Like every spontaneous purchase I’ve made in the last year and a half, I first saw my glasses chain on TikTok. On one particular day in February last year, a user named Chloe Emmanuel appeared on my FYP showing off a range of colourful outfits, the last of which was a bright-pink jumpsuit that she wore with clear white glasses and a baby-pink glasses chain. It was the first time I’d seen a glasses chain of its kind — bold, loud, and somewhat in your face, much like my own personality. “I have to have them,” I thought.
For someone with a measly -0.75 prescription, my audacity to own as many glasses as I do is astounding. I have ten pairs of prescription glasses and three pairs of sunglasses — from round, tortoiseshell frames to thin, gold frames — despite only having one pair of eyes. I’ve no good explanation for this except that I enjoy making fun accessories a personality trait, so it’s no surprise that when I tracked down Chloe’s chain, I immediately fell in love with not one, but two options. I went for the pink-lemonade and tortoiseshell chunky chain on The Book Club Eyewear website that matched the colour of two of my existing glasses. (Each chain is $25 and subject to a customs fee since they’re shipped from the U.S.)
I was shocked by just how big the glasses chains were when they eventually arrived two weeks later. They’re made up of large square acrylic loops that are pretty weighty — not so much that it’s an uncomfortable wear, but you won’t forget you have it on, either. Attaching the chain is simple; two silicone loops hook on to the end of your glasses and tighten. The only downside is that those same loops can become loose and cause the chain to slip off of your glasses, particularly if you take your glasses down. This is annoying, yes, but a small price to pay to be positively validated by 19-year-olds on TikTok, IMO. (An aside: In the past year, I’ve somehow become a TikToker, so these 19-year-olds are amongst my amazing-to-me 51k followers.)
I will be blunt. The glasses chain is a bold style statement, and a little like Marmite. If I say, “I looked like I was cosplaying Deirdre Barlow or Blanche Hunt from Coronation Street,” you might cringe at the thought, but so far the response has been overwhelmingly positive. I’ve had compliments from colleagues, praise from IRL friends, and comments on my TikTok videos asking where I got my glasses chain from. I recognise that sharing this means that my chain will probably no longer be as unique as I’ve been enjoying. But seeing as I found my pair through someone else, it feels only right to pass the information on. Just make sure to tag me when you pick up yours.
Some other chunky glasses chains we like
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