Why are Sunglasses so Expensive?

Sun's out - Guns out. Summer's winding down, but I've definitely stepped up my sunglasses game in the past year or so. Whenever I'm outside, I'm usually rocking some of my favorite shades to add a little extra style and to protect my eyes.

Since catching this story on 60 minutes about why sunglasses are so expensive, I've been considering alternatives to glasses produced by Luxottica (everything from Vogue to Ralph Lauren to Ray-Ban to Prada to Chanel. The Janes do rock shades produced by the eyewear giant (see here, here, and here) and especially enjoy the Prada 01os as well as the Ray-Ban folding wayfarer.).

Some of those alternatives include eyewear produced by another eyewear giant Saflio Brands (Kate Spade, Celine, Banana Republic), Luxottica's biggest competitor, Wal-Mart, as well as brands like Maui Jim.  We've definitely dabbled with Maui Jim and our sister-in-law loves 'em, but I've been on the look out for a more affordable option.  Inevitably, sunglasses get dropped, scratched, lost in the lake, and/or stepped on. That's where brands like Warby Parker come into play; their eyewear starts at $95 (including polarized sunnies!) and go up from there for prescription lenses with more bells and whistles.  That's a pretty solid deal, in my experience.  And Ailyn is a former four-eyes (from the time she was 10 until just last year when she finally got LASIK!).  I know she always wanted to have multiple frames to match different looks; honestly, though, prescription frames and lenses are expensive, so more than 1 pair of prescription glasses was definitely prohibitive.

We've yet to actually try out Warby Parker, so we can't vouch for the quality nor the fit, but they have a neat little try-on at home program, where you can sample 5 different pairs so you know what works with you, your lifestyle, how comfy they are, etc.  I know that I never really knew how comfortable a pair of eyeglasses actually were until I'd already purchased them and rocked 'em for more than 12 hours, so I think this program is pretty awesome. Check out the Everett style (below), which I've been eyeing (pun intended!) for a while.  Have you tried Warby Parker?

 Let us know where you typically pick up your favorite pairs of glasses!
Outfit details here: {1, 2, 3}