Whether you have had to wear glasses since you were young or your eyes have deteriorated as you have got older, as mine have, for most people the cost of a decent pair of specs has always meant that you confined yourself to one pair, maybe two at the most.
Long gone are the days when, if you were at all price conscious, you would have to head to the busy high street optician to buy your glasses, as the last few years has seen an explosion of independent eyewear brands offering modern, chic styles, that do not cost the earth.
These brands I’m talking about here only sell their their own brand range, with each style available in a selection of colours, all with most styles from between approximately £98- £125 including frame and single vision lenses.
They have made it affordable to start to wear spectacles as an accessory, and to own different styles to go with different outfits and to have different looks when you feel like it.
Even if you wear contact lenses most of the time, maybe it’s a good time to revisit the idea of wearing specs again to change up your look?
It was a hard choice as there are quite a number to choose from, but here are my 3 of The Best affordable eyewear brands available in the UK.
Bailey Nelson
Founded in Bondi Beach in 2012, Bailey Nelson has quickly grown into a global brand with boutiques in Australia, London, Canada and New Zealand. They offer fantastic value for their glasses and do not charge more for polarised, anti glare or anti scratch lenses.
If in the UK you can visit their Covent Garden store, or check out their website here: www.baileynelson.co.uk
Cubitts
Cubitts is a London based chain of boutique opticians offering eye tests at just £25 when you purchase a pair of their stylish frames.
They have a number of stores around London so you can find a convenient store and book an eye test on their website www.cubitts.co.uk
Ace and Tate
Ace and Tate are a European chain of eyewear stores, providing beautifully crafted frames, thoughtfully designed from scratch by their in-house design team in Amsterdam. They describe themselves as “badasses” when it comes to sourcing the best possible materials and production techniques, as well as the most cost-effective solutions, that reach their aesthetic and high quality standards.
In the UK they have a store in Covent Garden or you can look on the website at www.aceandtate.com for other branches.
Other brands to look out for include French brand Jimmy Fairly, the Italian brand Finlay and Co, and the US brand Warby Parker.
Lizzie Edwards is one of London’s leading Personal Stylists and Image Consultants for Women, and author of 'Look Like The Leader You Are; A 7-Step Style Strategy for Ambitious Women’
