While it’s been a bit drizzly and gray, we’ve had some brighter days here and there, and what better way to prepare for summer break than with a new pair of sunglasses? Nowadays sunglasses commonly come in all shapes, sizes and colors, from the traditional aviators and tortoise wayfarers, to butterfly shaped lenses, colored lenses and rimless styles. It can be hard to keep up with these ever-changing trends when a new pair of Gucci glasses go for around $400. Luckily, you’re next pair of stylish shades might be under $100!
With countless styles, it can be overwhelming to find a design that works best for you. Before we get into where and what to buy, let’s talk about how to pick a pair of sunglasses for your face shape. If you have a heart shaped face, where your jawline is the narrowest part of your face, you actually want to pick glasses that mirror this shape and are wider on the top than the bottom. For round or square face shapes, you would actually pick the opposite. Round faces are widest across the cheekbones and look best in squared glasses or cat eyes, while squared faces a wide in the cheeks and forehead and might opt for round sunglasses of sunglasses with soft features such as rimless. Of course, whatever you feel most comfortable in is what you should buy, but these are just the general rules of thumb.
Now for the fun part! With so many colors and styles, it’s understandable you might not want just one pair. At the prices of Ray Ban and Oakley, though, that might seem impossible for a broke college student. Luckily, there’s currently a ton of popular brands at lower price points like Quay Australia, & Other Stories and Freyrs, and even cheaper brands at Asos, Topshop, Francesca’s or Aldo. Even Target has fun sunglasses nowadays, and who cares about a couple bucks if you lose your new sunnies at Coachella.
Colored lenses are no longer just a part of the early 2000s. Recently celebrities, like Selena Gomez and the Hadid sisters have been rocking tinted lenses in bright reds and oranges. You can also buy them in greens and blue, or a gradient if you can’t decide. Aldo sells a dramatic pair for only $16 called “Shames” that would be perfectly bold for a summer concert or the beach. Not only are the lenses tinted but the frames are entirely transparent, anther current trend in eyewear. Topshop also has a pair of rounded rimless sunglasses in bright blue and orange that look like a cross between rimless wayfarers and aviators.
One of my favorite new looks is the dual bridged sunglasses with the top bar connecting the lenses. Aviator style glasses most commonly feature the top bar, but I think they add a retro feel to other styles as well. Sunglasses brand Komono makes the top bar work with perfectly circular lenses in their Coco and Vivien styles. For $16, I’m obsessed with Aldo’s Ceresola cat-eye, aviator sunnies. The frames are slightly translucent and fade from tortoise to white, i.e. they hit every trend in one pair of glasses. I’m a sucker for sunglasses with contrasting whites in their different parts… such as thick rims with a thin top bar or chunky rims and thin arms.
As I mentioned in my previous article, white statement pieces are also in for summer 17, and what better way to hop on this trend than sunglasses. For white, I especially love the marbled look of the oversized cat eye sunnies by Quay called ‘Sugar & Spice’. Quay is probably one of the better-known sunglasses brands for having a price point around $50 and under. They also have a huge variety and some very unique shades. Asos is another great site that has countless of inexpensive brands and tons of sunglasses for under $20.
Regardless of where you buy your glasses, try something crazy this summer, whether it’s a wild color or an out there lens shape! If you need some inspiration, try browsing the Gucci and Fendi collections, two of my favorite haute couture designers. They may be pricey but you can always find similar styled knock-offs!
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