Yesglasses Is My New Go-To Brand for Affordable Sunglasses

2022-10-13 09:22:08 By : Mr. Jennifer Chen

Every product is carefully selected by our editors. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission.

I fully ordered these sunglasses expecting them to be only okay. As it turns out, they're really good.

As a full-time glasses wearer — I can't see without 'em — I'm always on the lookout for affordable ways to, well, see. I've fully embraced the fact that I won't find prescription frames I want to wear for less than $100. (Yes, most Warby Parker glasses start at $95, but the good ones are usually $145.) There are workarounds, of course — I could buy vintage frames and pay to have the lenses replaced by a company like Lensabl, or simply buy cheaper glasses — but given the fact that I truly wear them every single second of every single day, I need pairs that'll last.

Most of the time, I wear Garrett Leight's Naples frame, a square-shaped design made from acetate and finished with decorative palm leaf rivets. I have a matching pair with tinted lenses for when it's sunny out. But the prescription pair set me back $355 dollars, and that's just for the frames; it's another $169 dollars at a Garrett Leight store (or more if I take them to an optometrist) for the prescription lenses. If I want a matching pair with sun protection, that's $420 dollars, plus the $169 to be able to see out of them.

I'm not complaining, though, because I really do love my Garrett Leight glasses. They're great — maybe even the best, for the price, in their category. But as much as I appreciate the consistency these offer me, sometimes I want to switch it up, and I can't always justify spending $500 dollars to do so.

In lieu of pricier pairs, I've tried options from Zenni, a discount eyewear retailer endorsed — for money, of course — by Rashida Jones. For $34.95 with shipping, I received a cheap pair of acetate frames with equally cheap lenses. Needless to say, I wasn't impressed. Then I found Yesglasses, a similar shop with glasses starting at $49. Surely they'd be similar to Zenni's, I thought; passable but not a pair I'd ever want to wear every day.

But I was pleasantly surprised. The pair I ordered — simply called the 1477 — comes from Yesglasses's new Tinted Sunglasses collection, a line with plenty of chunky acetate frames featuring decorative hardware and two dozen different colored lenses to choose from. I picked a simple pair: a horn-rimmed, Wayfarer-referencing rectangular pair with winged rivets and dark lenses.

You're offered the option of dark, medium and light finishes on your lenses at checkout. The light looks like a faint tint, like transition lenses after coming inside. Medium is a little darker, but others will definitely still see your eyes. Dark, on the other hand, is plenty dark, but not overkill. I can still see out of them, even at dusk.

Once on, the 1477s are plenty comfortable. Sure, they're not quite a luxe accessory from some high-end designer, but they'll do — and after a fews of owning them, I feel myself gravitating toward them more and more. The keyhole bridge sits gently on the nose, the arms wrap softly around the ear and they're incredibly lightweight.

Best of all, this pair only cost $63, and that's with express shipping. Plus, they came with high index, anti-scratch, anti-reflective, 100-percent UV protective lenses. No, they aren't polarized, but we've dispelled the need for polarized pairs already.