shopping for chic and well-fitting sunglasses is surprisingly tedious. for years, i never wore them because i was 1) too cheap to spend more than $10 on a pair and 2) convinced that i just couldn't find any that were stylish and fit my face properly.
after some trial and error, here's my shortlist of the best sunnies under the sun.
1. the street chic oversized sunnies – truth: larger frames are so much more flattering on me and work wonders in the departments of accentuation/proportion/urban disguise. add a fun tort print, and these are sunnies perfection (yes, they live up to the hype).
2. the badass classic aviators – elegant, lightweight, a perennial classic. cops may wear these, but stylish women wear these better. i think they're the eyewear equivalent to everyday delicate gold jewelry. reasonably priced compared to other designer brands, incredibly well-constructed and especially comfy to wear on hot summer days.
3. the tomboy vintagey reissues – quirky, stylish, Mad Men-esque. just enough borrowed-from-the-old-boys-club attitude. Illesteva makes a great version too.
I live in a tropical country, so yes, I wear sunglasses quite a lot. My favorites are my RayBan aviators. I actually lost my first pair in a boating accident, and I was crushed. So even if my bank account says I shouldn't, I went and bought a new pair exactly like my old ones.
ReplyDeleteI also have a pair of squared Clubmasters that don't overwhelm my face (and don't sit so far away from my eyes) like the regular ones.
I also want a pair of Wayfarers in a light tortoise shade. But two sunglasses in a month would be too much, I think.
ah yes. the quality and style of Raybans never ceases to impress me :)
DeleteI think I have the same problem. It's hard to find a good pair of sunglasses that will fit your face shape too...
ReplyDeleteall three in my post are comfy and the perfect width :)
DeleteThank you, great post! Even living in UK, I wear mine all year round. I have 3 pairs in rotation, an oversize subtle tort. by Jil Sander and Ray Ban's classic steel Aviators and their Brown Wayfarer. I'd love to try the crazy tort. and find a black pair that suit me. Sunglasses allow me to get away with just wearing a slick of lipstick on days I just can't get it together which is more often than not :-)
ReplyDeletehighly recommend the crazy tort sunnies. they print is actually more subtle when worn and i love that it's also camo-y. perfect with a red lip!
DeleteNow you've done it - MUST get some :-) I've been wearing glasses since I was 15 so it's kind of the perfect excuse....:-) Thank you!
DeleteI have trouble finding sunglasses as well! My go-to have been aviators from the children's section of Nordstrom ($10 and the pair I bought was in good condition 7 years after purchase...until I lost them). Until I can replace my tried and trues (or level up to a pair of kids' ray-bans), I have been buying * quirky* sunglasses from random stores (and subsequently losing them). I've found that by purposefully wearing distinct or interesting sunglasses it distracts from the fact that they may be a little too big for my face.
ReplyDeleteha, i am fully embracing oversized sungalsses now that i know that they're the only ones that really look good on me. i think it's much better than wearing too-smal ones...
DeleteLike you I haven't invested in sunglasses for a long time, thinking I only needed them during short periods of the year, plus the ones I bought never made the long run, either they broke, or I realized they didn't suit me that well.
ReplyDeleteBut I finally bought a pair last week, upon the recommendation of the sales assistant, a pair of Ray Ban with a kind of light tort print (a bit like your first pick). It is just a new purchase for now but they are really flattering and could enter my staples!
yes!! and i love that almost everyone commenting here is a raybans fan :D
DeleteI was extremely lucky when I was 14 I got a pair of classic Ray-Ban wayfarers for my birthday and they fit my face perfectly. They're timeless, as I've had them for almost five years now. They're in the $100s but they are obviously worth the buy and you can't really go wrong with them. However, they don't fit everyone's face.
ReplyDeletelucky you - and i totally agree. love the wayfarers, but the original ones don't work for me but the aviators and clubmasters featured in my post fit quite nicely :)
DeleteI used to have the Karen Walker Number One's in brown (regret not getting tortoise), sprung for the Perfect Day pair in tortoise this year as I couldn't find the old Number One's anywhere after moving. Here's hoping they last a few summers as they were my one big summer wardrobe purchase.
ReplyDeletei think they will -everyone i know who has KWs still gush over them seasons later.
Deletei put off buying "proper" sunglasses for years because i kept losing previous cheaper pairs. i tried on a pair in marc jacobs one day and was like wow! not only were they the perfect shape for my face (slightly oversized, but not too round) but the lenses were a bit sturdier too. given the cost, i've found that i do look after them better than my previous sunglasses (that they came in a hard case helped).
