Choosing Eyeglasses That Suit
Your Personality and Lifestyle

By Erinn Morgan, with updates by Liz Segre

Unlike a new pair of shoes, eyeglasses are instantly noticeable: they're out there in front, on your face, ready to be noticed, every day. If you don't think your eyewear can make a huge difference in other people's perception of you, take a look at Clark Kent/Superman. A simple pair of nerdy eyeglasses so completely changes the appearance of Clark Kent that nobody sees Superman just behind the frames.

Who Are You?

If it works for a superhero, it can work for you. The key to creating the image you want is in selecting just the right pair of eyeglasses to match your personality and lifestyle. The first step, according to eyewear styling experts, is to determine the different aspects of your lifestyle.

"What do you really want your eyewear for?" asks Robert Marc, eyewear designer and president of Robert Marc Opticians, a chain of six upscale stores in New York City. "What are the different activities you participate in? What type of work do you do? These are the types of questions that are good to ask yourself."

Most people can benefit from more than one pair of eyeglasses. "The same pair of shoes won't take you from a cocktail party to the volleyball court to the beach to the office," says Marc. "If your life is one look or activity it makes it easier and you may only need one pair. But if it is broken up into two or three parts you need two or three pairs."

You can start the process by defining your lifestyle and what you might need to complement it. "It's good to ask yourself, 'How do I use my glasses? What do I do for a living? What are my interests?'" says Richard Morgenthal, owner of New York City eyewear boutique Morgenthal-Frederics.

Are you a fast-paced businessperson, an active person participating in a number of sports, a busy mom, a retired senior, a student or a creative person such as an artist or writer? Each of these people may desire different types — or several pairs — of eyeglasses to suit his or her needs. Here is what the eyewear experts suggest in terms of styling, color, material and size for varying lifestyles.

Eyeglass Frames for Conservatives and Businesspeople

If you fall into this category, it is best to stay with recognizable shapes such as ovals, rectangles and almonds. For the more classic person, these easy, non-complicated frame styles are much better than shapes that are new and unusual. Thin plastics and metals are also recommended.

"Titanium and stainless steel are also good," says Morgenthal, "as are rimless and three-piece mountings." In terms of color, silver, gunmetal, brown and black are recommended for men because these are easy, conservative tones to wear. Brown, golden tones, silver, burgundy and coffee are good for women. See examples.

Artists and Other Creative People

Modern shapes, such as geometrics in thicker and larger plastics, are a good choice for you; so are metals in interesting colors and shapes. Try retro styling and animal patterns.

Today's larger-sized eyeglasses are also an option, as are more unusual colors such as blue, green and purple. Multi-colored laminations in plastic lenses let you mix it up.

Morgenthal also recommends lasered details and finishes for this group, as they are unusual and very modern. See examples.

Baby Boomers and Seniors

Choosing a modern look keeps you from aging yourself unnecessarily with your eyeglasses.

"Everyone wants to look young and modern," says Marc. He recommends an eyeglass frame shape that is uplifting for the face such as an upswept rectangle for men and a soft cat-eye for women.

Certain colors can also make you appear younger. Marc suggests gunmetal, deep browns and burgundy for men and lighter, shinier hues for women. "Shine adds life to the face for women," he says. He also says it is best to stay away from silver, black and dark, dull colors. See examples.

Students

Without constraints such as a conservative office environment, you have a lot more leeway in terms of styling, including color and shape.

Take advantage of your freedom, and don't be afraid to experiment. Unusual shapes, bright colors, larger sizes and interesting details such as color laminations are all readily available in a variety of prices and brand names. You can go retro or mod, academic or artsy. And these days, with so many choices at different price points, you don't have to spend a lot to get a cool look. See examples.

Busy Moms and Dads

For the mother-on-the-go (or father-on-the-go) with little time to worry about clothing and eyeglasses styling, a basic yet stylish pair of eyeglasses will work best.

For moms, ovals, upswept rectangles and soft cat-eye shapes provide easy function and still look great. Depending on your own personal style, you could choose to amplify the fashion effect of a basic shape with details such as jewelry-like metal accents or even rhinestones.

Interesting colors such as plum, deep red, soft green and black can also add a fashion edge to a basic frame.

Dads like frames that go with everything. Unornamented frames with gunmetal, black, silver, gold and tortoise are good choices. The double-bar bridge is back in style, which can add subtle detailing to an otherwise boring frame.

For both moms and dads, durability is key. Picture your glasses falling off while playing catch with the kids. Or your baby tugging at the frame. Look for tough plastic materials or metals designed to snap back into shape when bent. Also, spring hinges withstand tugging better than traditional plain-Jane screw types. See examples.

Active and Athletic People

While you may fall into any of the above categories, you also find the time to be active and participate in sports, so eyewear choice becomes even more critical for you.

You require one pair of eyeglasses for your daytime functions as well as something that is conducive to the activities and sports you perform after work. There are many types of sports eyewear on the market that provide comfort, technical functions and enhance your performance.

Styling can range from wraparounds to shields to styles that look more like regular eyeglasses and sunglasses. An important factor in sports eyewear is the lens: polarized lenses can help reduce glare off water, polycarbonate lenses are shatter-resistant for impact sports and different tints work to enhance different lighting conditions. See examples.

This is an area in which a knowledgeable optician can help you best. [Read more about sports eyewear.]

Can't Be Pigeonholed?

Many people will fall into more than one of these categories. If this is true of you, you may want more than one pair of eyeglasses to round out your wardrobe and life.

As the fashion-savvy Marc says, "Our customers really wardrobe their eyewear — for the beach and work as well as for sport and fashion (even evening). New eyeglasses are a great way to update your look without buying a whole new wardrobe."

Of course, the aforementioned categories are also very flexible, as everyone has his or her own distinctive style, personal coloring, face shape and age group.

So the best route to finding the appropriate eyeglasses for yourself includes first knowing your lifestyle and activities, seeing what is available on today's eyewear market in terms of style, color and price options and then working with a good optician to find what's best for you.

[Page updated August 2006]