Where did the year go? It seems like only a month ago that we were selecting our ‘Frames of the Year for 2013’. But here we are again, 2015 has arrived in double-quick time, after what has been an absolute bumper year for SelectSpecs.com, with the addition of countless new brands to our portfolio, the launch of our new Fashion & Lifestyle Blog, a new 0800 customer service & sales phone number, plus countless big improvements and additions to our website over the year. But we won’t be taking any rest, as we have some major projects in the works for 2015, so we are really looking forward a great start to the new year.
So here we are, after much discussion & debate within the team, ready to share with you “The SelectSpecs.com Glasses of the Year Awards 2014”. This is where we share with you the absolute “Best of the Best” in optical & sunglasses eyewear in a variety of different categories and price ranges from the last year.
We haven’t just randomly picked these frames but have painstakingly researched the best sellers and asked opinions from those who know the products best. With a choice of literally tens-of-thousands of frames to choose from on SelectSpecs.com alone, it wasn’t an easy task to pick our winners in the chosen 10 categories. And we haven’t just picked winners from our own product catalogue, we’ve even included a winner from an eyewear brand that we don’t even sell (as yet).
Whatever, your thoughts, this Award winning list is very impressive and should be taken seriously if you want to stand out from the crowd, achieve high performance or simply obtain best value for money. There is something here for everyone; and anyone would be more than happy with any single frame mentioned here.
Best Budget Frame – £10 or Under
Savannah – 2439
For the second year running, a Savannah frame was chosen as the winner of ‘Best Budget Frame – £10 or Under’. Unmistakably, these fashionable frames win hands down and cost only £10 including coatings and lenses!
Interestingly, this Savannah 2439 frame has proved popular with both women & men! You only have to take a look at our Fashion Ambassadors to see how wonderful and versatile these frames are. Our Fashion Ambassador Matthew Lightfoot wears the Red frame with ease but it would look equally as good on ladies. Matthew shows off this frame in a very relaxed manner, whereas our Fashion Ambassador Sam Stanley wears this frame in Blue more formally.
Either way, whether you are male or female, these frames for just £10 will make you feel and look great.
Reasons to buy this frame: –
- Versatile and functional, whether wearing them formally/informally, male or female
- Fashionable with that cutting-edge catwalk style “they give me more style and edge” (customer review)
- The Savannah 2439 offers exceptional value for money and high end fashion for only £10 including FREE Standard prescription lenses and coatings
Best Reviewed Frame
Savannah – 2249
With over 480 customer reviews, this is one of our most popular Savannah frames and has been one of our best selling models since the beginning of the resurgence of the Wayfarer frame, hence this frame falling under ‘The Best Reviewed Frame of 2014’. The current collection hosts 8 different colour options that also include textured options. Not many designer eyewear brands can boast about this especially given that the Savannah 2249 frame is unisex and costs just £10 including lenses and coatings.
Reasons why this is our best reviewed frame: –
- This is a great unisex frame: strong and sturdy
- Extremely fashionable and versatile: an ‘all-rounder’ frame
- The Wayfarer style looks great in a variety of colours
- Works perfectly as a pair of sunglasses
- The Savannah 2249 offers exceptional value for money and impressive build quality at only £10 including FREE Standard prescription lenses and coatings “I am now able to buy my glasses at an exceedingly low price without sacrifice of quality”
Great Value Award – Best Frame Under £30
Infinity – 2083
These Infinity 2083 horn-rimmed frames are vintage and timeless in style. At £25 these retro frames are an amazing deal whether you are male or female. Historically, these frames were made out of horn or tortoiseshell but these frames have been constructed out of plastic to imitate such materials and that classic clubmaster style arguably made famous by Ray-Ban.
These frames were selected because they are: –
- Timeless in design and style
- Cheaper than many other brands: ‘The same look for less’
- “Very comfortable fit and amazing quality” (customer review)
- The Infinity 2083 frame offers exceptional value for money and high end fashion for only £25 including FREE Standard prescription lenses and coatings
Best Seller Award
Savannah – P2383
We had to give the best seller award to yet another Savannah frame. The P2383 frame just flies out the door as fast as we can replenish it. But when you can pick these up for just £10 with prescription lenses, it’s no surprise. You simply can’t go wrong with this frame, the reviews speak for themselves. Take a peek here.
