Glasses direct blog

Many of us fashionistas discovered a long time ago that the global fashion wardrobe works in mysterious ways. Time after time the once-forgotten styles jump back into our closets – often with added jazzy details. This realisation got my glasses senses tingling… Let’s climb into my GD time machine (conveniently tucked under my desk) and make our way back through the years to see how often particular trends have returned, and how they have evolved over the years! Hold on tight here we go…

1940-1950: Cat-eye-inspired styles

One of my favourite blonde bombshells Marilyn Monroe and a quirky Katy Perry

1960-1970: Classic Wayfarers

Lady of class Audrey Hepburn set the style in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and the lady of craze Lady Gaga continues it

1980-1990: The pilot Aviators

Tom Cruise started the craze in the 1980’s hit film Top Gun and the ever-intriguing Megan Fox keeps it current – proving you don’t need to fly a plane to rock this look

1990-2000: The Clubmaster

Mr Orange set off the clubmaster look in Reservoir Dogs and gorgeous blood-sucker Robert Pattinson shows us how it’s done right now

Here at Glasses Direct we always love to hear from our customers and Kathleen Marshall has kindly taken the time to thank us in a poem! After giving her a call to let her know how impressed we all were, she gave me her permission to publish this great piece of work on our blog…  Check out Kathleen’s poem below.

We would love to hear from any of our customers, so if you would like to send us a different kind of ‘thank you’ feel free to post it up!

Our perception of glasses has moved on so much over the years. Whereas glasses used to be seen as geeky and unfashionable, you now see people who don’t even need to wear glasses lining up for a pair of frames to match the latest craze! Check out these blue funky specs from our on-trend GD Collection in The Guardian’s ‘Something For The weekend’. Apart from the fact that these Cosmopolitan frames are actually Mai Tai frames, it’s a pretty great article!

We would love to see your bold and beautiful specs, so feel free to post your pics up on our GD Facebook page. We can’t wait to see them!

With 65% of the British public feeling ‘ripped off’ at their opticians and almost half admitting they’ve actually postponed their eye test because of the costs involved with buying new glasses, we at Glasses Direct felt it was our responsibility to help clarify the rather baffling optical world.

We have created a guide called ’seeing clearly’ to help you make clear, informed choices when it comes to shopping for your glasses. We teamed up with Plain English Campaign (an independent group fighting for plain English in public communication) and received their Crystal Mark to show that this guide is as clear as it can be.

For clear information on what your prescription means, what you should expect during and after an eye test, how to find the best glasses for you and much more, check out our seeing clearly guide here. You will also find a downloadable pocket guide to take with you in your pocket or handbag at your next visit so that you’re armed with all the knowledge you need!

Have a listen to our latest radio coverage here:

And take a look at some of the other great coverage below in the Times, Metro, Sunday Mirror, the Scotsman and Daily Express.

Check out Glasses Direct as one of the five recommended ways to save money on your eye care in The Daily Telegraph…  Sticking to these tips can save you hundreds of pounds on eye tests and products. The article highlights our Free Unlimited Seven-Day Home Trial which allows customers to try before they buy, as well as our helpful customer team and team of qualified opticians.

MIT Media Lab claim to have found a way to get your eye prescription – through a new app on your mobile phone. It works by clipping a small plastic device onto your mobile phone, looking into the lens and pressing the arrow keys several times. It all takes less than two minutes – less time than making a cup of tea! The company has built this app for use in developing countries which lack these systems, to ensure people are looking after their eyes.

Imagine… testing your eyes and then browsing online to find a pair of glasses you love all in the comfort of your own home – you wouldn’t even have to step out of your front door. Check out a short video here to see exactly how it works. Well we’re certainly going to be watching this space. For those of you reading this, do let us know about any other new and inspiring technology developments in the optical world, we’d love to hear all about it…

Get in line contact lens wearers and hear me out. I understand that you think contacts are convenient but what about jazzing up your look? Contact lenses certainly won’t do that I’m afraid! Take a stand and be a trend setter not a follower. Wearing contacts is about as exciting as my granddad’s tweed slippers. Here are the facts. Contacts are expensive, you’re stuck if you don’t have your products with you and dropping them becomes rather annoying. There’s just no excuse for it. There are too many stylishly cool glasses at unbeatable prices. Check out some of our ultra trendy collection below…

Cosmopolitan in Purple

Harry in Brown

Leia in Tortoise

You can certainly have a lot of fun with your glasses and this article in The Times shows off just a few bold numbers you can choose from. Check out these John Lennon JL09B specs from Glasses Direct’s enviable collection…

Do your sunnies match your swimwear? Well for some stylish celebs this is a must this summer!

A far cry away from the tragic sandals and socks combo, or those horrific red bra straps poking out of the blue boob tube… You know who you are, turning your back on the face of fashion. Anyway this got me thinking about “crazy” sun protectors.  Now that fashionable glasses are so readily available at such low prices, perhaps we are now entitled to call them accessories? We match our pearl colored specs with a black shift dress and our favorite pair of Wizard-Of-Oz Dorothy shoes for that understated yet vibrant business-woman look, so why not match our sunnies with our swimwear?

Lindsay Lohan, Anna Lynne McCord, Serena Williams and Paris Hilton are just a few examples of some awesome beach babe matches…

You Love It! readers out there had the chance to win a pair of stunning Missoni 671 sunnies from Glasses Direct, who have worked hard to offer a mouth watering collection of designer eyewear for customers. Twists and knots in your glasses are IT right now, adding that extra touch of glamour to your frames.