At Warby Parker’s Storefront in Dallas, School Is Cooler Than Ever

I would’ve chosen a theme other than school house, if I were decorating the Warby Parker storefront in Dallas, which opened this week. This is not to say that I didn’t appreciate the oversized pencil sticking out of the roof, or the kitschy school bus parked out front. I love these things. Love them in an unhealthy, that-puppy-is-so-cute-I’m-going-to-melt type of way. But I’m ready to see Warby Parker break out of basic bitch, plaid shirt, twee hipsterville and onto the streets. Wouldn’t it be rad if glasses weren’t just cool for Zooey Deschanel wannabes?

I’m ready for WP to step up its game and give glasses a tattoo shop swag or Vogue magazine glam. Why rest with making glasses acceptable in a world of hipstamatic irony? Let’s keep this revolution going.

Looking around at the Warby Parker grand-opening party Wednesday night, one of the coolest kiddos sporting glasses was, in fact, a kiddo. And for that little guy, the school house theme makes perfect sense. And the whole time I couldn’t help but wonder: if I thought school was cool before the rest of these ultra-stylish party-goers, does that mean I was ahead of my time? Were those of us who loved school while we were in school the original hipsters? Or is this entire Warby Parker fad a cruel ironic trick?

Whether it’s sincere affection for the classroom or laced in sarcasm, I don’t care. After Wednesday night I’ve bought into Warby Parker culture. They were serving up Four Corners beer, Bolsa Mercado bites, and people were playing corn hole. And those glasses are so damn cute, it makes me wish I needed a pair. Besides maybe buying fashionable glasses off of a school bus is a kind of sweet justice for four-eyed kids who were bullied in childhood. Inside, the shop is pleasantly trendy and it sure beats the snail mail method of ordering the glasses.

If you’re ready to leave LensCrafters in the dust, head to 2008 N. Henderson Avenue. More info at warbyparker.com.