I don’t know about you, but I’m so ready for summer – if only mother nature could get on board! The weather has been all over the place here and some days seriously felt like winter. Luckily, it finally looks like it’s going to warm up this weekend and I can’t wait to get out my summer wardrobe.
One of my favourite accessories for summer is sunglasses. Don’t get me wrong, I know that wearing sunglasses in the winter is just as important as it is in the summer, but something about the start of the season always makes me want to buy new ones. I used to always buy 2-3 pairs from department stores, and it wasn’t until I fell in-love with a Kate Spade set a few years ago and I just had to splurge on them.
I knew I would love them, but I didn’t expect that they would change everything I thought I knew about sunglasses. I’m a firm believer that everyone needs to have at least one quality set of sunglasses.
I will honestly never go back to purchasing $20 sunglasses from department stores. Even though I don’t wear prescription glasses, I now go to my family’s long-time optician Dana, owner of Inspired by Rossland Optical, for all my sunglasses. Here’s why:
1. Your eyes will be more protected
Majority of the time the UV protection in cheap sunglasses that you get from fashion retailers isn’t very good – if there is any there at all! (Hence the price.) When you’re buying a proper set of sunglasses you know that you’re getting your money worth. In the past when I was buying cheaper sunnies, I never really felt like they did much. I would find myself still squinting even though I was wearing sunglasses. Now that I’ve moved on and only by high-quality glasses, I notice a huge difference in the protection. I don’t want to even think about the damage I could have possibly done to my eyes by wearing those poorly-made sunglasses. Wearing proper sunglasses has also greatly reduced the number of headaches I get!
2. You’ll get a proper fit for your head shape/size – and you’ll look better as a result
In my books, this is the most important reason why you should invest in a proper pair of sunglasses. (That is, after protecting your eyes of course!) Getting sunglasses that complement your head shape and size will have you looking, and feeling, like a million bucks. What I love most about going to Inspired by Rossland Optical is the extra level of customer service that they offer. No matter what frames or sunglasses you select, they always fit them to your face and adjust them as needed so that they’re comfortable and sit where they should on your head. I have a small head – like a really small head. So this extra bit of service makes the world of a difference for me when getting a pair of sunglasses. If you do end up knocking them out of alignment later on they’ll fix them for you again!
3. They’ll come with a unique story
The ones that I’m wearing in these photos are by Neubau. I hadn’t heard of this particular designer before Dana told me about them when I was looking at these sunglasses during my last visit. As cute as they are, it was the designer’s story that really sold me on these ones. The fashion industry isn’t always the most sustainable or eco-friendly industry – and that can apply to sunglasses too. Neubau focuses on sustainability. Not only do they consider the materials of the glasses, but they also think about things like the packaging and printed in-store materials. They also support a variety of non-profit projects revitalizing nature in urban environment.
4. You can’t compete with the overall quality
I know this sounds like the most obvious reason, but it really is true. A proper set of sunglasses will feel sturdy and they’ll last a lot longer than the cheap ones. So many sunnies that I’ve bought from department stores broke after only a couple weeks of using them. Since investing in proper shades, I haven’t broken a single set – and some of them I’ve had for over 6 years. You can even tell the difference in quality just by looking at them.
5. Your optician knows you best
We’ve been clients of Dana’s for years. As a result, she knows what I like and what I don’t like in terms of style and fit. On-top of that, she knows my face and bone structure, the types of clothes I typically wear, etc. Because of this, she’s always able to recommend glasses that suit my needs. They’ll be able to recommend you try things that you likely wouldn’t think to try on by yourself, but as soon as you try it on you’ll be in love. They know what works for you and your face. For example, my mom wears prescription glasses and she has a particularly challenging prescription. Dana is able to tell right away when a certain set of frames won’t work for her – whether it’s the shape of her face, where the weight of the frame will sit, or where the prescription will sit once it’s in the frame.
Anyone else feel the same way about investing in sunglasses? If you don’t have a high-quality set yet, I really encourage you to consider picking up some. I was shocked at the the difference it made.
For those of you that are local to the Toronto area be sure to check out Inspired by Rossland Optical. They have a wide variety of luxury eyewear, including eyeglasses, frames, contact lenses and sunglasses. They have two locations; one in Ajax and one in Whitby. Our family has been going to see Dana for as long as I can remember – it’s very possible that my parents first started going there when it opened in 1996, because I remember it even as a child!
While I may have received compensation and/or product mentioned in this post, the opinions and text are all mine.
