Warby Parker

Warby Parker, an upstart eyewear company started by four students who met at the Wharton School of Business, has come up with an interesting new concept in eyewear sales.  They have cut out the middleman and offer vintage-inspired acetate eyeglasses directly to consumers for ... only $95.

Warby Parker offers twenty-seven classic frame styles in black, tortoise, amber, crystal and a variety of other brighter colors.  They even offer one monocle, "the perfect accessory for budding robber barons, post-colonial tyrants and super villains."

To see how frames look on your face, you can upload a photograph of yourself to the Warby Parker website and try on frames using their Virtual Try-On service.  When you have narrowed your selection you can take advantage of their Home Try-On service.  Warby Parker will ship you up to five pair of frames, free of charge, to try on at home for seven days.  GQ Magazine has called Warby Parker "the Netflix of eyewear."

The other day I played with the Virtual Try-On service and then decided to order a selection of frames to try on at home.  I quickly recieved an email informing me that recent features in GQ, Vogue and Daily Candy had resulted in an unexpected number of orders thereby depleting their home try-on inventory.  I have added my name to the waiting list, but have been informed that it may be a month before frames are available.  Notwithstanding the delay, this combination of classically-styled frames and an innovative business model has me quite intrigued.  More on this later when I get my hands on some frames.