The Three Types of Sunglasses Every Man Should Own
You’ll lose them on a beach before they go out of style
There are more sunglasses styles than there are sunny days. You’ve got your round lenses, square lenses, shields, polarized, mirrored, and transitional. Attempting to shop for them can be mind-boggling. (When was the last time you thought about your “face shape?”) So let’s narrow the field. In a world of gimmicky updates and throwaway accessories, there are only three styles of sunglasses you need to consider.
All three have endured for well over half a century—and most of them have been continually popular the whole time. Because when you get a shape right, especially one that compliments a huge variety of faces, it never goes out of style. Here’s are the names, history, and fit guidance you need to avoid squinting all summer.
Aviators
The aviator is the original sunglass classic—a favorite of cops, Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible and, naturally, pilots.
Developed just before World War II by Bausch & Lomb, the original glasses were a riff on the goggles that pilots had been wearing in open cockpits. The dark glasses were marketed for their ability to ban rays, and soon "Ray-Ban" was an entity of its own.
By the '80s, other designers had developed the shape, introducing sepia-tint lenses that continue to be popular. Along with that, the wire frame and teardrop lens shape have endured (Warby Parker Batten, $145, warbyparker.com).
Best, Aviators work with most face shapes—long, short, oval. The curve in the lenses looks good if your face has strong lines, like a square jaw. If you have high cheekbones, however, your cheeks may hit the bottom edge of the lenses when you smile. And if that's you, read on.
Wayfarers
In the ‘50s, Ray-Ban hit it big again, this time with the sunglasses said to be the best selling of all time. With trapezoidal frames made from then-newfangled molded plastic, the masculine, mid-century style became a favorite of rock stars, Tom Cruise in Risky Business, and the Blues Brothers.
Thanks to the plastic frames, you can find these in a huge array of colors, as well as stripes, tortoiseshell and other patterns. And though “Wayfarer” is Ray-Ban copyright (Ray-Ban Original Wayfarer, $150-$165, ray-ban.com), many brands make a similar shape.
They’re well-suited to longer faces, because their relatively stout lens will balance you out. But because of their versatility and style variety, it’s easy to see why these are a go-to for most guys.
Clubmasters
A fusion of metal and plastic frame, Clubmasters are "browline" glasses, which came into being as midcentury spectacles. After a surge of popularity in the '50s, they were converted into sunglasses. And while Tom Cruise isn't so big on these, Don Draper recently brought them back (Tom Ford Henry Sunglasses, $415, tomford.com).
As with all three classic shapes, Clubmasters have endured because they look good on a lot of face types. But these can be especially good on guys with narrow chins. Because the frame doesn't go all the way around the lens, Clubmasters are visually lighter, and so they don't add excess weight to the brow where the face is widest. After all, your shades should make you look cool, not weigh you down.
Want even more sunglasses options? Click here for our picks.
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