Glasses - Frames

I have worn glasses since I was seven years old. Miss Johnson, my Grade 2 teacher, asked me if I could see the board; I told her I could. She didn't ask me if I could see the writing on the board. She was wise enough to persist and for all of my conscious life I have worn glasses. I tried contact lenses but couldn't be bothered. For me there was something slightly disconcerting about placing a foreign object on my eye. And so I have worn glasses. Presently I am wearing J.F.Rey (made in France) red frames that are about three years old.

Red frames, J.F. Rey, France (circa 2010)

It is now, this time in the fall, when my "back to school" mentality takes over my wardrobe planning and my optical needs. I am no longer required to go "back to school" but still that urge to shop and replenish my wardrobe lingers. Getting a new pair of glasses in the fall was a tradition my mother started with me but not one that I have necessarily continued. Although I still love my J.F. Rey red frames, I feel that I am ready for a new pair.

In July, Deborah, a friend, who is an artist living in Bordeaux, introduced me to Parasite frames. The designer is the son of a local optician, in Ste. Foy La Grande, where I live for six months of the year in France. I met his brother, also an optician, at Optique Martin in Ste. Foy, which has a marvelous representation of designer frames including of course, Parasite.
 

Parasite red frames, August, 2012.

The first three frames I tried on were all on the conservative side of the the Parasite continuum. Parasite also creates novel exotic designs that do not lend themselves to my lifestyle; but oh to be an artist or musician or simply a tad eccentric . . . I'm obviously partial to the red frames at this moment; although because I presently have red frames I will have to return to see what I can find in another tone. Perhaps red frames will become part of my "mark".

All the photos featuring Parasite frames were taken at Optique Martin on Rue République in Ste. Foy La Grande in the Gironde, France in August, 2012.