How To: Pair Your Customers with the Right Sunglasses Trend
by Christina Lee on March 17th, 2009
Anyone facing this season’s latest shades may soon be daunted by the plethora of eye-catching trends offered by today’s favorite designers and past fashion inspiration. But when finding the perfect pair, perhaps only one factor truly matters: the customer’s face shape.
Round vs. Square
John Lennon and Jackie O.: two 1960s American icons whose images would not be complete without a pair of statement-making sunglasses. Today, fashion magazines and blogs cannot stop buzzing over the comeback of the different frame shapes those two donned back then, ranging from Mary-Kate Olsen’s round shades spotted at last year’s Sundance Festival to Nina Ricci’s reissuing of the square model that the First Lady wore herself.
How to choose: In this case, opposites attract. Lennon’s round frames suits a square face best, since it will soften the chin’s and jaw’s strong, angular lines. A square pair on sunglasses looks best on an oval face, to maintain balance between a slightly wider forehead and a narrower chin.
Rims vs. Rimless
The bigger sunglasses have grown over the past few years, the more room designers found on their rims to make a statement, like a few gems or a pop or two of color. Taking such has made today’s rims suitable for the fashion risk-takers.
Designers have also made rimless glasses in mostly classic shapes colors, though their aviators sans rims are still a trendy option. Lately, such aviators have also been modernized with colored lenses, like Just Cavalli’s rimless options in brown or blue.
How to choose: The more angles to a face, the more that a pair of rimless sunglasses would suit that face, since today’s thick rims would otherwise overwhelm it. Today’s modern sunglasses especially flatter triangular faces, as their rounded tops and square bottoms balance out a narrow forehead and wider cheek and chin areas.
Retro vs. Modern
Today’s retro and modern styles tackle entirely different colors, shapes and frames.
Whether square or round, retro sunglasses are still being made with white frames, as seen over the past few years. Meanwhile, the shapes of modern sunglasses are much more sloped, whether wrap-around or shield. Nowadays, these can also typically be seen in metallic shades and rimless.
How to choose: This decision should be based on more than personal taste. More angular faces – the heart, square and triangular – look best with today’s modern shades, while oval and round faces will benefit from the current thicker-rimmed retro variety.