“The frames are light and fit snuggly and do not slip at all when moving head around. Would definitely recommend these glasses, and will most definitely be buying myself another pair :)”
or
“Love my new glasses and so does my daughter so another order is in place!”
Inspired by the Ray-Ban RX5184 New Wayfarer, this P2383 Wayfarer style frame is popular because of it’s shiny black 1950’s Wayfarer design and overall appearance. It conforms to the 1950’s style or geek, nerd or preppy styles all of which is right on trend and it is for these reasons that this Savannah frame is our best seller.
Other reasons as to why these P2383 frames are a best seller include: –
- The stainless steel dot on the face of the frame that adds detail but also brings the overall design not too dissimilar to the more expensive brands
- Timeless in their styling
- A unisex frame that looks great on both ladies and gentlemen
- Versatile frame – suits all lens variations, makes a great pair of sunglasses (standard tint or polarised). Many customers like to have these with clear plano lens (pure fashionata’s)
- 5 great colours to choose from
Best Frame Under £70
Solaris – S009
It’s no wonder our Fashion Ambassador Rahul Patel chose the Solaris S009 frame for his photo shoot, you only have to look at the images of Rahul wearing them to see why.
This sturdy unisex frame feels great, looks great and has that perfect tortoiseshell appearance all for under £70 (including prescription lenses and coatings). The quality of the S009 frame speaks for itself as soon as you pick them up and feel them in your hands.
This has to be our number one choice frame under £70, thanks to it’s designer-level build quality, plus the detail you would expect from a much more expensive brand from the keyhole bridge to the stylish shaping on the arm. This frame would not look out of place on Johnny Depp!
- Designer level build quality
- High-fashion style, ideal for both men or women
- Inspired by brands such as Oliver Peoples but at a fraction of the price
- Tortoiseshell colour really completes this frame
Men’s Designer Glasses of the Year
BOSS Hugo Boss – BOSS 0643
With so many Designer Brands to choose from this was a difficult task but this BOSS Hugo Boss 0643 frame was eventually selected as our winner of the ‘SelectSpecs.com Men’s Designer Glasses of the Year Award 2014’ for several reasons.
It is a popular frame with both staff and customers, well made and the attention to detail without being overbearing is second to none. Personally, I don’t think the photographs of the frame do it enough justice. But seeing this frame – in the flesh – in our shop, our decision was final as soon as we picked it up. The craftsmanship in this frame was not just plain to see, but easy to feel too.
Starting with the Dark Havana colour, the 0643 has an acetate front in a stylish tortoiseshell colour that will suit most people. The square shape is an easy fit and versatile for all occasions while giving a strong, bold and confident look.
But it’s the detail on the arms that is most impressive about this frame. The arm is partly made up from a textured rubber that is both light and flexible and it also contains a black carbon fibre element with a herringbone tweed effect which is only visible at certain angles!
Hugo Boss also have their logo neatly on the arm without being over-empowering, so if like me, you are not keen on labels being prominent then you will appreciate this, but it has the nice touch of being raised enough above the surface of the frame that you can feel it’s presence as you gently run your fingers over the frame. The BOSS 0643 is definitely a cool frame.
The frame comes in a choice of four colour options: Black/Red (which looks brilliant), Black, Havana Brown or Blue – quite frankly I want them all.
- Strong square design will get you noticed and turn some heads
- Incredibly lightweight and comfortable fit
- Flexible and strong
- Amazing attention to detail, especially on the arms
- Unique design and style makes it stand out from most other frames we have seen this year
Ladies Designer Glasses of the Year
Tiffany & Co. – TF2097
Without a doubt the American brand Tiffany & Co. deserve the Award of ‘SelectSpecs.com Ladies Designer Glasses of the Year 2014’ for their continuous efforts in the design of their stunning ladies glasses.
This stunning TF2097 frame with a very slight cat-eye twist although subtle is both timeless and luxurious. Of course it has the distinctive Tiffany blue colour and the detail is simple yet beautiful. These frames are full of glamour.
- Four amazing yet versatile colours to choose from
- Suitable for Single Vision, Bifocal and Varifocal/Multifocal lenses
- Excellent quality and craftsmanship
- Icon glasses to be worn with pride, making them a great choice for any woman looking for some designer glasses that will turn their peers green with envy
Designer Sunglasses of the Year
Ray-Ban – RB4207 Tech Liteforce
These exclusive Ray-Ban sunglasses will never go out of fashion. The new Wayfarer Liteforce collection not only comes in an amazing array of super cool colours but the frame also shows off uber-cool technology!
