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Timeless Eyeglasses

Timeless Eyeglasses

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For those with less-than-perfect vision, it can be a little overwhelming to walk into an eyeglass store and see shelf after shelf of frames. Where to begin? What's the best deal? What will last the longest?

There are a few classic eyewear styles, innovations and tips that the modern man needs to know if he is in the market for new spectacles.

frame styles

The core of eyeglass style is the eyeglass frame. The great majority of all men's frames fit into one of the following five categories.

Full rim
Full-rim frames are the most common. The frames completely encircle the lens, an arrangement that allows for a variety of classic shapes — circle, oval, teardrop, rectangle, and so on.

Besides shape, full rims also offer a wide range of structural choices — everything from the style of the nose bridge to the design and fit of the temples (the side pieces of the glasses that rest on the ears).

Rimless glasses are lenses, temples, the nose bridge, and nothing more; the lenses attach directly to the temples. This frame style is the lightest, but also the least durable, and sometimes the most expensive.

Semi-rimless frames only cover half the lens. A wire or screw connects the lenses to the temples. Semi-rimless frames are medium weight.

Now we're really talking about traditional men's eyewear. The venerable horn-rimmed spectacles are surprisingly simple; they're nothing more than heavy, oftentimes dark plastic frames with rectangular frame fronts. The term "horn-rimmed" is actually a reference to the fact that these glasses are traditionally made from horn or shell. The lack of nose pads marks the frame's profile. In light of this absence, horn-rimmed frames may sport a saddle bridge (see below).

Brow-bar frames are almost identical to full rims, but they sport a brow bar, or double bridge, above the nose bridge to connect the top of the frame fronts. As in the basic "aviator" look, brow-bar glasses have long been a default men's frame.

Frame materials and temple styles to choose from...

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