Edinburgh's Jimmy Fairly offers glasses and sunglasses to tempt you away from contact lenses

They opened last year on George Street

Jimmy Fairly Pic: Connor Mollison

I wear my contact lenses for about 12 hours a day.

It’s only when they’re plucked out, in the evening, that my specs go on. I wouldn’t want to answer the door at this point, as my glasses are all pretty ancient, and slightly skewiff.

Still, I’d like to reduce my lens wear time, so my retinas don’t dry out like a pair of raisins. Thus, it was time to invest in new eyewear.

The Cinnamon sunglasses at Jimmy Fairly

And, rather than heading to my old faithfuls, Specsavers or Iolla, I thought I’d try the newbie in town, Edinburgh’s Jimmy Fairly, which is the first and only branch of this French optician in Scotland.

They’re notable in that they donate a pair of glasses to someone in need, every time a pair is sold in the store.

It was that, as well as the sunglasses, that first drew me in. Their window is full of rather cool Sixties-influenced collections, including The Cassia frames and the retro flower-shaped The Lily.

The specs are great too. They’re stylish, but wearably so. You don’t feel as if you’re wearing part of a Woody Allen costume.

Jimmy Fairly George Street interior Pic: Connor Mollison

After their customer’s free 30-minute eye test, where they discovered that I needed a slightly stronger prescription, I tried some on.

They have two experts in store, to help advise. I appreciated their honesty, and I was talked down from The Madeleine. I loved them on the shelf, but they did make me look a bit like I had a monobrow, a la The Muppets’ Burt. I’m not trendy enough to go for the aviator style, with The Alva, and I love the octagonal The Dora, but I couldn’t carry them off either.

I end up settling on a bio-acetate (plant based and biodegradable) tortoiseshell pair of The Saylor, which, like all their specs, are £135 including single vision lenses. They also add a free anti-scratch, anti-reflective and water repellent treatment.

My order is sent off to their workshop in France, and, along with my choice of stripey tote bag, I receive them a week or so later.

They look great, and sit properly on the bridge of my nose, rather than on my cheeks.

If the doorbell rings at 8pm, I will answer it proudly.

47a George Street, Edinburgh, www.jimmyfairly.com