What Makes a Good Pair of Glasses? 7 Things We Look For When Choosing Frames

A good pair of glasses should do more than help you see.

They should feel good. Fit properly. Suit your face. Work with your prescription. And, ideally, make you feel pretty bloody good when you look in the mirror.

But when you're standing in an optical store surrounded by hundreds of frames, how do you actually know which ones are good?

At Lens Lounge, there are a few things we look at before a frame ever makes it onto our shelves.

And no, “it has a designer name on it” isn't one of them.

1. The design

First things first: do we actually like it?

We're unapologetically picky about design.

There are thousands of eyewear brands in the world, and we don't need to stock all of them. We're looking for frames that have something about them — an interesting shape, a clever detail, beautiful proportions, an unusual colour or simply a really good sense of design.

Sometimes it's subtle.

Sometimes it's absolutely not.

But a good frame should have a reason for looking the way it does.

2. The proportions

This is one of the biggest things people don't necessarily notice — but you can definitely see when it's wrong.

A frame needs to be proportionate to the face.

That doesn't mean everyone with a smaller face needs a tiny frame, or everyone with a larger face needs an oversized one. Rules like that are far too simplistic.

It's about how the frame relates to you.

Where does the top of the frame sit?

How wide is it compared with your face?

Where do your eyes sit within the lenses?

How does the shape interact with your brows and cheekbones?

Sometimes moving a frame just a few millimetres can completely change how it looks.

That's why trying glasses on properly matters.

3. The fit

A beautiful frame that doesn't fit properly isn't a good frame.

Simple.

The bridge should sit comfortably. The temples shouldn't squeeze your head. The frame shouldn't constantly slide down your nose or sit awkwardly on your cheeks.

And the frame needs to work with the way you actually live.

Are you looking down at a screen all day?

Running around after kids?

Working outdoors?

Do you need something particularly lightweight?

These things can change what makes a frame appropriate for you.

Good eyewear isn't just about what looks good in a mirror for thirty seconds.

It's about what still feels good eight hours later.

4. The materials

We pay a lot of attention to what a frame is actually made from.

Acetate, titanium, stainless steel, nylon and other materials all have different characteristics.

Some are lightweight.

Some are incredibly flexible.

Some allow designers to create beautiful depth and sculptural shapes.

Some are particularly suited to rimless or minimalist designs.

And some simply feel fantastic in your hand.

There's no single material that makes a frame “good”.

What matters is whether the material has been chosen well and used properly.

That's one of the reasons you'll find such a range of materials across the brands at Lens Lounge.

5. The craftsmanship

This is where things can get really interesting.

Two frames can look almost identical from a distance and feel completely different when you pick them up.

Look at the edges.

Look at the hinges.

Look at how the acetate has been shaped and polished.

Look at the transitions between different surfaces.

Does everything feel deliberate?

Or does it feel like a frame that has simply been produced as cheaply and quickly as possible?

We're particularly drawn to brands where you can actually see the work that's gone into the frame.

It's one of the reasons we're so excited about brands like Cutler and Gross, Lool and XIT.

Different aesthetics. Different materials. Very different design languages.

But all with a strong emphasis on making eyewear that feels considered.

6. The prescription

This one is less glamorous, but it's probably the most important.

A frame can be beautiful and still be completely wrong for your prescription.

The size and shape of a frame can affect lens thickness, weight, optics and how your finished glasses look and feel.

Certain prescriptions work particularly well in certain frame shapes.

Some need more careful consideration around lens size.

Some people benefit from particular lens materials or designs.

This is where choosing glasses with an optical professional can make a big difference.

We're not just looking at whether the frame looks good on you.

We're also thinking about what needs to go inside it.

Because the best-looking frame in the world isn't much use if the finished glasses don't work properly for you.

7. Do we think you'll still love it?

This might be the most subjective one.

But it's important.

Trends come and go.

And while we're certainly not anti-trend — far from it — we don't want someone leaving Lens Lounge with a frame they only love because it's currently everywhere.

We're looking for something that feels like you.

Maybe it's a classic shape with an unexpected colour.

Maybe it's a completely ridiculous pair of orange French frames.

Maybe it's an eight-gram titanium frame that you barely feel on your face.

Maybe it's a huge piece of beautifully sculpted Italian acetate that makes absolutely no attempt to be subtle.

There's no single definition of a good pair of glasses.

That's the fun part.

So, what actually makes a good pair of glasses?

It's not the price.

It's not the logo.

And it's definitely not whether someone on Instagram is wearing them.

For us, it's the combination of design, proportion, fit, materials, craftsmanship and optics — plus that slightly harder-to-define feeling that you've found your frame.

That's what we're looking for when we choose the collections at Lens Lounge.

Not just glasses that look good on a shelf.

Glasses that are worth putting on your face.

Looking for your next pair?

At Lens Lounge in Coffs Harbour, we stock a carefully selected collection of independent and designer eyewear from around the world.

If you're not sure what shape, material or style will work for you, that's exactly what we're here for.

Come in, try some things on, and let's see what happens.

You might surprise yourself.