Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Orla Kiely Optical: Eyeglasses and Sunglasses

Thanks to staralaska on Instagram, I made the most amazing discovery that Costco sells Orla Kiely frames!

To my knowledge, Costco is the only retailer that sells Orla Kiely frames in the US. I know they're sold in the UK at Boots, but I've not found them anywhere else...until now. I am so excited for these glasses!  I don't have a Costco membership yet (I visited using a "viewing pass"), but once I sign up I plan on getting one pair of eyeglasses and one pair of sunglasses (although it's tempting to get all of them!)

All the eyeglasses below are $99.99 (they currently retail at Boots for 200 pounds, or approximately $343, so these are an AMAZING price. Of course these are only for the frames, so you'd still have to buy prescription lenses). 



I like how these are just a simple brown frame with the subtle Orla Kiely print on the front. Very classic shape, but the stems keep them fun. I usually buy smaller frames, so I like how these are a little larger and different from what I'm used to.


The glasses I currently wear (which are Prada) look the closest to this. But I'm looking to purchase something different since I already have a pair similar to these. I do, however, like the tortoise shell frames and the multi-colored stems on the sides.


This pair was the most unflattering on me I think so it's the one I liked the least. I don't usually prefer glasses that have no frame on the bottom. And these were the pair that looked the least like Orla Kiely - the stems were only on the inside, but of course you can't really see them when they're being worn.



I think this is the pair I liked the most because they're just so different from anything I've ever worn. I don't really need a new pair of eyeglasses right now, so since this will be my secondary pair, I think they should be more fun and different. I like the lighter frames and the multi-stem detail on the sides. My choice for eyeglasses is narrowed down to this pair and the first one.

Now onto the sunglasses!


I am SO excited for these sunglasses! I've been wanting a pair of Orla Kiely shades for years and have been stalking these online for a long time. They retail for $245 and they never go on sale.  So imagine my delight when I found them at Costco...for only $70! I love how the frames are white and the stems are right in the front - again, very unique and so different from any pair of sunglasses I've ever worn.



I do like these sunglasses also, just not as much as the white pair above. I already have a pair of navy-colored Toms sunglasses, so that's probably why I'm shying away from these. They are still very cute however, and have more of classic look.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I think my favorite pair of glasses from the ones you tried on are the thin frames, that you said are similar to your other pair. I like my glasses to be unobtrusive and not draw too much attention. Maybe that's counterproductive, since they most likely will draw attention! I'm just not a fan of bigger frames. Maybe I just haven't found the right ones yet! http://www.eyelandoptical.ca/About-Us.html#

iloveorlakiely said...

Thank you! If I didn't already have my Prada frames, then I might've liked those the best as well. I'm more open to bolder eyeglasses now and since I love Orla Kiely so much, I tend to like the ones with a little more detail and pattern.

Unknown said...

Do you own and want to sell (or know someone who does) the Orla Kiely eyeglasses that were the 4th ones that you modeled above? They are the only ones you cannot see the item # because of the angle but I owned a pair of them before from Costco and the item # was 824696 (I think). Anyway the model # is VOK017K and they are the frames that you said "I think this is the pair I liked the most because they're just so different from anything I've ever worn."
Costco does not have them in stock anymore and I cannot find these Orla Kiely frames anywhere.
I appreciate your help!

iloveorlakiely said...

Hi Joni. The only place I know of that sells Orla Kiely eyeglasses is Boots, but they are in the UK and they do not ship to the US. I've had someone tell me that they were able to ask their sales associate at Costco to look up stock at other locations and they were able to successfully track down the pair they were looking for, so I would give that a shot. Also, I know you were searching for eyeglasses, but ChrisElli occasionally has sunglasses in stock, so you might want to check their site frequently to see if they ever have eyeglasses that pop in.