashion accessories that expressed your personal style.

The styles and shapes of the seventies were so good, moden makers are manufacturing them to this day, but there’s nothing like owning and wearing an authentic vintage 70s piece - take a peep at our 70s sustainable sunglasses collection…

peace out

Jo

Spring pastels crystal clear glasses

Nothing says spring like pastels - they’re classic for a reason. With the change of season the flowers are blooming and their delicate colour palettes are reflected in this seasons preloved and vintage crystal clear transparent glasses frames. Light reflecting and fresh looking translucent frames work with our change of wardrobe for a lighter spring look.

Clear glasses are pretty easy to wear, suiting most face shapes and skin tones, so whether you go for completely see through or a hint of colour or print here’s our guide to clear transparent glasses..

a drop of dreamy pastel pink in these original vintage deadstock frames with generous current square shaping, 80s vintage glasses frames by Aspect in dusky rose crystal acetate with super skinny sides.

a floral edition, perfect for springtime with leaf and flower pattern on a crystal clear transluscent glasses frame.

Possibly the perfect pastel in these original vintage frames by Norville. Made in Britain, softened square shaping in peach and clear crystal ombre will go with everything.

retro styling in this transparent preloved glasses frame. Vintage style round panto shaping in grey crystal acetate with pins give you a little extra detailing but in a light and fresh colourway.

go anywhere in these easy to wear translucent frames from Ray-Ban, model 7176. Rectangular shaping in baby blue crystal acetate - fresh for days.

fresh and clean with a hint of playfullness in these sustainable preloved glasses frames from Iolla model Paterson Lilac. Modern shaping with upswept temples in lilac crystal translucent acetate just add sunshine.

a clear nude style with a hint of detail is a modern take on a classic style.  Modern exaggerated cateye shaping with gorgeous mink crystal acetate with tonal shell effect design detail.

We’ll be adding more clear transparent glasses frame to the store or if you’re looking for a particular colour just

get in touch.

Daisy Jones & The Six Boho Sunglasses Edit

If you’ve had your peepers glued to Daisy Jones & The Six like we have, you can’t have missed the array of 70s glasses and sunglasses stealing the show, along with seventies florals, fringing and flares to the clogs and crochet.. oh and the music’s pretty ace too.

Take your cue from Daisy and The Six and rock culture and take a peep at our boho vintage eyewear edit..

rock n roll aviators

Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne’s classic aviators - coz let’s face it everybody looks a little bit more rock‘n’roll in an aviator.

70s oversized

Oversized glasses and sunglasses are never out of style. Seventies sunnies are perfect for leaving gigs in the early hours, blocking both the sun and those pesky paps. These babies aren’t going anywhere - turn any of our vintage glasses into sunglasses.

butterfly revival

The butterfly is a really beautifull and easy to wear shape. Metal or acetate, glasses or sunnies create an elegant boho silhouette.

Gold square aviators

Gold square aviators sported by Rod Reyes and Eddie Roundtree in the Daisy & The Six, give a cooler than cool seventies style.

Round frames

Whether its rock‘n’roll John lennon style round metal sunglasses as rocked by Warren, or soft round acetate in mother earth tones - both are perfect for aspiring rockstars.

If your perfect pair is showing as sold out, check out our Personal Shopper Service as we’ll probably have something similar in the studio we can make up for you. We can turn any of our vintage glasses frames into boho sunglasses.

Find your perfect pair and add a graduated tint for that authentic look (add prescription if you wear it).

So book that guitar lesson then shop the store for Daisy Jones & The Six original vintage frames.

Peace out

Jo

Shopping secondhand glasses and sunglasses

It’s Secondhand September so there’s never been a better time to shop secondhand - planet and pocket friendly, it’s not just for clothing, second hand glasses and sunglasses are a sustainable investment in both your wardrobe and our planet.

second hand september

Oxfam started Secondhand September to shine a light on preloved where people pledge to shop only secondhand for the month, usually associated with Fashion Week, urging them to shop style over trends.

In contrast to thrifting through charity and musty vintage rails (which I’m still a sucker for), Preloved fashion (and homeware) has evolved to chic new levels from designer pieces, deadstock vintage, professional restoration and highly curated stock through the likes of independent Instagram vintage stores, eBay, Vinted and Depop.

In hopping off the trend cycle you can develop your personal style, reducing overconsumption and investing in what suits you; rewearing and repairing for years to come.

Overproduction in glasses, just as clothing, alongside a dollop of dubious 2 for 1 marketing (though we do recommend a spare pair) has resulted in frames floating around the country - mainly ending up in landfill. Unless frames are repurposed by a charity or preloved organisation and thats where we come in..

All secondhand frames donated to us are either restored and resold, benefiting our charity partners, reused through Lions Club across the globe for eye charities, utilised for repairs or if we really can’t find a use and they’re beyond repair, broken down into individual components and fully recycled.

We give a £10 voucher towards a new frame with donations, so if you have second hand frames hanging around head here to donate and recycle your glasses.

Vintage glasses

Shopping secondhand is easy with our vintage glasses range, either glasses frames are restored back to former glory or choose from deadstock vintage frames that have never been worn (New Old Stock).

