Review : Francis Drake Eyewear

( from top to bottom: Marin, Valencia, Montclair, Merrit, Berkeley )

Hey everyone! Long time, no see! 

You all know how much of a glasses girl I am. I have a small collection of frames, and they are my most important accessory. Well, A few months back, I received the opportunity to review a new-to-me eyewear company. Francis Drake Eyewear is a premium and healthy, yet affordable, brand manufactured in Italy. And they are now added to my favorites list.

Obviously, the very best thing is the price. Affordable, but not cheap and flimsy. Every frame that I tried were sturdy and of good quality. And they are pretty much the same price as Warby Parker and Bonlook frames. They also offer a home try-on just like the other brands, too. The difference though, between Francis Drake and the others, is the attention to detail. My two favorite frames were Montclair and Merrit, both which sport delicate sculpted sides (see last photo). Seriously sets them apart! 

So which pair did I pick? Montclair in Champagne (top left)! Check back tomorrow for my first outfit post sporting my new frames. 

 --- Home try-on and prescription frames were provided to me by Francis Drake Eyewear, but all opinions are my own. ---

FOUR EYES

Meet my posse: Winston, Sinclair, Sloan, Marlowe, and Jasper. 

I’m a glasses girl. I wear them every day. No really, every day. I hate contacts, and only wear them once or twice a year for specific occasions. So I take my frames collection very seriously. I mean, come one, they’re just like all other accessories. I don’t own just one necklace, or one pair of shoes. So why should I have only one pair of glasses? I match my frames to my outfit, so I need variety. And yeah, having a Warby Parker store so close is kind of dangerous for me, but I’m completely obsessed with them. 

When they’re on my face, I sometimes forget they are there. But I get a lot of questions about them. So I thought, for those of you interested, I would talk a little about my seeing eye friends :)….

- Warby Parker, Sloan - These are the newest addition to my collection (thanks to a christmas gift card from my brother!) I absolutely adore the red color. Pops of red are my favorite pops :) (see me in them here). 

- Warby Parker,Winston - Winston was my very first pair of Warbys, and they have a special place in my heart. I think they are the boldest on my collection, shape wise. They’re big and square, and have a pretty thick frame (see me in them here and here and here).  

- Warby Parker,Jasper - I don’t know how I ever lived without prescription sunglasses. Seriously. If you wear glasses, but don’t have prescript sunglasses, you really need to look into it. It’s a life changer (see me in them here and here). 

- BonLook, Marlowe - Oh Marlowe. Marlowe doesn’t get nearly as much wear as they deserve. I should remedy that. The blue is SO pretty. And they are my only pair of Bonlook frames. For no reason other than Warby is nearby and more convenient. Unfortunately, I don’t think the Marlowe frames are available anymore (see me in them here and here and here). 

- Warby Parker,Sinclair - Definitely my ‘every day’ frames. My go-to frames. I’m pretty sure they go with everything (see me in them here and here). 

————————————————————- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 ————————————————————-

And now, for even more frames! These are a few more that I’m coveting, above.

Warby Parker’s Durand (#3) came in a close second when I recently purchased my red Sloans. And I’ve been obsessed with the Woow Rock Me frames (#1) from Vizio Optic ever since I wore them in their fall Lookbook. Sadly, they are just way too out of my budget :(. But Rivet and Sway’s Tilda frames (#6) look pretty similar in shape, too! 

So tell me, my fellow four eyes, what are your favorite frames?

Vizio Optic Fall 2013 Lookbook

I interrupt our regular scheduled programming to share something with you that I’m really excited about. Remember last month when I mentioned the Vizio Optic photoshoot that I got to be a part of? Well the lookbook is finally here! If you cannot view it below, head on over to Vizio Optic to check it out. Lindsey, Lei Ann, Kristen, Kelsey look fantastic, and there are some seriously gorgeous frames featured!

thank you Vizio Optic for such a fun experience!

*Photographs by Stephanie Peterson

A Visit to Vizio Optic

Recently, I was invited to come in and visit the wonderful people at Vizio Optic in Brookline, MA. As a lover of cute eyewear, and a fan of local business, I jumped at the opportunity! 

You see, Vizio isn’t one of those basic, boring eyewear shops. They have high end, unique, fashion forward frames. Don’t get me wrong, you can definitely get some amazing, simple, black frames here. But, if you arelooking for something really different - maybe a crazy frame shape. Or maybe you want a more basic frame shape, but in a bright, bold hot pink. Vizio has you covered no matter how bold you wanna go. 

Another upside - they do good. When you buy eyeglasses at Vizio, they give a pair of frames to someone in need. Amazing, right?

The only downside - the price. These frames are high end. And the prices reflects that. But, if you wear glasses (and wear them every.single.day like I do), it could definitely be worth it. I’ve never seen anything like what I saw here. The colors! The prints! The shapes! A couple of the frames I tried on are now on my christmas wish list, for sure :)

So, if you live in the Boston area and are looking for a new pair of glasses (or sunglasses!), I definitely recommend a visit to Vizio. Not from the area? They also have an online store, and ship internationally! Check them out :)

These were some of my favorites! Especially these, these, and these (I also really love these)…….

And then, of course, there were these bad boys…….

**I was not compensated for this post. I am just a lover of fun eyewear, and wanted to share it with all of you. All opinions are my own**