I first got glasses in January 1999, and though the lenses have changed semi-regularly through the years, I have only had one pair of frames. Those frames were with me through many chapters of my life - my last semester of high school, my mission, my bachelor's and master's degrees, my move to Michigan and my doctorate. For years I had thought about updating my look, but I never had the impetus until now. I'm sad that my poor old frames are gone, but it seems appropriate that the need for new glasses should correspond with the beginning of a new life chapter.*
The idea of mixing things up with a new look is exciting on paper, but in reality, I find choosing a new pair of frames from off of the giant wall o' glasses to be overwhelming. And while I feel like I have a refined sense of taste in many other areas, when it comes to clothes/hair/general appearance, I have always felt like I had a distinct lack of style. The show 'Ambush Makeover' used to come on TV every morning right at the time when I was eating breakfast before my first class and I used to wish that the people from that show would swoop me up and help me get a clue. Whenever I need to buy clothes I try to take a trusted and stylish friend with me to help me pick out something that doesn't look stupid.
While I was trying on a bunch of different styles, I thought about the people I'd like to have with me to help pick out frames and it occurred to me that most of them are followers of my blog. So I'm going to ask for your help:
1) Look at the image below (Blogger won't let me make it any bigger - click on it to open the full size picture in another window) and decide which frames you like (if any).
2) Vote for up to three of your favorites on the poll on the right sidebar of the blog. (Those who use readers to look at my blog, please come to the actual page so you can vote. Thanks.)
3) Leave me a comment explaining which ones you like and why. (Optional, but I'd appreciate it.)
The dude behind the counter gave me a curious look as I shot all these self-takes, so I explained my voting scheme. "I see," he said. "The 'American Idol' approach." More like, 'American Eyewear.' Anyways, I appreciate your input and I will post pictures after the decision has been made and the glasses have been fashioned.
*Emerging Adulthood? I recommend this interesting article from the New York Times.
12 comments:
Say No to G!
I like the bold look of C and the subtlety of D.
Haha, I agree with Brady about G. And I actually agree with him about D too. My nephew James is looking on with me and he said he likes D the best too. A and C are ok too.
I would do so much better at this game in real life without the self-take distortion. That being said, here are my thoughts:
Ditto to no on Style G. I know aviator glasses are the in thing, but I think they look dorky. Sorry.
I have to disagree with Brady's vote for Style C. I like that style on some people, but my very first very strong gut reaction to the whole montage was that I didn't like Style C on you. I don't know why I reacted so strongly to that. I guess to me, they just make you look like not you.
Style D is nice. If you want a new look, they don't stand out as much. But they look good.
My personal favorite is H. They're different, and stylish, but more subtly so than C (bleh), and less subtly so than D.
I think it might be very hard for you to see if you got Style I.
I agree with Amy about H - stylish but not over the top. I think they're my faves! Perfect for a new look!
G and L are way out of contention! I like D the best because I see you more than I see the glasses.
I say B hands down. It's not quite as minimalistic as J and D, but seems to fit your face better.
On the other hand, if you want to go non-minimalistic, I like C more than H: if your going with the black rim thing, you may as well go all the way.
I voted for C and K - C only if you're looking to be trendy and want to replace them sooner than later. K for the long term. G speaks of Napoleon.
Oh, and L only if you want to grow a ponytail and play with a hackey-sack.
C if you want to go bold AND plan on replacing the frames once they go out of style. Since we can all guess from your glasses history that that won't happen, I'd go with something non-trendy. I liked A and H.
As a side note, having kids drastically reduces the useful lifespan of your glasses. Baby H causes a lot of wear and tear on these things.
D seems to be a major fan fave and I am falling prey to the trend. K and J are my runners-up. Before I even read any other comments I decided to have three definite no votes. They are the infamous G, as with so many others, and C and L. Ditto to Kara's comment about C's short life span. In 4 years they look like goober-wear.
D is my favorite, but A is close behind (especially if you want a stronger look).
H is for grecian formula men circa 1970 - save yourself a lot of "Are those your dad's glasses?" questions and ditch H. The frames in I aren't far behind.
G and L look more like Eileen Ford than you. Maybe you can open a modelling agency if this whole PhD thing doesn't work out for ya.
You appear to have the most attitude in C. Sort of looks like a Clark-Kent-kind-of-mugshot, just as he hears that Lois Lane need him. Manly man to the rescue!
OK, so maybe you aren't the kind of guy who flies with a cape. But you can be the kind who can get frames more often than every ten years. I say take a chance on something stylish and then change it if you get tired of it. You have worked hard in the past two years - you deserve the chance to be somebody new. Besides, you're in California. Who will ever notice?
(I heart nothing!)
bummed i missed the poll. I like C. I think you can pull it off. I think G makes you look like dwight from the office :)
I love the article on emerging adulthood- thanks for sharing.
John and I miss you!
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