One of a kind pieces, when they’re gone they’re gone, there’s nothing mundane about these babies. Made in bygone days, produced in smaller batches, low waste and often handmade. You can pick up on current trends with an original piece from the era of origin.

If you’re looking to source a secondhand glasses frame from a vintage seller, look for a solid well made frame, made by a reputable eyewear manufacturer like Oliver Goldsmith, Silhouette, Persol, Anglo American, Rodenstock or best of all a made in England stamp. We can restore these to former glory with our restoration services reworking broken hinges, replacing broken parts and updating with fresh new lenses and prescriptions.

Preloved designer glasses and sunglasses

Our preloved designer glasses frames are fully restored and brought back to life or choose from our never worn deadstock designer frames. It’s amazing how some of our preloved frames need very little work - they’re lightly worn and well looked after, but this is often a result of customers being encouraged to overconsume and buy new with every prescription update.

The joy of choosing secondhand designer glasses is they become much more affordable. You enjoy a premium quality piece from your favourite designer and know you’re doing your bit to save the planet at the same time.

How to take part in Secondhand September

Take the Oxfam pledge and find out more about the problems with throwaway fashion at Fashion Revolution.

You don’t have to shop to take part - why not host a clothes swap with friends.

Do a wardrobe edit and mix things up so you fall back in love with what you already own.

Repair and rewear - get to that mending pile and if your eyewear needs some tlc check out our restoration services.

Happy Secondhand September!

Jo

Buying prescription glasses online

If you haven't bought prescription glasses online before and don’t know where to start - we’ve got you covered with our handy how to guide. With our eco friendly, try at home glasses service, exclusive to our uk customers, we’re here to help make your glasses journey both sustainable and stress free..

Choosing your prescription glasses

Ecrin

Finding the right shape and style of prescription glasses online can seem daunting, but if you follow a few simple rules you can’t go wrong.. and if you do, that’s where our Home Try On service comes in.

Frame shape should contrast face shape to achieve a good balance. So if you have angular features, soften with curved shapes and if you have round features, get some angles going on. Use square shapes to break up length and add sharpness. Or try a cat eye to break up squarer and more rounded face shapes.

Choose colours that compliment you - colours that you know work with your skin tone, eye and hair colour and current wardrobe. Black and tortoiseshell frames will always stand the test of time, but there’s never been a better time for some dopamine dressing with colourful print and pattern prescription glasses frames.

Above all else go with your gut and wear what you love.

finding the right frame

Try before you buy with our virtual mirror. This will help match you with your perfect prescription glasses with the added bonus that it reduces down the number of styles that don’t suit and returning packages, keeping our carbon footprint low.

Simply click on the TRY ON text to the left above the frame image, it will ask you to allow us camera access, so tick allow and remember to remove your current glasses! Have a play and see what suits.

This feature will help you decide on the right style. You can finalise options and decide which to try IRL with our Home Try On Service.

If you’re struggling with styling utilise our Personal Shopper service - we have lots of frames that aren’t yet in the store - using our expertise and your input, we can source the studio and style you in frames handpicked for you.

Try prescription glasses at home

Cottonbro

Sometimes you just need to hold things in your hands - we get it. Choose your glasses without pressure, at your leisure from the comfort of your sofa.

The way our Home Try On service works is you choose and purchase up to 4 pairs of glasses frames - 4 pairs give a good chance of success and is eco friendly keeping our carbon footprint down with multiple packages.

Simply select Home Try On at checkout, take free delivery, seek opinions from friends and family and see if they suit for up to 7 days. If none are quite right, you can simply return free of charge for an exchange of styles. We have lots of extra styles that aren’t yet up on the website, so be sure to ask if there’s something particular you’re searching for.

Don’t worry about adding your prescription lenses at this stage - we’ll walk you through the options once you’ve decided on your frame, based on your prescription and visual needs.

The fit of your prescription glassses

Cottonbro

A good fit is crucial to comfort. When choosing glasses, oversized or not, pay attention to the width of the frame. Balance your features and keep some proportion above and below the frames. 

The most important thing is to measure the total width of a current pair you own and compare to our FTW measurement in the product description, for a good guide on sizing your glasses.

Top Tip : use the measurements on your old eyewear to find a similar size that works for you. Glasses, especially modern frames, have eye size and other measurements on the inside to help - three sizes, measured in millimetres, for the eye, bridge and arm and a series of numbers, such as 50 18 145, can be found on the arm or bridge of your glasses.

Once you find your perfect pair - note the frame size and measurements and use this when in search of your next piece.

how to buy prescription glasses

Choosing the right lenses makes all the difference, the correct lenses prevent digital eye strain symptoms like neck pain, headaches and blurred vision that can occur as a result of wearing the wrong lenses.

The type of lens you’ll need depends on your lifestyle, job, optical needs and how you prefer to use your glasses. From screen glasses, to office and varifocal lenses, there’s an ideal lens for everyone and with our decades of optical expertise we’re here to help you find it.

