An introduction to well-fitting frames

It would be unreasonable, or so you might think, to walk into a shoe shop and aimlessly try on shoes until you find a pair that fit you.

Unreasonable, and perhaps a little bonkers.

No, to find a pair of new shoes you’ll always pick out a style first and then the chosen pair are located in your size. The size you’ve always been since adulthood.

And so, to spectacles. Finding the right size and fit is equally important here too. In the most basic sense, the actual frame in a pair of spectacles is functionally a tool to hold a corrective lens accurately in place.

Making sure that frame fits you perfectly guarantees a superior product, the best possible vision and the comfort to wear your spectacles every day. But also aesthetically, a well fitting frame helps to bring symmetry and balance to your beautiful face - and you only have one, after all.

Of course, there is no such thing as the average head. So there should be no such thing as an average pair of spectacles. Each of our heads has its own particularities. Bridges narrow and wide. Crests high and low. 

When we think of spectacles we think of our eyes. Obviously. But when it comes to fit, the most important parts of the head are the nose and the ears.

The nose

Your nose is the pedestal on which your magnificent glasses rest. Together the nose and glasses should tesselate to create a perfectly balanced sculptural display in the middle of your face. The contours of your spectacles should gently caress the bridge of your nose in harmonious union.

With the right fit around the nose, the frame should remain level on your face and not rest your cheeks or cover your eyebrows. Your eyes should sit in the top third of the frame for unparalleled clarity of vision.

Sitting in the middle of your face, the difference between a good and a poor fit is visible.

The ears

Your ears keep your spectacles in place. No slipping. No sliding. You should be happy to stare down into a deep abyss and ask soul-searching questions without the risk of losing your specs. If that’s what you want to do.

The temples of your glasses should bend at exactly the point of your ears, providing a firm grip. Too early and your glasses will sit at an angle, affecting visual acuity and comfort. Too late and your glasses will be loose and unstable.

The temples should feel firm and secure, without pinching or leaving a mark. Fortunately our optical associates are skilled handlers of the acetate and metal components of your spectacles, making every pair fully adjustable in store.

No two faces are the same, and Cubitts offers a range of frames suited to those that fall outside the standard deviation.