A Guy's Guide To Sunglasses

Guys, don’t dismiss sunglasses as the last part of your outfit. Think about it, what’s the first thing you see about a person you meet? Their face. Your face, and thus your glasses, are what people look at when you interact with them. Your shades can make or break your appearance. So when you look for a new pair, get one that you’re 100% satisfied with.

A note about this guide
This guide is based on everyday sunglasses. If you’re looking for sport shades, take a look at this blog post instead: Pick The Right Sunglasses For Your Sport

Shape
The first thing you think about when buying a new pair of sunglasses is the shape of the your face. Everyone’s face will fall into one of four categories: Oval, Square, Circle, Heart. If you’re having trouble figuring out your face shape, first stand in front a mirror. Second, without smiling take a dry erase marker or tube of lipstick(just ask your girl first!) and outline the shape of your face. This should your give you a basic idea of your face shape.

Now it’s a common misconception that your need to make the shape of your shades to the shape of your face. Actually you need to contrast them.

Redditor Harrison Fjord describes how to pick contrasting shades:

Oval – An oval face is longer than it is wide – so a good pair of glasses will help broaden the face. Oval faces look best with rectangular frames, as they make the face appear wider. A modern, half-rimmed pair will do this most effectively. People with oval face should avoid circular glasses, as they will diminish facial definition.

 

 

Square – People with square faces already have a strongly-defined facial shape, so their glasses should be either oval or round. Thicker frames work well for this face shape as it helps to give shape to the cheekbones.

 

 

 

Circle – People with round faces should choose glasses that give their face structure and definition. Avoid thick-framed glasses, as well as glasses with a circular shape – these will make your face look large and undefined. Instead, opt for either angular or rectangular glasses with narrow wire frames.

 

 

Heart – Heart-shaped faces already have a lot of natural definition, so glasses should be chosen to help bring out the jaw line and cheekbones. This can be achieved by using oval or square-shaped glasses with thick, geometric frames.

 

 

 

Fit
Sunglasses measurements are often given as three numbers, measured in millimeters. The first number is the width of one lens, the second is the width of the bride over the nose, and the third is the length of one arm from hinge to tip. For example 56-18-140.

Finding your size is easy. Get in front of that mirror again this time armed with a measuring tape. First measure the widest part of your face. The measure the width of the bridge of your nose to get the second number. Subtract the width of the bridge of your nose from the total width, and then divide the number in half to get the lens width of the shades. Remember that a millimeter isn’t a lot, so if you find a pair you like that’s one or two millimeters off, don’t worry!

Color
Check out this post: Choosin’ The Right Color Sunglasses For Your Skin Tone

Final thoughts
Generally, Aviators and Wayfarer look good on everyone. They’re classics for a reason and you can’t really go wrong with a pair.

 

Aviators: Created by Ray-Ban in the late 1930s, the iconic teardrop shape is ideal for those with a triangular face. Due to their wide surface area, you should avoid single tone tints and chose a smooth graduating gradient instead.

Wayfarers: Another Ray-Ban classic, the Wayfarer shades have been popular since their release in 1952, and are said to be the best selling designer sunglasses in history! Their subtle shape will feel at home on most face types, and help offset roundness without being too pointed.

Teashades: Unless you are an aging rockstar, don’t wear these!

 

 

Hope this helps Rockheads! Let me know if you have any thoughts or questions below in the comments!