When choosing your lenses you’ll need an up-to-date prescription from your Optometrist and a PD measurement which we can help you with.

Being a small family run online opticians, you can chat your options through with us - on an actual telephone - or via WhatsApp or email.. get in touch and let’s chat.

Take a peep at our article on choosing prescription glasses lenses and head on over to our eco friendly prescription glasses and sustainable preloved frames to find your perfect pairing.

Jo

eco friendly sunglasses for summer

Few things are as important than a good pair of sunglasses, not only a style statement but an essential piece of holiday kit. But if you’re worried about climate change and want to make an eco friendly sunglasses choice this summer, you can’t do better than going for a vintage or preloved sustainable sunglasses frame.

These ethical, planet friendly frames already exist so no new resources or energy have gone into producing them and so they have a much lower impact on the environment. If you want to make a conscious choice this summer this is the way to go..

sustainable sunglasses

We know how important it is to protect your eyes from the sun rays while you’re chillin by the pool, so make sure your sunglasses offer 100% UV protection. While it may be tempting to buy cheap replicas of designer sunglasses, fake sunnies are not the way to go as they may not offer you the same eye protection. Quality sunglasses frames and lenses meet strict safety standards ensuring they block UV light from reaching the eyes.

Vintage and designer sunglasses are better built, so it’s worth investing in a well made sunglasses frame that will last you longer and stand the test of time. They offer much better value in the long run as you’ll get more cost per wear and quality sunglasses can also be repaired and restored. Poorly made sunglasses frames are likely to break after a few wears and are only destined for landfill.

Vintage and preloved sunglasses

Whether you choose one-of-a-kind vintage or planet friendly preloved sunnies, you’ve made a truly sustainable sunglasses choice. No new resources are used when you shop second hand sunglasses, they’re ethically produced, can often be handmade and they’re a low or no waste option.

Unlike the traditional production process of regular sunglasses which involves huge amounts of plastic waste and unsustainable manufacturing processes, vintage frames were made with very little or no production waste at all.

If you own a pair of vintage sunglasses with original lenses its always worth getting the UV levels checked to ensure they haven’t degraded and the UV protection is still in place. It’s a quick check at the opticians or we can do it for you and if the lenses aren’t offering you the protection, we can replace old lenses with new 100% UV protected ones to prolong the life of your sunglasses.

sunglasses repairs

If your sunglasses have suffererd a little wear and are in need a some tlc you can prolong the life of your sunglasses with our repairs and restoration services. We can repair hinges and replace nosepads and tips along with more complex repairs.

Our polishing service removes scratches and restores lustre to frames before a deep cleansing in our ultra sonic cleaner. Nearly new to rewear for another summer in the sunshine.

Driving in sunglasses

Not wearing sunglasses could now see drivers on the wrong side of the law as glare from the sun can adversely affect your perception of the road. Failing to take preventative measures like wearing sunglasses or lowering the sun visor could see you with a hefty fine and nine points on your licence.. eek.

Sun glare is tricky to drive with, unexpected bursts of light from behind a cloud can really harm our ability to see, while rainfall can reflect sunlight off puddles, consider a pair of polarised sunglasses which protect against glare and halos from reflected rays and be prepared by keeping a spare pair of sunnies in the car - just don’t leave them on the dash.

Take a peep at our eco friendly sunglasses and if you can't find what you're looking for check out our frame only range and turn them into the sustainable sunglasses of your dreams..

Bring on the sun!

Jo

Top Gun and our aviator sunglassess obsession

Aviator sunglasses are back, well for us they never really left, with the release of Top Gun: Maverick this month, so don’t lose that loving feeling and fall in love with vintage aviator sunglasses all over again.

a little Aviator sunglasses history

During World War II the military procured glasses for pilots that enhanced vision and reduced glare at altitude. There’s some debate about who was first to design aviator sunglasses. American Optical (AO) supplied essential goggles to US military pilots. 

The US Army Air Corps enlisted another eyewear master Bausch & Lomb who developed the iconic Ray-Ban Aviator in the 1930s. They hit the mainstream in 1950s and then had a surge of popularity in the 1970s and 1980s with the release of Top Gun.

Top Gun 2 Maverick

It was 1986 when Top Gun was released and we all fell a little bit in love with Tom Cruise as Maverick (not to mention Val Kilmer and Kelly McGillis) but it was really the gold aviator sunglasses he wore that stole the show (along with the shirtless beach volleyball).

So now Maverick’s back and if you’re after an action packed adrenaline rush, aerial scenes and songs by Lady Gaga, this could be one of your movies of the summer.

why we love aviator sunglasses

Not just for pilots we love aviator sunglasses as it’s such a classic timeless look that will never date. Freshen things up and wear them as your glasses frame. Choose from 70s square acetate aviators or the iconic 80s metal pilot teardrop style.

Adored by celebrities like Al Pacino in Scarface, Robert De Niro, in the 1976 film Taxi Driver and feminist Gloria Steinem in her 70s aviators.

Take a peep at our curated collection of vintage aviator sunglasses, add in your prescription or change up the tint colour and make like a maverick this summer.

I’m off to book my movie seats.. you?

Jo