ReplyDeletei still buy cheap sunglasses for music festivals and days at the beach though. and i can tell that one day, i'm going to have to get prescription sunglasses. raybans seem to hit that point of quality/price (my fiance has two pairs) so i will probably look there come time. :)
i take better care of my more $$ purchases too. funny how that works, especially for proper sunglasses :)
DeleteHello! Love your blog, it's my first time posting...for me it's very difficult to find sunglasses because I need them to be able to be made into prescription because if not I can't see a darn thing. Any recommendations? Thanks!
ReplyDeletehi hi! please do comment more often :D
Deletei'd recommend the raybans (2nd and 3rd picks in my post) - their frames are almost ways Rx-ready.
Love my gold-rimmed aviators and Tom Ford oversized frames (so durable and stylish).
ReplyDeleteLove that photo of Yasmin Sewell :)
I usually stick to my Wayfarers although I'm still not completely convinced that they suit my face, haha. I did buy a Clubmaster-inspired pair last summer, but they don't feel quite right, so I'm happy I didn't buy the real deal right away! Will be looking for a pair of aviators this summer, but I think I will need to have a professional help me find the perfect pair :)
ReplyDelete@Ammu & Maja - can't go wrong with the real deal rayban aviators!
DeleteAfter a few strings of cheap sunglasses and the funny but embarassing (at my expense) accidents of a glass falling off while walking in the street, I decided to invest in Raybans. Got the Aviators and a couple of years later the Wayfarer. They're both my favorite, simple and classic, they suit any occasions and outfits.
ReplyDeleteI recently went even to high end with the Céline wayfarer but somehow I dislike the shape on my face... Weird.
lol - i am impressed at how many sunnies (low to high end brands) are all derivative of the classic rayban styles!
DeleteAnother vote for the Rayban aviators - have wanted a pair ever since I was a kid and they happen to suit me. I get mine with a prescription lens because I wear glasses daily, so I can't afford to splurge on too many pairs or lose them! I tried a pair of green Celine ones last year that were quite cute, a nice departure from aviators but the quality wasn't good enough to justify the price.
ReplyDeleteyes! RBs are still so well priced for the quality and materials.
DeleteI have two pairs that are in current rotation, a pair of Celine wayfarers in havana that are a couple of years old, and a recently purchases funky Thierry Lasry sunglasses that are a tad oversized in this beautiful aqua/green floral pattern. They seem to jazz up any outfit (which is good, since I'm dressing so boringly these days - hah!)
ReplyDeletei have one pair of sunglasses: Karen Walker Number Ones in tortoise. they are raaaad and look great on oval-shaped faces. they definitely stepped my eyewear game up, and i felt lucky to find them on sale last year. they've lasted through a bit of international travel and weekly wear. definitely worth the investment.
ReplyDeleteyep yep - i was all crushing on the super dupers but then tried them on and realized they suit a heart-shaped face better. the number ones are my jam!
DeleteI recently lost my very favorite pair, the Ray Ban rounded wayfarers... this is why I can't have nice things :(
ReplyDeletehttp://www.go-optic.com/store/SUNGLASSES/details.asp?id=15078
AND they were discontinued so if I want a new pair I better act fast!
Luckily I have a pair of super old Ray Ban aviators from my Dad to wear.
At the moment I'm wearing Oversized Street Aviators:). RBRs, otherwise known as Really Big Raybans. Mirrored to boot.
ReplyDeleteahaha!! a true staple indeed.
ReplyDeleteLovely post! I wear sunglasses every day year round.
ReplyDelete"Truth: larger frames are so much more flattering on me"- I agree with this completely. It seems odd with delicate and narrow features, but larger frames (that aren't overwhelming) work best for me. In addition, to finding a shape that flatters my face, I have long curly eyelashes, which I know many would count as a blessing, but I can't tell you how many times my lashes have gotten stuck in my glasses (so painful)- I always shop for sunglasses with that in mind. I wear eye glasses daily, so I always have prescription lens put into my sunglasses. For that reason, I've always invested in sunglasses that are durable and RXable. I love my oversized Chanels- they're elegant and stylish. My Karen Walker Perfect Day sunglasses are so durable and one of my favorite purchases this Spring.
Amazing blog! Do you have any hints for aspiring writers?
ReplyDeleteI'm planning to start my own site soon but I'm a little
lost on everything. Would you propose starting with a free platform like Wordpress or go for a paid
option? There are so many choices out there that I'm totally overwhelmed ..
Any suggestions? Bless you!
Do you mind if I quote a few of your posts as long as I provide credit and sources back to your website?
ReplyDeleteMy website is in the very same niche as yours and my visitors would definitely benefit from some of the information you
provide here. Please let me know if this ok with you. Many thanks!