6.17.2013

foundations: stylish sunglasses edition


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.

it took me a while to rationalize why i should spend some real money on shades. but considering the cost-per-wear (every day), the vision and sun-screening benefits (protect that delicate under-eye area from aging rays!), and the foundational style factor, paying for a quality pair (or a few) becomes a lot more reasonable.

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.

do you wear sunglasses regularly? what's your favorite style?

35 comments:

  1. 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.

    I 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.

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    1. ah yes. the quality and style of Raybans never ceases to impress me :)

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  2. I think I have the same problem. It's hard to find a good pair of sunglasses that will fit your face shape too...

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    1. all three in my post are comfy and the perfect width :)

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  3. Thank 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 :-)

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    1. highly 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!

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    2. Now 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!

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  4. I 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.

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    1. ha, 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...

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  5. Like 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.

    But 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!

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    1. yes!! and i love that almost everyone commenting here is a raybans fan :D

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  6. I 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.

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    1. lucky 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 :)

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  7. I 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.

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    1. i think they will -everyone i know who has KWs still gush over them seasons later.

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  8. i 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).

    i 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. :)

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    1. i take better care of my more $$ purchases too. funny how that works, especially for proper sunglasses :)

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  9. Hello! 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!

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    1. hi hi! please do comment more often :D

      i'd recommend the raybans (2nd and 3rd picks in my post) - their frames are almost ways Rx-ready.

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  10. Love my gold-rimmed aviators and Tom Ford oversized frames (so durable and stylish).
    Love that photo of Yasmin Sewell :)

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  11. 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 :)

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    1. @Ammu & Maja - can't go wrong with the real deal rayban aviators!

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  12. After 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.
    I recently went even to high end with the Céline wayfarer but somehow I dislike the shape on my face... Weird.

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    1. lol - i am impressed at how many sunnies (low to high end brands) are all derivative of the classic rayban styles!

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  13. Another 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.

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    1. yes! RBs are still so well priced for the quality and materials.

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  14. I 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!)

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  15. i 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.

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    1. yep 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!

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  16. I recently lost my very favorite pair, the Ray Ban rounded wayfarers... this is why I can't have nice things :(

    http://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.

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  17. At the moment I'm wearing Oversized Street Aviators:). RBRs, otherwise known as Really Big Raybans. Mirrored to boot.

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  18. Lovely post! I wear sunglasses every day year round.

    "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.

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