A few weeks ago, I found myself meandering through my local Target (as a gal in her 30s with time to kill will do). Since it was nearly fall, I headed straight to the seasonal section to browse the early drop of cozy candles, throw blankets, and other autumnal home essentials. As I made my way to the kitchen aisle to dig through the mugs and festive cups, I saw it: a pumpkin-printed Anthropologie Icon juice glass staring back at me across the shelf. Only we weren’t anywhere near an Anthropologie, and we were still weeks out from Halloween.
I was overcome with confusion (I was at Target, right?), disappointment, and, dare I say, a little bit of rage. I left that day still thinking about that damned juice glass. Why had this $8 dupe pushed me over the edge? What was it about this stupid thing, which I’d seen zillions of times in one pattern or another, that pissed me off so much??
Well, therein lies the answer. I believe we’ve gone too far with the Anthropologie Icon juice glass. As a society, we need to rein it in and buy, literally, ANYTHING else. I’m begging you.
What started as a kitschy vessel for zhuzhing up morning matchas and sleepytime mocktails has expanded into the (albeit photogenic) demon of drinkware. There are Icon glasses for every season, holiday, milestone, aesthetic, and mood.
My main issue with these beloved and mostly innocuous $16 drinking glasses is less about their design and more about their never-ending trail of replicas. (Although there was that concerning period when folks on TikTok filmed their Icon glasses exploding from thermal shock…scary!) They’re everywhere. What was created to be unique and delightfully tacky has become so boringly mainstream and expected. And I am tired!
The Icon glass has gone the way of the Stanley cup and MacKenzie-Childs teapots: cute for a moment, now over-hyped and uninspired. What’s the fun in having something everyone else has? Especially when there are so many other cool, superior water glasses out there.
We’ve overdone it with Icon glasses, but I’m here to throw you a lifeline: 20 lifelines, to be exact. Now that I’ve settled down from my spooky encounter at Target, I’ve compiled my favorite alternatives to Anthro’s viral cups. Below are beautiful water glasses for every taste and budget that I implore you to buy instead.
Tastefully kitschy
If you love the whole kitschy, slightly twee energy of the Icon glass but don’t want the same one everyone else has, start here. These glasses have plenty of personality with playful prints, unexpected motifs, and fun patterns. Basically, all of the fun with significantly less oh, you have that glass too?
Teeming with texture
A glass doesn’t need a cute print to make a statement. These picks get their visual interest from texture, whether that’s ribbing, bumps, waves, or other tactile details that make them as fun to hold as they are to look at. They’re decorative enough to leave out on your counter but still feel like actual everyday drinkware. And they're all under $100.
Cool and colorful
These glasses come in saturated hues, cheerful tints, and combinations that make even a morning glass of water feel more festive. They’re playful without veering into novelty territory, which means you can mix and match a few without making your kitchen look like the clearance aisle. Bonus: They look especially good when you’re actually entertaining.
Structural and oddly shaped
Wavy silhouettes, wonky rims, curvy shapes, and other delightfully strange details give these glasses a little more presence than your average tumbler. They’re tiny pieces of functional art—and unlike the Icon glass, you probably won’t spot the exact same one in every third Instagram post.
Stackable and small space-friendly
Pretty water glasses are great, but not if they require an entire cabinet to themselves. These picks are designed with smaller kitchens and crowded shelves in mind thanks to their stackability. And they're proof that staying organized doesn't have to look boring.
