How many sunglasses should I own?
I’ve been asked this quite a few times and I think you should own 2-3 pairs. This will ensure your sunglasses will look appropriate with whatever outfit you’re wearing – no matter what. While you can use just 1 pair, I would recommend at least two to be safe.
Do I need to match sunglasses to my outfit?
You don’t technically need to match them to your outfit, but there’s an argument to be made for it, which I’ll get into in the next section.
What color sunglasses should I have?
In order to cover you for all outfits and seasons, you should own a black pair and tortoise shell pair. If you want crazier colors then you should definitely get them, but only AFTER you’ve got the basics covered.
Black
You want a black pair because they go very well with more formal outfits and/or they match with your black accessories – i.e. your shoes or watch strap. To me, it’s not ideal if you’re wearing brown accessories – shoes, watch strap, etc, and then throw on a pair of black sunglasses, but it is still perfectly acceptable because it’s far enough away from these other accessories that it won’t ruin the cohesion of the look. If you only have 1 pair of sunglasses, you should go with black because it goes with any outfit you could be wearing.
Brown/Tortoise shell
This color goes very well with casual outfits, but also looks fantastic with a navy suit and brown accessories. Again, you can get away with black sunglasses with a navy suit, but it’s not ideal.
Any Other Color
If you want to have a crazy fun pair, then go nuts here, but just don’t wear it with anything but casual outfits, otherwise you could start look like Bruce Vilanch. Again, a well-dressed man shouldn’t have anything standing out in an outfit, he needs everything to work in perfect harmony to create an amazing whole. This absolutely applies to sunglasses.
Aviators – The Exception
If your face shape allows you to wear Aviators and you want to wear those, always go with a silver/charcoal metal frame and black/grey/green lenses as the default or “black” option, like I talked about above. For your “brown” pair of sunglasses, go with a gold metal frame and brown lenses. You don’t want a black or brown frame because it looks cheesy and deviates too far away the timeless look of Aviators.
What Color Lenses should I have?
This one is simple and the default lenses are usually great, but here’s my preferences:
- Gradient – They look amazing and just give the sunglasses a nice, little extra touch of class.
- Standard shaded/polarized – Most glasses will come with this type of lens that will probably match the color of the frame (black = black lenses, brown = brown lenses, etc.) and it’s perfectly acceptable, but if given the choice, I’d go with a gradient lens every time.
Anything outside of these lens colors and types, included mirrored lenses, are a no go. They’ll detract from the polished look of your outfit and this is to be avoided because your accessories should never overshadow anything else you’re wearing.
Don’t be this guy.
The best sunglasses for your face shape
The type of sunglasses you should own is dependent on you face shape. You generally want the shape of your sunglasses to be the opposite of your face shape, so they’ll help provide balance to your facial features.
A quick note about the below chart, including other resources out there – most of them will be talking about as many as 10 different face shapes and trust me, it’s a waste of time. There’s really only 3 face shapes that every man falls into:
- Round
- Oval
- Square
Everything else is just nit-picking to fill up space on a website or magazine. The one that drives me the craziest is heart-shaped – that’s just an oval face with a wider forehead. If you’re considered heart-shaped according to the charts below, then just go with my oval suggestions.
You’ll notice that, outside of Aviators, I’m not recommending any frame-less style sunglasses and that’s because I think they just don’t look that great and never put my clients in them.
As for how to determine your face shape, the best resources I’ve found are from good ol’ LensCrafters and FramesDirect:
Round Face
If you have a round shaped face, you want to avoid round frames and go for more square/rectangular frames (i.e. Wayfarer style) or teardrop frames like Aviators. These styles will help give your face some dimension and break up the roundness, which is a good thing!
A quick note about why I don’t recommend Ray-Ban’s classic Wayfarers: I hate the angle of the lenses on them. Yes, they’re classic, but that still doesn’t mean they’re good. Notice how the frames are resting on the cheeks in the below picture? It’s annoying as hell and just looks bad on everyone.
Designer Options
Oliver Peoples Brodsky in Sandalwood + G-15 Polar Glass
Barton Perreira Hopper in Black
Saint Laurent Aviators in Gold
Budget-Friendly Options
Warby Parker Winston in Jet Black
I love the classic, square shape of these sunglasses. For the price point, they don’t feel cheap or heavy.
J. Crew Irving in Soft Tortoise
J. Crew Jack in Gold
Oval Face
For this face shape, you’re lucky, because you have the most choices for sunglasses. You can wear round, square/rectangular, or rounded square-shaped sunglasses. The one thing you want to do is make sure the frames are as wide as your face – this is very important! Otherwise, it’ll look like you’re wearing kid sunglasses. Also, don’t you ever wear teardrop frames, like what most aviators have, because it’ll also make your face appear long or droopy.
Designer Options
Tom Ford Snowdon in Shiny Black
Fun Fact: Daniel Craig wore these in Spectre. If you have a round or oval face, these Tom Ford sunglasses are one of my all-time favorites! Everything about these square frames – the color, timeless design, and overall weight – couldn’t be better. Also, they’re the perfect width for oval faces which is very important because they’ll look disproportionate if they’re not as wide as your face.
Tom Ford Snowdon Sunglasses in Havana
Oliver Peoples Masek Sunglasses in Matte Black + Grey Mineral Glass
Oliver Peoples Masek Sunglasses in Cocobolo + Cosmik Tone Glass
Think of these Oliver Peoples sunglasses as the rounder version of the Tom Ford frames.
John Varvatos Grand in Black
John Varvatos Grand in Tortoise
Budget-Friendly Options
Topman Matte Black Sunglasses
Warby Parker Downing in Jet Black
Warby Parker Downing in Walnut Tortoise
The thinness of these plastic frames compliment its round shape and are great for men with oval or square faces. I also like that they kept the arms thin because some designers would go with wider arms which would make these frames look unbalanced. These aren’t as wide as the Tom Ford and Oliver Peoples frames that I recommend above, so if you do decide to try these out, then make sure they’re the proper width for your face.
Square Face
For this face shape, you should look for round or teardrop frames. This will soften and balance your angular features. Avoid square or rectangle sunglasses because they’ll literally make you look like a block head
Designer Options
Persol Sunglasses Suprema PO3007S in Black
Persol Sunglasses Suprema PO3007S In Tortoise
I love how sleek these frames are! The shiny finish and metal detailing on the arms adds to its sharp design. These are the perfect pair of sunglasses for men with square or oval faces.
Oliver Peoples Finley Esq. Sun in SMBK Moss Tortoise + Graphite
Oliver Peoples Finley Esq. Sun in Hickory Tortoise + Cosmik Tone Mineral Glass
Similar looking to the Persol sunglasses, the finish on both colors is matte and they’re slightly smaller in design.
Tom Ford Erin Aviator-Style Leather-Trimmed Gold-Tone Mirrored Sunglasses
Prada Aviator-Style Metal and Acetate Sunglasses
Budget-Friendly Options
Warby Parker Percey in Charcoal Fade
I LOVE the black to grey coloring of these frames. They look so expensive for what you’re paying for and I appreciate the simple, thin design which softens (in a good way!) the sharper features of a square-faced man. And they’re incredibly lightweight.
Warby Parker Madison in Whiskey
Ray-Ban Aviator at Collection in Gunmetal
Ray-Ban Aviator at Collection in Gold
Ray-Ban aviators are a timeless, iconic design that’s perfect for this face shape because it helps break up your angular features with the teardrop design.
Sunglasses Outfit Inspiration
(LOTS of inspiration images are also in my Summer Essentials Ebook)
