Which Retro Sunglasses Fit Your Face: Aviators, Wayfarers, Shields and Visors

Sunglasses are the piece people get wrong most often, because a frame that looks extraordinary on a product page can look faintly ridiculous on your particular head. The style name tells you almost nothing about that. Two numbers and one rule tell you almost everything.

The rule

Frames should contrast with the shape of your face, not agree with it. A round frame on a round face doubles the roundness. An angular frame on the same face reads as a decision. This holds across every style below, and it is the only advice here that works without a tape measure.

The two numbers

Frame width. The distance across the front. It should be roughly your face width at the temples, or a fraction wider. Narrower and the arms press in and leave marks by lunchtime. Much wider and the glasses migrate down your nose all day.

Lens height. Tall lenses cover more face and read dramatic. Short lenses read sharper and more 1960s. Neither is better, but tall lenses on a small face take the whole thing over.

Both numbers are on our product pages. If you already own a pair you like, measure them and use those figures as the target.

The four families

Aviator. Thin metal frame, teardrop lens, double bridge. Designed for pilots in the 1930s because the shape covered the whole eye socket while looking down at instruments, and then permanently rebranded by Top Gun. The teardrop shape works against square and angular faces because the curve softens a strong jaw. On a round face it is the weakest of the four, as there is not enough straight line in it to create any contrast. Our Polarized Aviation Driving pair is $29.60.

Wayfarer and square. Thick plastic frame, straight top line, slight outward angle at the edge. The most versatile shape in eyewear, which is why the original has never properly gone away since 1952. The straight brow line does the work by adding a horizontal to a round or oval face. Our Oversize Square and Vintage Rectangle frames are $29.99. If you buy exactly one pair of retro sunglasses in your life, buy this shape.

Round and small oval. Circular metal or thin plastic, often with a keyhole bridge. Strongly period and the least forgiving frame on the list. These need an angular face with a defined jaw and visible cheekbones. On a soft or round face they compound what is already there. The Round Metal Steampunk pair is $19.98 and the Small Oval is $29.99.

Shield and visor. One continuous lens across both eyes, or an oversized single piece wrapping to the temples. The most 1985 shape here and comfortably the most conspicuous. There is no discreet version. A shield covers so much face that face shape nearly stops mattering, which makes it easy to wear and very hard to wear casually. Buy this because you want to be seen in it, not because you want to squint less.

Face shape, briefly

• Round face. Square, rectangle, wayfarer. Avoid small round frames.
• Square or strong jaw. Aviator, round, oval. The curve balances the angle.
• Oval face. Most shapes work. Decide on frame width instead and enjoy your good fortune.
• Long or narrow face. Tall lenses, wider frames. Small narrow ovals stretch it further.

What the lens colour does

Tint is not only decoration. Grey lenses keep colours accurate and are the safest all round choice. Brown and amber lift contrast, which is why they suit driving and overcast days. Green sits between the two. Mirrored and heavily coloured lenses cut more light and are the most obviously 80s, and they are also the ones that make it hardest for anyone to tell where you are looking, for better or worse.

Metal or plastic

Metal reads dressier and lighter, and suits evening and smarter outfits. Plastic reads bolder and holds colour, which is why practically every 80s colourblock frame was plastic. Loud outfit, take the metal frame. Plain outfit, the plastic frame can carry it. Pair either with a printed shirt and you have most of a look already.

Questions we get

Is polarised the same as dark? No, and the confusion is common. Polarised lenses cut glare off flat surfaces like wet roads and water, which is a genuine benefit when driving. Tint alone does nothing of the sort. Our Summer Polarized 1985 at $29.99 and the aviation pair above are the polarised options.

Do these have UV protection? Check the individual listing. Dark lenses without UV filtering are worse than no sunglasses at all, because the tint opens your pupils while letting the ultraviolet through.

They keep sliding down my nose. Metal aviators usually have adjustable pads and can be bent to fit by any optician in about a minute. Moulded plastic frames cannot be adjusted at all, so the fit you get is the fit you keep. Worth knowing before you order.

One frame most people should own

If all of this is too much information, here is the short version. Buy a square or wayfarer shape in a mid width plastic frame, in black or tortoiseshell. It suits more faces than anything else on this page, it works with a plain outfit and a loud one, and it has survived seventy years of fashion cycles without ever being embarrassing. Then, once you know it suits you, buy the shield and enjoy yourself.

Related reading: the charm of old school sunglasses · choosing frames for your face shape

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