The Best Online Glasses Stores for Women
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A reader wrote in the other day asking me to update our post on how to buy eyeglasses online — I'm still buying them (a pair or three every two years, approximately), so I thought we'd talk about the best online glasses stores for women because finding cute eyeglasses for women — online — can be difficult.
As a reminder, these extremely affordable options can be great if you're the kind of person who likes to change eyeglasses frequently like other accessories, if you're looking for a back-up set to keep at your office, or if you've got a situation where someone keeps losing them, destroying them, or more.
(I started buying online after my first son destroyed two pairs of eyeglasses…) Note also that if you have flexible spending dollars to spend before the end of the year, many of these will qualify, so now is a great time to buy.
I've bought from GlassesUSA most recently, but there are a lot of other great places to try out…
TL;DR: Our Latest Favorite Spots for Buying Women's Eyeglasses Online
As of 2024, some of our favorite latest spots for buying women's eyeglasses online include Warby Parker, Zenni, EyebuyDirect, GlassesUSA, and 39dollarglasses.
General Tips for Buying Women's Eyeglasses Online
- If you have a pair of old eyeglasses you love, measure the frames, nosebridge, and more — and take a picture of your eyeglasses (and you in them) so you can save it in your files. I regularly compare the measurements of old eyeglasses to new ones I'm considering.
- I find it easiest to winnow down the selection if I'm looking for one particular color, so I almost always sort by blue — for you that may be clear, tortoise, or something else.
- When in doubt, pay for a thinner lens.
- Unfortunately, most prescription sunglasses can't get a really dark tint — I still love them. I started buying them back in my contact days so I could go for a run in the morning without putting my contacts in before my shower; now that I wear eyeglasses 90% of the time, I'm thankful to have more stylish sunglasses that I can also see out of.
- I tend to save any relevant pictures and measurements into one folder on my desktop– if I take pictures of home try-on glasses, if I save the “virtual try-on picture,” etc — and then I can flip through all of them at once on my computer.
- Note the return policy carefully – most stores have really excellent return policies, just check before you buy.
- Consider recycling your old eyeglasses when you're happy with your new ones.
Some of the companies we covered in our first round-up are still around, and we won't go into them too much today:
- Warby Parker (still offering at-home tryon for frames, and I was excited to see that they just came out with a new “low nose bridge” fit)
- EyebuyDirect (note they have a new collaboration with Coca Rocha)
- GlassesUSA
- Glasses.com
- in-store options at places like Target and Costco (not online, but more affordable than your local optician)
A Closer Look at the Best Options for Buying Women's Eyeglasses Online
A few other options to consider if you're hunting for affordable eyeglasses for women online:
39dollarglasses.com
According to the site, it was “developed by eye doctors to create an inexpensive method for people to acquire high-quality, finished prescription eyeglasses.”
I've bought prescription sunglasses here for my husband (he's lost four pairs!) but have yet to buy anything for myself. While they don't offer home try-on, they DO let you upload a picture, choose any tint color for any pair of glasses, and they offer a huge selection of prescription eyeglasses, sunglasses, and bifocals for men, women, and kids. You can shop by frame material, including “flex frames” (if you also have a toddler who thinks it's hilarious to grab your eyeglasses), and — this seems kind of cool — you can “re-lens” your own frame, as well, if you have a frame you love but need a new prescription.
Note that most eyeglasses will end up being more than $39 if you choose add-ons like anti-scratch coating, but they're still really affordable. Pictured : Pasadena, Clark, and Bendable Titanium 71.
BonLook
This brand has been around for a while now, but I've yet to buy anything, perhaps because the selection feels too similar to Warby Parker for my taste. From the website: “Fashion & quality Rx eyeglasses at $99 including prescription lenses. Test out our virtual try-on tool to find the perfect frames.”
There is no home try-on availability, alas, but if you happen to be in or near Montreal you can book an appointment in their store.
Felix and Iris
I've never ordered from this store, but I'm a sucker for at-home free try-on options so I'll be swinging back here to pick out a few. From the website: “Shop curated frames to fit your unique style + vision needs. They work with an optical lab that has years of experience making lenses for optometrists and optical shops, so with optometrist-approved lenses,certified optician on staff, and guaranteed prescription verification, you can trust you'll find superior optical quality in every pair.” Single vision eyeglasses are $119, with progressive glasses being $299.
I particularly like that you can sort by features like nose pads, spring hinges, face shape, flexible frames, and more. Pictured at left: Lilly (pink), College, and Broad Ripple.
Fetch Eyewear
According to the site, “Fetch Eyewear creates top notch designer frames at an affordable price. Fetch Eyewear donates all corporate profits to support animal rescue and accessible veterinary efforts, as well as pet education projects.”
The designer Ann Sacks is behind the project, and I like that (like Warby Parker) they offer eyeglasses for home try-on. My home eyeglasses haven't arrived yet because apparently their offices just suffered a fire, but they noted that their inventory was in a different building, so I'm hopeful the brand will keep on keeping on.
Prices for prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses are around $125-$165. Some examples above: Annie, Margot, Bella.
Ladies, have you bought eyeglasses online recently? Which are your favorite places to buy from — have you had any great (or lousy) experiences to share? What do you think the best online glasses stores for women are?
Some sliver of hope – evidently Trump and Obama has an extremely cordial meeting at the WH this morning and Trump said that it was a “great honor” to meet the President (evidently they had never met before).
It sounds like he’s controlling his crazy for now. I don’t buy it. Of course he has to be gracious. I mean, what is he going to do, talk to Obama about how he thinks he’s a secret Muslim?
