How to Find Sunglasses That Look Good on You

1. Zero In on Your Best Shape and Fit

Believe it or not, there’s a science to which shapes look good on whom. For help breaking it down, I rang the pros. “Think about opposites,” says Jill Walters, vice president of product for Sunglass Hut North America (she and her team do the buying for about 2,000 stores). “On a square face you want something round with soft edges to help balance and soften the features. On a round face you want more of an angular frame,” like a rectangular shape or Ray-Ban’s Wayfarer style. Oval faces “can pretty much wear anything,” says Walters, but the most flattering styles include oversize and cat-eye shades. And for a heart-shaped face, which is broader along the brow than the jawline, look for aviators, rounds, and small, thin styles, which help draw out that delicate jaw. Beyond scale, there’s the question of fit and comfort. For example, I find that a lot of sunglasses leave red indentations on the sides of my nose. Adjustable nose pads help with that and also solve Australian blogger Margaret Zhang’s problem: “Sunglasses are notoriously not made for Asian noses,” she says. “I always struggle with them falling off my face.” She’s not kidding. It’s enough of a problem that brands like Prada, Burberry, and Coach now offer something called “Asian fit” styles with different bridges; they’re good for anyone with a shallower nose bridge and high cheekbones, and you can find them online and in select stores. Metal is another option. “That’s one of the success stories of metal frames,” Walters explains. “They fit people of every ethnicity, regardless of their structural base.” Is there such a thing as a universally flattering pair? While there is no one-size- fits-all model, trapezoidal Wayfarers and teardrop aviators come close, and most brands do a take on these iconic shapes.