Warby Parker

Behind 121 Greene: Reform-Creative

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:28:23 -0400

You’ve seen our new flagship store on Greene Street—we hope!—and even if you can’t make it in person, we’ll be sharing some behind-the-scenes intel.

A couple of weeks ago you got the scoop from our friends at Partners & Spade, and next up is architect Melissa McMillan from Reform-Creative. Read on for details.

What attracted you to the space at 121 Greene Street?

It’s a cool, classic Soho space—dramatic and narrow with high ceilings and a skylight in the back. You don’t see many spaces like this in New York anymore, since many of them have been converted. We also loved the exposed columns placed every twelve feet on the south wall.

What do you know about the history of the address?

The process of building in New York is laborious and involves a lot of red tape, so you end up finding out a lot of information about where you’re working! This neighborhood used to be heavy in industrial manufacturing. The building itself has a continuous cast-iron facade with molded stylized leaves, and 121 Greene Street in particular once housed a printing press.

Why does the floor remind me of a national monument?

We replaced the old floors with a material called terrazzo, which is a poured epoxy stone material that you often find in government buildings, libraries, and art museums. It’s polished to a very smooth finish and has a stately look to it.

Visit our flagship store and other retail locations.

Photos by Collin Hughes

Style Stories: Ryan Elsman

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:43:00 -0400

We work with some pretty sharp dressers, and it’s always a treat to see what they will wear each day. We’re highlighting a few of the stories behind their looks.

Ryan Elsman, Events and Retail Marketing Intern (wearing the Joplin in Gold)

Bracelet, Hermes: “Being from Jersey, I have to have something with a little label on it. A little gaudy never hurt anybody—in moderation.”

White button-down, J. Crew: “I like white especially in the summer time because I get very tan and like to accentuate that. I went to prep school so wearing white button-downs is second nature.”

Pants, Mr. Turk: “Once I saw them, I literally had the pants on hold within an hour. It was an impulse purchase but so worth it.”

Shoes, Donald J. Pliner: “I got those back when I was obsessed with Scott Disick’s style.” [Editor’s note: RYAN!!!]

Love our team? Join us!

Photos by Justin Bridges

Ocean Avenue By the Numbers

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:54:00 -0400

Lately, we’ve had all things beach on the brain: rooftop beverages, tunes for the sand, and Coney Island shenanigans.

We love nothing more than strolling the boardwalk, funnel cake in one hand, flip flops in the other, but an infographic—chock-full of interesting tidbits—is pretty delightful too.

Read on for everything you’ve wanted to know about our favorite Ocean Avenue treats: hot dogs, snow-cones, and pb&j sandwiches.

Still hungry? Satisfy your cravings with the entire Ocean Avenue collection.

LITERARY RX: A Boy's Own Story

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:31:03 -0400

How thrilling to discover one had depths, how consoling to find them less polluted than the shallows, how encouraging to identify the enemy not as a fissure in the will but as a dead fetus in the specimen jar of the unconscious.

Aloof family members, sexual repression, and homophobia define this unnamed narrator’s childhood, but everything changes when he turns 15. No book will make you gladder—and then sadder—that you aren’t still in high school.

Thanks to our friends at Flat Vernacular for the excellent backdrops behind these titles.

Style Stories: Selin Olmsted

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 16:47:00 -0400

We work with some pretty sharp dressers, and it’s always a treat to see what they will wear each day. We’re highlighting a few of the stories behind their looks.

Selin Olmsted, Eyewear Designer (wearing the Edgeworth in Striped Sassafras)

Hair: “I had long hair for a long time, almost my whole life. I got so sick of it and thought it was time to experiment in a major way. My husband did it! (He’s not a hairdresser.) The first time he did it with fabric scissors. Until he gets sick of doing it, we’re going to continue the whole thing.”

Leather vest: “This used to be a jacket from late ’80s. It was mine even back then, but the sleeves were so big I just removed them.”

Necklace: “It used to belong to a male model who came for a casting at my former job. We tried to contact him, but I’m holding onto it until I run into him.”

Love our team? Join us!

Photos by Justin Bridges.

Ocean Avenue Cocktail Hour

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 18:08:41 -0400

We believe in toasting a hard day’s work, even if your schedule consists of nothing more than racing to the rooftop and meticulously painting on sunscreen.

Our favorite seaside sips—sugar-doused sodas and unabashedly ridiculous mixed drinks—prompted a few of our new Ocean Avenue colors, and we’ve improvised a few simple recipes to go with them. You might have some of these ingredients stocked already, but if not, the bodega’s just around the corner.