The sunglasses frames are made from PK001 which is a thermoplastic polymer that is forged together at extreme temperatures. This material is also used in aeronautics and surgical equipment. To you and I, this means the frame is not only really strong and light but it is also very durable. This all helps to give these sunglasses an incredibly comfortable fit, especially compared to the heavier standard Wayfarer sunglasses produced by Ray-Ban.
In short, out of all the sunglasses available from SelectSpecs.com, These Ray-Ban RB4207 sunglasses are the ones I REALLY want the most. And that’s why these were chosen as the ‘SelectSpecs.com Designer Sunglasses of the Year 2014’. And we haven’t even mentioned the quality of the Ray-Ban sunglasses lenses!
- Durable design, built to the highest quality and includes amazing technology
- A great mix of retro and modern design and style that never goes out of fashion
- Choose from an awesome array of matt colours: orange, blue, acid green and even antique pink
- Available with polarised lenses in a matt black or matt brown frame
- Amazing prices that you just can’t afford to miss
- They would make a fantastic gift to anyone! (hint, hint – Did I mention that I want these in Polarised Matt Black? Thank you)
Designer Eyewear Brand of the Year
Tiffany & Co.
With a long history of over 175 years, Tiffany & Co. launched their eyewear collection only as recently as 2008, with many of their designs featuring the same intricate details and luxurious materials as their iconic jewellery and accessories. Their glasses and sunglasses are available in a wide range of styles, colours and shapes, with many of the designs featuring the distinctive ‘Tiffany blue’ colour that makes this eyewear brand so recognisable.
Tiffany & Co. has fast become one of the most improved, popular & best selling brands in 2014 since we added it to the SelectSpecs.com portfolio of brands the year before. Our customers absolutely love the Tiffany glasses & sunglasses collections and they have proved especially popular in our Westgate-on-Sea Opticians, with frames flying off the display as fast as we put them out.
The female members of our team just love Tiffany & Co. and firmly put their foot down with this award “The SelectSpecs.com Designer Eyewear Brand of the Year 2014 MUST go to Tiffany & Co.” But the rest of us at SelectSpecs.com agreed. They produce some quite beautiful frames that the ladies just can’t get enough of. Well done Tiffany & Co.
- Consistently beautiful designs throughout the collection
- The ‘Tiffany blue’ colour is simply gorgeous
- Stunning level of quality at a reasonable price
- Many styles and shapes to suit all kinds of ladies
- 175 years of Jewellery experience shines through on every frame
- Tiffany & Co. Optical collection available here
- Tiffany & Co. Sunglasses collection available here
Eyewear Brand to Watch Out for in 2015
ill.i Optics by Will.i.am
Eyewear connoisseur Will.i.am launched his own collection of eyewear in partnership with George Gorrow late in 2014 and in our minds, this is definitely going to be a brand to watch out for in 2015.
The unisex frames were inspired not just by his own personal collection but also by graffiti characters of the 80’s and hip-hop pioneers. They are most definitely ‘cool specs’ and you really wouldn’t expect anything less from Will.i.am – he has after all, worn glasses for over 20 years and during those two decades he has acquired a substantial and eclectic mix of frames, which he certainly hasn’t been shy about wearing.
ill.i Optics by Will.i.am sunglasses have already been spotted on celebrities like Jessica Alba and we are in no doubt that this trend will be taking off in a big way in 2015, which is why we chose ill.i Optics as ‘The SelectSpecs.com Eyewear Brand to Watch Out for in 2015’.
Unfortunately, we don’t currently stock ill.i Optics at SelectSpecs, but you can expect the prices of the frames to start at around £170. Take a peek at the collection in this video: –
- All pieces from the collection were designed in LA but handmade in Italy
- The frames feature a wide range of bold shapes made from acetate and/or plastic
- Will.i.am has a dedication and passion for eyewear that is clear to see
- Wii.i.am said: “When you fund and design something yourself, you give birth to something that’s an extension of you”
Note: Prices are subject to change at any time without warning, all prices were correct at time of publishing.
