I wouldn't say I'm an adventurer. But when it comes to finding tips to combine ethics with my budget , I don't refuse an experiment either. And here we are going to talk about glasses.
All I know of this universe are the perfectly good Kirk Originals .
The rest was science fiction until I decided to make an appointment with an ophthalmologist . You have to know how to listen to your body: age, eye fatigue and headaches can quickly become annoying.
The verdict was therefore not long in coming: 43 years old, 10/10 in each eye but all the same, " a small pair of glasses for work or reading will do you good, you'll see".
OK. This is how a whole new world opened up to me: that of glasses and opticians. Needless to say, we quickly become lost. So, what to do?
Well for me, I mostly trusted my instincts. Of course, I could have followed the ophthalmologist's advice: consult opticians, shop around in stores, try on a thousand pairs and let myself be told little about the aesthetics or merits of this or that option.
But who knows why, this prospect didn't particularly enchant me. So I opted for another path.
So I don't know much about prescription glasses, but there is still one brand in particular that has interested me for some time: it's a renowned English company called Cutler & Gross . Fun fact: Jordan found a pair too, but in a more... traditional way.
For my part, I also note that the musician Jarvis Cocker is a regular customer of the brand, and it's a little detail that I like. The problem is that Cutler & Gross glasses are expensive.
This is where the adventure begins. You've probably noticed: you can now find everything online and second-hand, clothes of course and also glasses. My idea is therefore relatively simple: find a frame that I like, then have it adjusted to my eyesight by an optician . The bet is apparently risky. And yet...
Vinted, Videdressing, Le Bon Coin, etc. There is no shortage of sites. With luck and patience, I finally found a second-hand Cutler & Gross frame online that was both simple and stylish for the modest sum of €30. What I'm buying here is a pair of sunglasses with semi-tinted lenses that originally cost around 300.
The original Cutler & Gross pair, with semi-tinted lenses.
I know, however, that it is possible that the pair does not fit me, that it is damaged or simply does not fit me . I have no guarantee of results, but something inside me tells me that it might be worth the effort.
Another view of the original pair.
Upon receipt, miracle: the pair suits me well. This is the first time I've held a pair of high-end glasses in my hands. No adjustments required on the frame except perhaps tightening the temples a little and of course changing the lenses.
So I just have to find an optician to carry out the operation. I have lived in Paris for more than 10 years now and yet I still think as if I lived in my village of Mayenne. It's a strange habit, which means that I most often move within a restricted area.
Around my home, there are opticians everywhere: Optic 2000, Lissac, Optical Center, etc. There may not be as many opticians as there are hairdressers but still, all these options leave me perplexed and somehow remind me of this article by David. Do you know the paradox of choice?
If I initially chose the "second hand" option, it was precisely because I didn't really want to shop around and engage in endless comparisons. No, when it comes to purchasing, I quite like everything that has to do with crush and commitment . Might as well continue.
That's when I remember a storefront in the building across the street from mine, just a few steps from my doctor's door. You are perhaps now beginning to better understand what I meant earlier by "village spirit": my favorite restaurant for friends is on the street parallel to mine, my favorite cinemas and my doctor too, so, etc.
It's not laziness. I especially like the proximity of things, and as you may know, I also have to measure my steps for medical reasons. There is therefore a certain form of consistency in my deciding to go to the optician closest to me, especially since he is independent and therefore defends a certain vision of his profession. .
Is my project feasible? Will it support me in my “recycling” approach or direct me towards its own range of glasses?
What I notice at first is that he takes care of the welcome and that he has, so to speak, an eye: my pair of Cutler & Gross catches his eye and he examines it with curiosity . I suddenly have the impression of having in front of me the Benoît of the glasses, who is also going to talk to me about something that fascinates him .
And indeed, his expertise is fascinating. The pair is viable, the project is to my credit and yes: “we can definitely use this pair and add the lenses you need”. I'm happy - it will only cost me to install the lenses and I will be partially reimbursed.
My first pair of glasses, often near the library
My glasses are ready a few days later. We do a few tests, I note down various recommendations and I go home. I now have prescription glasses and my first question is whether this will change my style . Oddly, I hadn't thought about it before.
I'm talking about this with a friend. We come to talk about Jarvis Cocker, and we almost laugh: "you should try to contact him and ask him for some style advice or his favorite outfits to go with glasses". Sometimes you have to know how to let things happen at their own pace. Perhaps this idea will resurface later.
Cutler & Gross glasses, turtleneck Percival Clothing
In the meantime, I'm having fun with my new face, I sometimes put together outfits around it on purpose and above all I try to be disciplined: it's all well and good to have nice glasses, but now it's going to be a matter of wearing them. wear regularly. It's a different kind of challenge, but I'm already very happy to have held the first one.
