fashion
connection
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The buying team also looks for pieces that have a contemporary feel but won’t look dated next season or even next year.

The goal, she says, is to bring in clothing pieces that most members will be able to buy as staple items to update or add flair to their current wardrobe.

—Stephanie E. Ponder

Looking

(and seeing)good

JOE KINGLEIGH

IF YOUR OPTOMETRIST just told that you need reading glasses, you are not alone. According to the Sunglass Association of America, U.S. consumers purchased almost 35 million pairs of reading glasses last year. While this statistic may be comforting in some small way, it could leave you wondering what you’re going to look like wearing a pair of drugstore specials. Costco buyer Kristin Ashton thought about this, too.

“We have totally revamped our reading-glasses program,” explains Kristin. “Costco now offers several lines of reading glasses that are about function and form. They enable you to read comfortably—and, thanks to features such as handmade temple tips and smaller, more stylish frames for both men and women, they will likely complement your sense of fashion.”

As you age, your eyes lose elasticity, making it difficult to focus up close. To combat this condition, Costco’s new line of reading glasses come in a wide range of magnifications and are

built with prescription-quality materials, such as Monel, stainless steel, aluminum and memory plastic (an extremely light, durable plastic).

The Costco Connection Costco warehouses and costco.com carry a variety of clothing items for women, men and children.

All glasses also feature scratch-resistant and UV-coated aspheric lenses. Aspheric lenses, which were introduced in the eyewear industry in the early 1990s, are preferable because they tend to be thinner than conventional lenses and, in most cases, offer superior corrected vision.

Costco reading glasses come in three-packs because studies have shown that most people who wear reading glasses own an average of six pairs. “We felt three-packs would work well for first-time buyers and might also afford some variety for initiated members,” Kristin says.

According to Andrew Kahn, CEO of Design Optics, manufacturer of the reading glasses Costco carries, these glasses are a real value. “The price members pay for three pairs of glasses at Costco would buy them a single pair of reading glasses of comparable quality at other sources,” Kahn says.—Will Fifield

Swiss Made.

Special Value.