Steven Alan Eyewear Follow-Up

As it happened, my trial frames from Steven Alan Optical arrived today, just a day after I'd ordered them. They shipped from Brooklyn, so it's not so much of a surprise that it took only one day for the package to get to me.

The quality of the frames is excellent, and all four of my choices happen to fit my face and head well. (Years of trying on frames and paying attention to sizing have given me a strong sense of what sizes fit me well and what won't, as long as I know the measurements.) The rivets that hold the hinges to the frames have various decorative patterns or shaped covers, and the hinges themselves (five-barrel, stronger than most) are rose-gold plated, which I think was done to be visually distinctive. There was also a hand-written note thanking me for trying their frames, a nice touch.

The color SA calls "red havana" looks closer to amber in person, but it's quite attractive. They also offer many frames in a classic shade of tortoise. Other frame color options include matte and gloss blacks, and clear crystal along with tinted variations like gray and green.

Overall, I would be quite confident choosing these glasses. I'm not ready to buy new sunglasses yet, but it's good to know this option exists.