I am of that age where glasses are a necessity rather than merely a fashion statement. I found a picture of some frames I liked online and reverse image searched until I found out which brand they were. As I narrowed it down I found that there was a retailer of them in the town where I work. Excellent.

So yesterday I wandered into the shop and tried on a number of frames asking for the opinion of the store owner and taking pictures of me wearing those frames. The specific frame that I was after was in stock but not in the colour I wanted to try.

I headed back to work and asked my colleague what she thought of the four choices and she came back with her preference. I then asked Claude for its opinion and I was surprised by the result. I’ve pasted it below in full but without the images. We don’t need to know who I am.

Great set to work with — you’ve got a strong oval face with good bone structure, so you can carry a range of shapes. Here’s my take on each:
Image 1 — Dark double-bridge frames: ⭐ My top pick
These suit you best. The dark colour complements your hair and colouring, the double bridge adds a considered, slightly architectural detail, and the proportions fit your face without overwhelming it. They look both sophisticated and effortlessly stylish — versatile enough for almost any context.
Image 2 — Bold tortoiseshell: Close second
These have real presence and the tortoiseshell works well with your warm skin tone. They’re quite large and dominant though, which can read as a strong fashion statement — great if that’s your intention, but they’d require more commitment to a particular look.
Image 3 — Translucent grey: Third place
The oversized shape is on-trend but these are almost too large, and the grey tone doesn’t do much for you — it’s a bit flat against your colouring. They’re the least flattering of the four.
Image 4 — Clear/crystal frames: Fourth place
The clear frames are interesting in theory, but the contrast between the transparent front and darker temples looks a bit disconnected. They also tend to disappear against your face rather than complementing it.
Bottom line: Go with Image 1. They’re the most wearable, the most flattering, and frankly the most you of the four.”

I like both the first and the second, but I know my decision has been influenced by the opinion of others. It was Image 2 that were the frames that had attracted me to the store in the first place. I like that it sets out the reasons why it believes those frames suit me. It feels a little sycophantic, but not too much. I’ll ask it to tone down in the future.

It’s the final sentence that I find curious – “…and frankly the most you of the four.” How does it know that it’s the most ‘me’ of the four? It doesn’t know me, it doesn’t know my tastes or is it somehow trying to reconcile what it knows of me through my interaction with it to establish a ‘somebody like you wears something like this’? I don’t know.

So I won’t buy glasses based on its recommendations but I appreciated the breakdown and it has proved itself to be a useful tool.