IOLLA

Love love love.
I went to iolla because a friend of mine turned up in the best pair of glasses I had ever seen on her. I only need mine for reading but as in the line for a new pair as my current ones were leaving an indentation on my nose. £65 including lenses I hear you say? What’s no to like?
I visited on my day off with no appointment, and Colette the shop manager guided me through the options and gave me a very honest aye or naw to what I was trying on. I was done and dusted in 15 minutes and my glasses were ready for me to pick up 2 days later! Being open on a Sunday meant I didn’t have to wait til my next day off during the week. Ding dong. I chose a pair called Paterson and they are fabulous and super lightweight, and I also got a funky glasses case too.
Comedy moment when I saw the sign for the ‘honesty bar’, which I found out was basically help yourself to tea, coffee, or a candy cane, and leave some money in the jar.
What I originally thought it meant was I that would walk through and someone would be like ‘That outfit today… Seriously?‘
Lovely décor in the shop, it was lovely and cosy on a very cold day, and Colette and Kirsty (marketing guru) were lovely to meet.

Excellent service. Friendly, helpful and speedy. The shop adds sparkle to the local community and has sourced all it’s fittings from roundabout. Stylish and keenly priced. Recommended… My family are all making a bee line!

I hate spectacle shopping normally. I feel we get ripped off and over charged for frames in comparison to what they actually cost to make. Well that is all over it seems. I noticed all the cool kids had found a new place to shop for their new frames and I thought I would Sneak in and pretend to be one to. All them other reviews explain the low down on this place. So I won’t go into to much detail but here are the main points.
— it’s not an opticians it just does frames, so take your your prescription with you.
— they are all 65 quid.
— it’s all the iolla brand.
— they are all meant to be unisex.
— you choose, you pay and they are ready within ten days.
— mine were actually ready in 4 days.
— if you go back in to collect them they will make sure they fit you perfect.
— Best frames I have ever purchased.
— Cheapest frames I have ever purchased.
— super friendly and helpful staff.
What’s not to love! I will be going back for another pair soon.

Update time! So my visit to Iolla was very smooth and straightforward (see initial review) and I waited to get my glasses in the mail. I’d been into Iolla and placed my order on a Tuesday and they’d advised a 9 day waiting period for them to arrive, but on the Thursday evening I got an email saying they were going to be delivered on Friday. Win!
They arrived nicely packaged (see photos) and in hard cases with cleaning cloths inside. My only gripe was that my measurements had been taken for them to adjust the length of the arms but they didn’t seem to have been adjusted. That wasn’t a big deal as I just popped into Iolla the next time I was in Finnieston and they quickly fixed them for me.
I would definitely go back to Iolla for more pairs of glasses and it’s good to see they’re expanding the range all the time. Well worth a visit if you’re a glasses-​wearer or fan.

My mother always told me, don’t be afraid to splurge on glasses because they are the window through which everybody sees your face… well, when custom glasses like Iolla’s are only £65 a full set including lenses that means I just buy every single frame I fancy! Call me crazy, but I bought 4 pairs! And here was my mental justification:
Tortoise shell grey and black frame: First pair I was drawn too and they looked HOT!
Amber framed sunglasses: Always wanted amber frames, but they look stupid with my dark features. pop in a sunglass lens and BOom I’m in love.
Black mat frame: Well, I am a nerd, I work in a laboratory, wear a lab coat, and it might as well be part of the uniform.
Green glasses: Honestly I wasn’t a big fan of these, but the three people I was shopping with and the gentleman who owns the store insisted they looked amazing, so I gave into peer pressure.
If you don’t wear glasses, you are missing out, so go buy some custom shades with whatever frame you like. Last but not least, Iolla has a cute little coffee bar in the back to keep you fuelled while you try on every pair in the store!

iolla seems to be all over social media at the moment so I was very excited to pay them my first visit a few weeks ago.
We were met in the super trendy but welcoming showroom by co-​owners Stefan and Brian who were both absolutely lovely and so helpful when helping us pick our frames.
They were extremely patient as I destroyed all of their pretty displays in the shop trying on practically every style and colour of frames in the store… of which there are many.
In the end I settled on 3 pairs of glasses… I know I know 3 pairs is outrageous but there are so many cool designs in really interesting colours I nearly walked out with 10 pairs.
Here is the great news tho — these guys are only charing £65 a pair… including frames! how cheap is that???
Brilliant service, fantastic product — I can’t wait to go back to buy more.
Little note: They are not an opticians so you need to have your prescription to order your new glasses.

Iolla is a new brand of prescription eyewear that aims to revolutionise the traditional optical market. Glasses are designed and assembled in Scotland to provide higher-​quality, better-​looking eyewear at a fraction of the current price. £65 gets you fabulous frames, thin lenses and anti-​glare and anti-​scratch coating if your prescription is between certain parameters. I have a strong prescription and have a slight astigmatism and that was included, too!
I popped in to the Iolla showroom on a Saturday with Baby Girl unannounced; I had an appointment scheduled later in the week but had some time to kill and was passing by. Stefan, one of Iolla’s founders, was so patient and helpful. It will come to no surprise to anyone who knows me that I tried on just about every frame in the showroom. Iolla have a variety of frames, all named after famous Scots, to suit every face shape and come in multiple colours. I went back and forth between a few different frames but in the end decided to go for a pair that were the complete opposite to my glasses I’ve had for the past 2 years.
I love my new Stevenson frames in light blue crystal! They really make my eyes pop and are just so far removed from my big black frames. I love that at only £65 you can have glasses that are truly a fashion choice and not just functional. In fact I loved my Iolla glasses so much I went back 2 weeks later for another pair!
Can you believe in 22 years of wearing glasses I have never had prescription sunglasses? For me they were just an expense I couldn’t justify so it meant always wearing contacts when it was sunny or using these gigantic sunglasses my Dad gave me that go over your existing glasses so you look like a glaucoma grandma!
My Bruce sunglasses in plum are far more stylish and made sunglare worries on my morning commute a thing of the past. I honestly can’t believe I went this long without prescription sunglasses!
Iolla frames can be purchased online and shipped straight to your door or you can pop in to the showroom on Argyle Street in Glasgow if you like to try on your frames before you buy. I love supporting local businesses and it’s even more amazing when the local business service and product is better value for money than the corporate conglomerates!