I know I know. I’m looking for a lifeline here. I just want to believe that things will get better.
Related but much more niche topic: Does anyone have recommendations for brands with plastic frames that are good for flat Asian noses? I’ve used TC Chardon in the past, which is good but limited selection…and pricey! Obviously, metal frames with the rubber pads always work, but would love to have some cool plastic options.
Warby Parker has a special line of low bridge glasses.
I had a weird thing happen with a legal recruiter today, and I wanted to speak with someone about it. I recently responded to an ad in our local bar magazine for a corporate counsel position advertised by a headhunter for a large company that has a good reputation in our area. I was grilled for an hour by the outside recruiter and then told she would get back to me after she received some feedback on my resume. A week later she called me and told me, in a really snotty tone of voice that while her client found my experience ‘interesting’ they were looking for someone with biglaw experience as well as a graduate of a T-10 school (I graduated from a T-20 school, and went straight inhouse). Ok, whatever, to each his own right? But it is not the end of the story. One month later, I get several calls from this woman requesting that I call her back. Curious, given her rudeness to me earlier I did. When I contacted her, she magnanimously informed me that a chief paralegal position had opened up at the company (with a salary 1/2 of that of the corporate counsel position I might add!), and that I would be just the PURRRRRRFECT candidate for it! I was stunned for a moment (keep in mind that I am currently employed in a Corporate Counsel gig for a smaller company), and I made no indication to her that I was seeking a paralegal position. I said thanks, but not thanks, and then she became really irate and pushy, asking why I was such a “job snob”, and warning me that in reality, my background and skills were not good enough for a Fortune 500 company, and that I should be grateful that she is even presenting this opportunity to me. The nerve!! I quickly said I had a conference call in the next 5 minutes and hung up. Later that day, when I thought back on this event, I was a little angry. I am female and from my name anyone can deduce that I was not white. I have a hard time believing this pushy b*tch would have tried to strong arm a white male attorney into taking a step down in his career for a 50% pay cut. Has this happened to anyone out there before?
I know nothing about recruiting in law, but I’m insulted on your behalf. What a jerk.
What an a-hole! Sorry you had to deal with that.
I have interacted with a similar recruiter. Unfortunately, some just want to make a fast buck and don’t care at all about placing you in the right position. But I will point out, many paralegals at my firm are JDs, so I guess it’s not entirely inconceivable that a lawyer would take a paralegal job. But still — she was off base with you.
Yes, it is also likeley that the recruiter was JELOUS of the attorney, and wanted to put her down. Recruiters wanted me to take a lot of crappey jobs, but my dad said no, and my dad bankrolled me for year’s until I landed a good job. That is why we need to watch out for recruiters. Men recruiters often just wanted me to have sex with them. FOOEY! Why would I let them do that? For a crappey job? No way, Hoze!!!
She was off-base. She is a recruiter with a respected company and she has lost your respect, so consider your options for feedback, whether it’s cluelessness and poor customer service.
One neutral question for me with whoever is managing the overall operation would be – do you have the opportunity to work with another recruiter. Start with the fact that you are interested in placement, however you both are not clicking. Her techniques are not working for someone who has your experience and some of her comments are alienating, which is odd, given that you are hopeful for success for both you and the firm. See if the person has more probing questions. This is best for a phone or in-person conversation so both of you can gauge whether
They may also appreciate some feedback to track who is interested in JD paralegal positions, minimum salary requirements for the already-employed to same time as the recruiter comes off as colossally tone-deaf.
Yes, while getting ready to leave town for a new job, I networked with an upper-middle class white man who suggested I give up the job, remain in DC, and volunteer or seek unpaid internships.
I’ve picked up some from Firmoo.com. I think my first pair from there came to a grand total of $8? Some special deal that I’ve seen them run again. Cheaper than some, but no try-on options, and it was obvious when I got the package they ship from China.
I’ve ordered twice from Zenni and was happy with them. They took longer to ship than I’d expected but I was happy with the final product.
I’ve bought cheap reading glasses from readers.com They’re not as good as prescription frames but worth what I paid.
I get my reanders from designerreadingglasses.com. They run a special each year on Black Friday and I get 3 to 4 pairs for under $60 combined that get me through the year.
I bought my last pair of glasses (yay, FSA dollars!) from Dharma Co, and I was happy with the quality. (Also, so nice to try them on at home.): https://www.dharmaco.com/collections/eyeglasses/
I was not super impressed with Warby Parker, for what it’s worth. I really wanted to like them, but (a) I didn’t love the glasses, (b) they lost my box when I shipped it back causing momentary panic that I owed them $500 for glasses frames that I “kept” and (c) when I did try to buy a pair I liked it required so much round and round with them, photos, calls to my doctor by them, calls to my doctor by me, that I ended up cancelling. The huge benefit to me of something like Warby Parker would be the ease, but I ended up spending more time on the phone than I would have if I took off to go to an appointment.
Related glasses question: does anyone have any favorite resources for glasses “fashion”? I need to get glasses (reading glasses for work-I’m a lawyer and I read all day), and I would like my glasses to look professional *and* styling. Favorites anyone?
Would love for you to check us out too…we specialize in excellant service, trendy styles, 80% less price same quality.
Great series of posts Kat. It’s amazing how quickly things change — and how many of the startups you profiled in your last post are no more. I just put together a directory of where to buy affordable eyeglasses for my menswear blog Modern Fellows and there’s a good deal of overlap with your suggestions. I love my Warby Parker specs and just had a good experience trying Felix and Iris’ home try-on program.