Best Sunglasses for Different Shaped Faces

Have you ever wondered how some people can wear cat-eye or butterfly shaped sunglasses and look great while others wear the same thing but look ridiculous? It probably has to do with the person's overall style and the shape of their face. While there aren't any hard and fast rules (and there shouldn't be!) here are a few guidelines for narrowing down the vast array of choices.

The basic rule is to not match the shape of the frames to the shape of your face. That is, if you have a square, angular face, a pair of square, angular sunglasses might just be too much. Softer, more rounded lines will probably look better.

And the converse is true, too: if you have a round face, like Christina Ricci, angular frames can look great, but round glasses may make you too moon-faced.

Photo: mycelebrityfashion.co.uk

Oblong faces like Sarah Jessica Parker's often do well with narrow rectangular or slightly cat-eye shapes to add some width.

Heart-shaped faces, like Jennifer Aniston's look good in styles with low-set temples and smaller, roundish frames to soften a wide forehead.

Those with triangle shaped faces like Minnie Driver or Keith Urban look great in frames that draw attention to the upper part of the face, or top-heavy shapes to balance the jaw's width.

Photo: celebuzz.com

If you find all this too confusing, then fortunately, there are some styles that do well almost universally. Ray Ban Aviators correctly sized for your face are almost always flattering for men or women.

And Tom Ford makes several classics, including variations on the aviator shape that are flattering to a wide variety of faces.

Keep in mind that these are only guidelines, and the most important thing is whether you are happy with the way your shades look. Everybody else can just deal with it if they don't agree.

Labels: choosing sunglasses, Ray Ban Aviators, Tom Ford sunglasses