Sight lines

Shop: Klasik Eyewear

GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Shop

You know those people – the Iris Apfels and Prue Leiths of this world, the ones at art exhibitions on a Tuesday afternoon, leisurely taking themselves out for decadent lunches – wearing the best glasses you’ve ever seen? Striking, chunky, idiosyncratic frames that look so good on someone that – surely – they must have been born wearing them.

These are the frames they trade in at Klasik Eyewear. Tiny, tortoiseshell frames to snippy, cat-eye models, each with a label noting only the price and the date they were made.

I’ve long and loudly lamented the high street specs shops that offer 500 identikit pairs of interchangeable, uninspiring styles: glasses that fit everyone and suit no one. With the exception of Kylie Minogue’s 2019 capsule collection at Specsavers (this writer’s Roman Empire), the offering is bleak: your main accessory reduced to a bland but practical necessity.

Not here. On the Roman Road and only open Wednesday to Sunday, Klasik Eyewear is the brick-and-mortar iteration of their regular stall at Spitalfields market. Blink and you’ll miss the modest façade, as well as the boutique collection of vintage and contemporary frames within. Of note is their wide selection of ’80/’90s German brand Cazal frames, headed up by the iconic Cari Zalloni, featuring avant-garde models with exaggerated temples and eyebrow bridges. They also stock modern, unisex frames inspired by older styles and shapes.

Adam, the owner, is an optical encyclopedia, preternaturally skilled at evaluating face shape and features to help pick out your perfect pair. –Amy-Rose Holland

→ Shop: Klasik Eyewear (Mile End) • 443A Roman Rd • Wed 10a-4p, Fri 11a-6p, Sat 10a-5p.