A few notes:

We like double-duty Mason jars to store our concoctions. Give ‘em a shake (but not if carbonation is involved—your eyeballs will thank you).
Club soda, seltzer, sparkling mineral water, tonic—everybody has a preference. Switch it up if you like.
If you’ve got limoncello, use it in place of lemonade.

Burnt Lemon Tortoise (pictured: Percey eyeglasses)
Whiskey + Lemonade + Sugar to taste

Chocolate Soda (pictured: Roosevelt eyeglasses)
Chocolate Milk + Vanilla Ice Cream + Seltzer

Ginger Lemonade (pictured: Winston sunglasses)
Ginger Ale + Lemonade + Seltzer + Honey to taste

Orange Fizz (pictured: Jasper sunglasses)
Orange Soda + Gin

Cream Soda (pictured: Dutch sunglasses)
Cream Soda + Vodka + Seltzer

If this doesn’t quench your thirst, shop the entire Ocean Avenue collection here,

Bulletin from the bus: Portland, Part 2

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 09:07:00 -0400

And that’s a wrap on Portland. Next stop on the Class Trip? Seattle!

Before we hit the road, we sampled doughnuts from Voodoo Doughnut and washed them down with more Stumptown Coffee (that we brewed on our own, just outside of the bus).

We encountered even more creative Portland folks—Caravan Pacific’s Shannon Guirl and Walnut Studiolo’s Geoff Franklin.

If you’re in the area, don’t miss out on the city’s beer and bike culture. Seek out a Walnut Studiolo reusable six-pack, and consult Geoff’s list of breweries to visit by bike.

Photos by Collin Hughes. Want to see more of the Class Trip? Head over here.

Across the US: On the Table

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 16:29:38 -0400

We’ve logged a lot of miles on the Class Trip, but there’s one other thing that has occupied nearly as much time on our travels as driving: eating.

Just look at the photos. Can you blame us? These are just a few of the absolutely-don’t-miss dishes we’ve devoured along the way.

Buttermilk biscuit sandwiches and waffles at Barista Parlor in Nashville

Nearly the entire menu from Chicken Scratch in Dallas: skillet fried chicken fingers, spicy tacos, fried tofu salad, tamales, and macaroni and cheese

Toast taken to another level by Sqirl in Los Angeles: open face brioche with kale, sausage and sharp cheddar

Proof Bakery, a little Los Angeles spot, sells out of croissants in a matter of hours, but we were lucky enough to snag a couple of them in addition to an assortment of delicious baked goods.

The Rebel Within: a soft-boiled egg within a savory pastry for a well-rounded breakfast at Craftsman & Wolves in San Francisco

Lunch special at Olympic Provisions in Portland: sausage, greens and polenta topped by a fried egg

For more from our travels, check out the Class Trip here. Photos by Collin Hughes.

Ocean Avenue: Behind the Scenes

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 13:27:32 -0400

When we started thinking about the Ocean Avenue Collection, we returned again and again to The Warriors, a cult classic about New York City gangs as they rumble their way to Coney Island on a single sticky night.

Unsupervised mischief is a common motif in our favorite summer memories, and luckily, we had an ace crew with us to replicate the feeling in our dance-off video.

Cass Bird, director:

“Chrissie and I always have played around with the idea of shooting a musical. Some of our inspirations are West Side Story, the Beat It video, The Warriors. I love dance, and I love narrative through that.

I’m inspired by things that feel immediate and pure—I gravitate toward things that are more textural, and to people who have a lot of character. Coney Island speaks to all of those things. You really feel the life that has passed through.”

Turner, stylist:

“I hired my friend Soner Ön to paint the gang’s denim jackets, and a lot of what the dancers are wearing are my own personal clothes. There’s a dancer wearing black leather shorts; those are mine. I bought a shirt for a now ex-boyfriend, and he never got around to wearing it, so the guy in the suspenders and bow tie is wearing that.

Courtshop does all high-waisted denim, and their summer collection is perfect for the video’s concept. They’re a very small independent denim brand, and they are the only non-vintage clothing that we pulled.”

Marlyn Ortiz, choreographer:

“Cass wanted to have a blend of hip hop and technical movement as a way of separating the ‘nice’ kids from the mischievous kids.

