Shopping at Warby Parker Is a Ridiculously Easy, Fun Experience

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

In preparation for Tonys Sunday, I took a half day on Friday and worked from home. But that didn’t stop my migraine from going into overdrive while staring at my laptop screen. I threw on my three-year-old glasses that no longer fit and feel all types of outdated, which only made the pain ten times worse. At this point, I’ll try almost anything to alleviate it.

Something had to be done quickly, and I realized that my free afternoon was the perfect time to test out my neighborhood Warby Parker. Thanks to the easy booking system, I was able to schedule an eye exam for less than an hour later.

The exam was the best I’ve ever had — short and sweet, with the doctor going over my results in real-time. I even got a copy of everything, which revealed that I’m nearsighted and should be wearing glasses every time I work on the computer or read something (so, all the time). Armed with that information, I set out to search for frames.

Warby’s Upper East Side store is truly a wonderland of glasses, filled with options in every shape and color. They even break down whether the glasses have a narrow, medium, or wide fit — helpful if, like me, you suffer from bridge issues. On the other hand, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with all of those possibilities , so it’s probably best to go in armed with a plan.

I knew I wanted tortoiseshell frames that were on the thicker side, bold without making too much of a statement. I also didn’t want to go too far out of the $100 range, which luckily 90% of their glasses fall into. The bran'd's site is amazingly in-depth, and prior to my in-store visit I made a mental checklist of a few I wanted to check out IRL.

Off the bat, the Durand, Gilbert, and Jennings had to go because they barely stayed on the bridge of my nose. Narrowing it down to the Welty and Downing, I went back and forth mirror to mirror trying all kinds of poses, and the Welty felt just a little bit too squared off and retro for my taste.

Photo: Warby Parker

So I went with the Downing, classic with rounded off lenses that feel modern and very me. Checkout was a breeze, and in seven days I’ll be a new woman rid of all my migraine problems thanks to my new accessory. Or at least that’s what I tell myself, anyway.