Plastic or metal? The material of your frames changes your whole look, and it really does come down to personal preference. There are a few things worth weighing up first, though — and once you’ve made up your mind, our opticians will walk you through the selection.
Metal has been the traditional choice for a long time, and for good reason: a sleek profile and a kind of understated elegance. Newer designs are reinterpreting the classics with cutouts and latticework. Metal can’t match plastic across the color spectrum, but it comes in far more shades than it used to. The finish matters too — a flat, brushed finish reads casual, a shiny polished one reads dressier.
Stainless steel is light, low in toxicity and strong, and many stainless frames are nickel-free and therefore hypoallergenic. It’s widely available and reasonably priced. It’s an alloy of steel and chromium, sometimes with another element added; most stainless steels run between 10 and 30 percent chromium, which is what gives them their resistance to corrosion, abrasion and heat.
Flexon is a titanium-based alloy first made by the eyeglass manufacturer Marchon, and it’s often called a memory metal — frames made from it return to shape after being twisted, bent or crushed. It’s lightweight, hypoallergenic and corrosion-resistant, which makes it a sensible pick if your glasses live a hard life.
Titanium is extremely lightweight, strong, durable and corrosion-resistant. If you want a frame you barely notice on your face, start here.
Where metal is sleek, plastic tends to be bold — chunkier styles, more dramatic shapes, and effectively endless color. Can’t settle on one color? A duotone frame puts a contrasting pop on the temple. Colors can also be layered to soften a shade that would otherwise be too vibrant, and to add some depth. Plastic is also the practical choice for a stronger prescription, because there’s enough frame there to conceal a thicker lens.
Frames that combine metal and plastic let you have it both ways, and they widen the range of places a single pair can go. You get the strength of plastic with the malleability of metal, so they’re durable but still easy to adjust when they need it.
We carry over 700 designer frames, and the only reliable way to choose is to put them on your face. Our opticians fit them here, so there’s no waiting on someone else to get the adjustment right.
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