Technical dance is a blend of ballet and modern. I’m talking about your classical dance that you learn in ballet school, in dance class pointing your feet, pliéing, pas de bourré. The rhythms and the energy of the movement that you’re doing are up, as opposed to hip hop, which is more grounded. With hip hop, you don’t incorporate anything technical. You wear sneakers, you wear boots. Anybody can do hip hop: it originated in the streets. You can learn it anywhere as opposed to going to class and holding onto a bar.”

Molly Young, story writer:

“In sketching out a mini-story about the two dance groups, I was thinking about all of my favorite stories about rivals—from Romeo and Juliet to West Side Story to The Outsiders. Instead of staging a fight between gangs, it seemed seasonally appropriate to stage a dance-off—and instead of a turf war, I wanted the two groups to start scrapping over a pair of stolen sunglasses. It’s a goofy, summer-y spin on all of these classic gangland stories.”

Photos by Nate Poekert

Musical Rx: Ocean Avenue

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 17:21:00 -0400

Percey sunglasses in Burnt Lemon Tortoise.

In honor of our new Ocean Avenue Collection, our friend and noted music supervisor Randall Poster created a summer playlist that will have you shimmying until the sun sets.

1. Coney Island Baby - Lou Reed

2. Sideshow by the Seashore - Luna

3. In the City (The Warriors soundtrack version) - Joe Walsh

4. Seventeen Years - Ratatat

5. Slow and Low - Beastie Boys

6. Who Will Save Rock and Roll? - Dictators

7. Pretty Baby - Blondie

8. Personality Crisis - The New York Dolls

9. A Teenager in Love - Dion & The Belmonts

10. Do You Wanna Dance - Ramones

11. Be My Baby - The Ronettes

12. One More Night in Brooklyn - Justin Townes Earle

Listen to the playlist on Spotify.

Literary Rx: Joyce Maynard

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 16:17:57 -0400

1969: “In my junior year I had English and algebra and French and art and history, but what I really had was fun.”

-Joyce Maynard’s Looking Back: A Chronicle of Growing Up Old in the Sixties

Thanks to our friends at Flat Vernacular for the excellent backdrops behind these titles.

Scenes from the road

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 11:50:00 -0400

We left New York nearly eight months ago in two-car caravan: a yellow school bus stocked to the brim with books and glasses followed by a trusty Ford transporting our team. We took off on the extended version of your class trip from school, except this one has spanned across eleven cities so far (with many more in between).

Over the months, we’ve made our way through energy-revving playlists and learned more than we ever expected about each other. Stick a handful of coworkers in a car together for hours on end, and the stories start spilling. Middle school screen names, guilty pleasures, snacking habits? We know it all.

And there have been plenty of pit stops along the way: an apple orchard outside of Philadelphia, the French Quarter in New Orleans, Cadillac Graveyard in Amarillo, a cattle auction, the desert near the Grand Canyon, the Las Vegas strip, and Pacific Coast Highway between San Diego and Los Angeles.

And to think, we’ve got a few more months to go…

Photos by Collin Hughes. Want to hear more about our travels? Follow the Class Trip here.

Mood Board: Ocean Avenue Collection

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 14:38:31 -0400

This one’s for the boardwalk truants, amateur spongers, and aspiring beach bums.

Our inspiration for the Ocean Avenue Collection was summer in the city, with a late 1970s/early 1980s vibe.

Crank up the radio—yes, the radio—and cheers! Beer’s in the cooler.

We’ve been expecting you.

Preston in Seaglass Blue. Shop the entire Ocean Avenue collection here.

Introducing the Ocean Avenue Collection

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 10:15:00 -0400

Screaming on the Cyclone, lazing on the sand, and sprinting through the nearest open fire hydrant top our very casual agenda this summer.

We daydreamed about our own adventures—searing brain freezes, sky-high cutoffs, and that open-window sensation of peeling out of a hot car seat—for our new selection of eyewear, the Ocean Avenue Collection.

Each of the custom acetate frames are throw-’em-on-and-go, with new tasty hues like Ginger Lemonade, Orange Fizz, and Chocolate Soda. They pair perfectly with your blisters-be-damned sandals and a healthy slather of SPF 50.

Percey in Cream Soda

Roosevelt in Chocolate Soda

Jasper in Orange Fizz

Jules in Ginger Lemonade

Wheeler in Chocolate Soda

When school’s out, responsibility takes off until further notice, and we wanted to commemorate the similar lawlessness of a bygone summer with a film of our own. Chrissie Miller teamed up with director Cass Bird and stylist Turner to stage a beachside scuffle in the form of a dance-off, Warby Parker-style.

The setting? Coney Island, of course.

