Men's Eyeglasses
Frames and Lenses

By Erinn Morgan and Liz Segre, with trend updates by Marilyn Haddrill

Comfort, fit and durability rank high with men when it comes to choosing their eyeglasses. While men are concerned with style, they won't forsake comfort and fit just to look good. Men have their own tastes, but it may be a wife, girlfriend or significant other who will influence the final style or color of the frame.

About 88 percent of the respondents to a survey by The Vision Council* indicated that the comfort and fit of the eyeglasses was the most important factor in choosing an eyeglass frame, while 59 percent said that the durability of the eyeglasses was most important to them.

When asked what adds value to their eyewear choice, 52 percent of the survey respondents said that spring hinges (which prevent you from stretching the fit of your eyeglasses) are most important. About half said frames that are flexible and bend so they won't break easily (such as those made of Marchon's Flexon material, for example) are most important.

Comfort and Fit

Here are some key areas to check out to make sure the eyeglass frames you choose will be comfortable and fit well.

To ensure that the temples don't dig into the side of your head, make sure the frames are wide enough for your face. The edge of the frames should protrude slightly beyond your face so that the temples don't touch your head as they extend back to your ears.

Next, make sure the temples are long enough. Opticians can order many styles in a variety of temple lengths. The curve at the end of the temple should extend over the ear without pressing down upon it. The optician can reshape and adjust the curve at the end of the temple when your pick your eyeglasses up, but can't make the temples shorter or longer, so make sure you select the best length.

Also check the nosepiece for comfort and fit. Many glasses have adjustable nose pads for fine-tuning, with soft, silicon nose pads. For frames without adjustable nose pads, make sure the fit is secure without pinching your bridge.

When you try on the frames, move your head up and down, bend over and pick up something from the floor and see how well your glasses stay in place. With the properly adjusted nose pads and temples, your glasses should stay in place without pressing on your face.

Durability

Men who want eyeglasses that are more durable than usual should consider frames made from titanium, stainless steel and flexible materials, such as Flexon. Titanium and stainless steel are stronger and more durable than other metal frame materials, and Flexon, a titanium-based alloy, will go back into its original shape even if you twist, bend or crush it. [Read more about these and other eyeglass frame materials.]

Five Lasting Trends in Fashionable Men's Eyeglasses

Men's frame styling has become much more masculine, with older shapes and sizes being reborn with a modern twist.

Click on photos to see style names for all frames.

1. Masculine shapes such as aviator glasses and double brow-bar styles have re-emerged. Made with newer and often more durable materials, the aviator is back.
2. Larger and bolder eye sizes and frame shapes are in. Bear in mind that the biggest styles balance better with larger body types. The small, John Lennon glasses are still around, and they still work well with smaller faces.
3. Rimless and semi-rimless styles (where the eyeglass lens is held in place to the temple simply by a screw or a wire) are perfect for the man who wants a modern or minimalist look. Combine a pair of rimless glasses with anti-reflective lenses, and the glasses practically disappear. Men will appreciate the lightweight comfort provided by this frame and lens combination, while women will appreciate the classy look.
4. Used in golf clubs, bicycles and space shuttles, titanium also is a big draw for men as an eyeglass frame material. Because the metal is super lightweight, non-corrosive, very durable and stylish as well, titanium frames rate high in both the function and the fashion categories. Other options such as stainless steel and aluminum also are popular and have lightweight and durable properties when formed into a frame. These materials often are used in designer eyeglass frames because of their high-quality finish.
5. For a younger, hip or retro look, men are turning to plastic. Lightweight and comfortable, plastic frames come in a wide variety of styles, including thin plastics, bold, black '50s-style frames and layers of colored plastics laminated together to create a unique effect. Classic shapes in tortoise patterns also are likely to remain in style forever.

Current Frame Trends for Men: Fall and Winter 2009

If you want to know which eyeglass frames are the must-have look of the season, check out these trends. Also see the current eyeglass frame trends for women.

Space Age. The sky has no limits for men wearing far-out, futuristic styles from the Helium, Buxton, Caviar and TITANflex collections. But hidden within modernistic flourishes, you'll also find the familiar — including solidly squared and rectangular shapes to flatter faces of modern wayfarers.

Action Man. Risk takers will eagerly embrace change with these new looks, including the bold, orange-brown color combination in the Livingston Street reading glasses by Scojo New York and the intriguingly clear plastic of the style from NBA Eyewear. A new model from the Converse Heritage Collection, aptly named "Disobedience," has a thickly sculpted, dark browbar for a no-nonsense statement.

Comfy Classics. Both tradition and comfort are "in" again, and you'll enjoy the classic good looks of the new multicolored black and clear Randy Jackson frame. Aviator shapes are always in vogue, as demonstrated by the "Whitman" from Calligraphy Eyewear as well as the new Stetson model.

Special thanks to The Vision Council for their assistance with fashion updates.

Want more? See our section called What's New in Eyeglass Frames. Whatever your style may be, you'll find the right frame — or frame wardrobe — for your personality and lifestyle. [See also: Fall and Winter 2009 Trends in Sunglasses]

*A recent study of Americans aged 35 to 64 by Vision Council of America, now named The Vision Council.

[Page updated October 2009]