Turn a pair of l.a.Eyeworks frames over and look at the end of the temple arm. Instead of a thin tip, there is a small round, disc-like pad. The brand calls it a frog toe, and it is the detail that tells you whose frame you are wearing. We carry l.a.Eyeworks at City Optix, on Chestnut Street in San Francisco’s Marina District. It sits among the other houses we carry.
What is l.a.Eyeworks?
l.a.Eyeworks is a Los Angeles eyewear house, founded in 1979 on Melrose Avenue by two opticians, Barbara McReynolds and Gai Gherardi. By the brand’s own account, the original whim was to challenge the prevailing norms of eyewear and offer “a new, provocative revelation of the face.”
The founders trained as opticians before they designed anything, and the brand says that shows. On its FAQ page it credits that background for “great understanding of facial proportions” and for frames that fit comfortably and can accommodate a wide range of prescriptions.
The frames are made of “fine acetate and metal,” manufactured in what the brand calls “artisanal factories in Italy and Japan.” Collections are produced in limited edition quantities, with new ones introduced each fall and spring.
What makes l.a.Eyeworks different?
Two things, and neither one is loud.
The frog toe. The brand’s FAQ answers the question directly. A frog toe is one of the “circular, disc-like pads at the ends of the temple arms.” The pads help a frame sit comfortably and securely behind the ear, and they are, in the brand’s words, “a distinctive part of our design signature.” The shape is inspired by Australian green tree frogs.
The frog toe is the signature.
It is a good example of a design idea that is also a fit idea. A flat, rounded pad is simply a kind place for a frame to rest against the head. You feel it before you see it, which is the right order.
The portraits. Since 1981, the brand’s signature ad campaign has been a series of black and white portraits photographed by Greg Gorman. The brand says it has featured more than 200 people, an “eclectic mix” of the famous and the lesser known, all under one line: “A face is like a work of art. It deserves a great frame.”
A face is like a work of art. It deserves a great frame.
That sentence is the whole philosophy. The brand says it designs eyewear “to celebrate the diversity of faces and the uniqueness of individuals.” The campaign put faces first and let the frame become part of the person.
Who l.a.Eyeworks is for
It suits someone who prefers a quiet signal to a loud one. The frog toe is there for the people who know and invisible to the people who do not.
It suits a person who wants a frame with a point of view but not a costume. The brand describes its designs as balancing innovation with wearability, and the colors and shapes are the expressive part.
It suits anyone who has ever felt that glasses tend to sit on a face rather than belong to it. A house founded by opticians that thinks in terms of faces, not categories, is a good place to look.
And it suits the person who likes the story behind an object, a Melrose Avenue storefront in 1979, a campaign that has run since 1981, a pad at the end of the arm.
How to tell if l.a.Eyeworks is right for you
Before you come in:
- Start at the ear. Put a frame on and feel the frog toe settle behind it. If the fit feels secure and easy, you have learned something no photo can tell you.
- Look at the color. The brand notes that even the temple tip colors are hand chosen to complement the custom colors of its metal frames. Check how that plays against your skin and hair in daylight, near the window.
- Think in faces, not trends. Try a shape you would not normally pick. The brand’s whole premise is that the frame should suit the individual, not the season.
- Ask about the sun side. The brand introduces four to five dedicated sunglass styles a year, and designs its optical frames with flexibility to take sun or corrective lenses. We can talk through what works for how you live.
- Come ready to be fitted. A frame can only be right once it sits right on your particular face. Adjustments at City Optix are free, and fitting is the part that is ours.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I try l.a.Eyeworks eyewear in San Francisco?
At City Optix, 2154 Chestnut Street, in the Marina District. We are an independent optometry practice and eyewear boutique led by Dr. Jeff Rich, O.D., open Monday through Saturday, 10 to 6. We carry l.a.Eyeworks and we will fit the frame properly to your face at the counter. What is on the shelf changes, so come in and see, or call us at (415) 921-1444.
What is a frog toe on l.a.Eyeworks glasses?
The brand describes a frog toe as the circular, disc-like pad at the end of each temple arm. It helps the frame sit comfortably and securely behind the ear and is part of the brand’s design signature. The shape is inspired by Australian green tree frogs.
What are l.a.Eyeworks frames made of, and where are they made?
The brand says its glasses are made of fine acetate and metal, manufactured in artisanal factories in Italy and Japan that combine advanced technology with hand finishing. The brand designs in Los Angeles.
Is there a warranty on l.a.Eyeworks frames?
The brand states that all of its frames carry a one year warranty from the date of purchase against manufacturer defects. The warranty does not cover lenses, and claims are made at the original place of purchase with a receipt. Ask us about the details when you come in.
Come try them on at City Optix on Chestnut Street
l.a.Eyeworks is a brand to handle. The frog toe behind your ear, the color of a temple tip chosen by hand, the way a shape you did not expect turns out to belong on your face: none of it survives a product photograph. Come try them on at City Optix, 2154 Chestnut Street in the Marina, Monday through Saturday, 10 to 6. What is on the shelf changes, so come by and see, or call us at (415) 921-1444. We have spent more than thirty years in the Marina putting faces in frames that were chosen rather than settled for.