Watch now:

Shop the entire Ocean Avenue Collection here.

Photos by Nate Poekert

Bulletin from the bus: Portland, Part 1

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 11:57:57 -0400

We’ve settled into our latest city on the Class Trip: Portland!

Our time here has been spent drinking Stumptown Coffee and getting to know the team at Beam & Anchor, Matt from Wood & Faulk and Taylor and Anoria of Maak Soap Lab.

There’s a really rich creative community around here: artist Maryanna Hoggatt gave us a look at her intricate works, the CreativeCares team shared their adventures in pairing artists with non-profit organizations, and photographer Parker Fitzgerald gave us a specialty tour of the great outdoors.

We’ll be in town through June 9th, so please stop by the bus, and introduce yourself. We’re parked at NW Park and Glisan, Wednesday-Sunday from 11am-7pm.

Photos by Collin Hughes

Across the US: Local designers

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 17:25:38 -0400

In our travels across the US on the Warby Parker Class Trip, we’ve encountered incredibly creative individuals at every stop. These small business owners are crafting everything from finely-designed leather accessories to serious helium-swallowing balloons. In the area? Add these design studios to your itinerary.

Peg & Awl, Philadelphia:

Margeaux and Walter craft an array of wooden and leather goods, often using salvaged materials. Our favorite item of theirs? Their chalkboard tablet, perfect for our in-office to do lists and grocery lists at home.

Sideshow Sign Co., Nashville

You’ll spy one of the studio’s oversized, illuminated lettering by our display inside Imogene + Willie. Sideshow Sign Co. puts reclaimed wood and beat-up steel to good use—your new marquee sign (designed using vintage type) will look nicely aged.

Emil Erwin, Nashville

Emil’s supple leather bags are developed with some serious TLC. Every step of the process—from pattern-making to sewing— is handled in his studio. During our visit, we gave stitching a wallet a hearty go. Confirmed: it’s not as easy as it looks.

Otis James, Nashville

Who says ties are strictly for men? This craftsman has introduced a series of “lady ties,” which we’ve often spotted around musician Nikki Lane’s neck. Every item is made to order, hand-finished, and topped off with a handwritten cotton tag. (You can also customize the inscription if you like.)

Typewriter Boneyard, San Diego

Dipping into their ever-growing collection of thrifted books, Chelsea and Philip create the perfect bedside lamp. Their book lamps are hollowed out and wired within to easily sit on top of your existing stack.

Geronimo Balloons, Los Angeles

The grocery store mylar variety just got a serious upgrade. The oversized party accessories, accompanied by Jihan’s handmade “trill,” are guaranteed mood-changers and solid alternatives to a gifted bouquet of flowers.

The 2 Bandits Jewelry, San Francisco

Inspired by her mom’s 80’s “Texas glam,” Tamar designs jewelry that blends that element of glitz with earthy materials. Her rustic metal designs are accompanied by colorful stones, and they’ll fit in just fine at your next music festival.

Maak Soap Lab, Portland

With their natural handmade soaps, Taylor and Anoria hope to capture the scent of Portland. Their Beam & Anchor workspace is filled with a sweet, woodsy aroma from blends highlighting Port Orford Cedar, honey, eucalyptus and rose.

Photos by Collin Hughes. Want to see more of the Class Trip? Head over here.

Bureau of Internal Affairs: Wine Awesomeness

Fri, 31 May 2013 12:33:42 -0400

The fellows from Wine Awesomeness recently stopped by our headquarters to share some of their favorite reds and whites. Popping bottles: not a bad way to wrap up the work day.

Here’s a summary of what we learned.

1. The correct term for wine expert is not wino. It is sommelier.

2. You don’t need to worry about learning the “right” adjectives to describe wine. The best way to get a good recommendation is to snap a photo of a bottle you’ve enjoyed and show it to a wine pro next time you’re at a restaurant or liquor store. They’ll have primo suggestions.

3. Every food has an optimal pairing. Even office snacks! We asked the pros to recommend pairings for our most commonly-eaten items:

Toasted sesame bagel with cream cheese
Champagne

Chocolate chip Clif Bar
Malbec

Greek yogurt with honey
Chenin blanc Vouvray, demi-sec (slightly sweet) style

Mid-afternoon pickle snack
Rioja

Handful of Special K cereal
Belgian double or triple golden ale

Spoonful of peanut butter
California Chardonnay

Cheddar Goldfish
Flemish red beer

Chicken Pad Thai
Riesling

Thanks, Wine Awesomeness!

Photos by Lauren Farmer

Literary Rx: Cruel Shoes

Thu, 30 May 2013 12:22:00 -0400

Steve Martin is the goofy uncle we always wanted, but that’s not saying nearly enough. He captured our hearts with 1979’s The Jerk, which is still a source of common reference around the Warby Parker office (even if, uh, not everyone was alive to see it in theaters.) He’s also a virtuosic banjo player, an excellent—and underrated!—novelist, a playwright, and a surprisingly prolific user of Twitter.

We picked up a copy of his 1977 book Cruel Shoes for a dip into the vintage Steve cellar, and thought we’d share the Top 10 Pieces of Advice we learned from reading it:

1. Don’t be a slowpoke.

2. If you smoke too much, your lips will fall off.

3. If you accidentally dial the wrong number, it’s important to offer cash compensation in addition to an apology.

4. Children are not born with an innate sense of respect.

5. Don’t look at fine art during daylight saving time.

6. Don’t fool with renegade cows.

7. You should not carry a lunchpail.

8. Instead, you should keep a sandwich in your pocket in case you get hungry.

9. The best diet for health consists of one egg, one raisin, and a pumpkin pie with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.

10. It is not dangerous to have dogs in your nose.

Thanks to our friends at Flat Vernacular for the excellent backdrops behind these titles.

What's on Our Shelves

Wed, 29 May 2013 11:33:00 -0400

You’ve seen our new flagship store on Greene Street in New York—we hope!—and even if you can’t make it in person, we’ll be sharing some behind-the-scenes intel.

Reading is a favorite pastime of ours, plus our customers are smart so it makes sense that we sell books alongside our glasses. We’ll be adding and swapping out titles all the time, but what we select will always come from small publishers with a strong editorial vision.

Here’s whom you’ll find in our shelves. Happy browsing!

Dashwood Books is New York City’s only bookstore devoted exclusively to photography. Their curatorial team annually publishes monographs of contemporary photographers that are underrepresented in the mainstream art world.

Founded by novelist Dave Eggers in 2008, McSweeney’s has helped kickstart the careers of many young writers, and they also publish established writers like George Saunders and Joyce Carol Oates.

Founded in 1936 by the poet James Laughlin, early New Directions authors include Ezra Pound and William Carlos Williams.

City Lights, an independent bookstore-publisher located in San Francisco, published many of the Beat Generation writers, and now specializes in world literature and the arts.

Ugly Duckling Presse is a nonprofit art and publishing organization based in Brooklyn. Privileging emerging and international writers, their books often incorporate handmade elements.

Founded in 2007 by artist David Schoerner, Hassla is an independent publishing company specializing in books and catalogs by emerging to mid-career artists.

Based in both New York and Atlanta, J&L Books produces two to five new books per year of work by unpublished or underpublished contemporary artists.

West Hollywood staple Book Soup specializes in literary fiction, as well as books about art, film, music, photography, and fashion, and hosts over 300 author signings annually.

Founded in 2001 by sculptor Valerie Merians and writer Dennis Johnson, Melville House Books, based in Brooklyn, publishes innovative fiction and newsworthy nonfiction.

Founded in 1995 and based in Brooklyn, powerHouse Books specializes in fine art, documentary, pop culture, fashion, and celebrity books.

Spoonbill & Sugartown Booksellers in Williamsburg provides literature and books on art, architecture, and design to its creatively inclined Brooklyn community.

Almost a decade ago, three high school friends established Family. The Los Angeles bookstore specializes in artists’ books and contemporary literature and also has a project space for regularly occurring art exhibitions.

Little Brown Mushroom was founded in St. Paul, Minnesota in 2008. They publish monographs, zines, and journals, and are dedicated to non-traditional, often visual, narration.

If I Could Have a Superpower...

Tue, 28 May 2013 12:00:00 -0400

Last Tuesday, we released two limited-edition frames designed in collaboration with this summer’s much-anticipated film Man of Steel.

Excited? So are we. And if you’re feeling lucky, you can enter to walk the red carpet and see the film at its official New York City premiere.

To enter, fill in the blank: “If I could have a superpower…” Tweet your answer and include @WarbyParker and #ManofSteel in your tweet. Boom.

Enter as many times as you want between Tuesday, 5/28 at noon ET and Monday, 6/3 at 5:00pm ET. We’ll randomly select one winner to win two tickets to the premiere and two pairs of Warby Parker x Man of Steel eyeglasses.

For official rules, head here.