Sunglasses Styles and Fit

FASHION · UNITED KINGDOM

Sunglasses Styles and Fit

Frame shapes and faces, fit points, materials and lens tints

Sunglasses are chosen on style and worn according to whether they actually fit, and the fit points are easy to check.

Fit comes first

The frame should sit level, with the top of the rims following the brow line, and should not touch the cheeks when you smile. Eyes should sit roughly in the centre of each lens rather than towards the inner edge.

Arms should follow the head without pressing at the temples, and the bridge should carry the weight without slipping or leaving marks.

Shapes and faces

The usual guidance is to contrast — angular frames with a rounder face, softer shapes with a squarer jaw, and a frame no wider than the widest part of the face. Treat it as a starting point rather than a rule.

Frame width matters more than shape for whether glasses look right.

Materials

Acetate is warm-looking, adjustable with heat and heavier. Metal is lighter and bends. TR90 and nylon frames are light and flexible and suit sport. Check the hinges, which are where cheap frames fail.

Lens tints

Grey keeps colours neutral. Brown and amber increase contrast, which suits driving and overcast days. Green sits between. Tint darkness is not UV protection, which is a separate specification.

UV protection

Look for UV400 or 100 percent UV protection and a CE or UKCA mark, which is a separate specification from tint darkness. Dark lenses without UV filtering open the pupil and let more UV in.

Filter category 4 is for high mountains and is not permitted for driving.

Prescription and clip-ons

Prescription sunglasses, clip-ons and photochromic lenses all work. An optician will fit any of them and adjust the frame properly.

Children

Children's eyes transmit more UV than adults'. Properly marked sunglasses, a wide-brimmed hat and shade in the middle of the day.

Looking after them

Rinse before wiping, since dust dragged across a lens scratches it, and use a microfibre cloth rather than a shirt. Keep them in a case rather than on a dashboard, where heat distorts frames.

Have hinges tightened and pads replaced at an optician, which is usually free.

Buy a spare inexpensive pair for the car and the beach bag.

Travel and sport

A wrapped frame with a retention cord suits water and cycling, and polarised lenses cut glare off roads and water. Check polarisation does not make a dashboard or phone screen unreadable.

Take a hard case rather than a pouch for anything packed in a bag.

Practical

Have the fit adjusted by an optician, which is usually free and takes minutes. Keep them in a case rather than on a dashboard, where heat distorts frames.

A cord or a case in a bag prevents most breakages.

WHERE TO BUY

Ready to shop Urban Sunglasses? Use the link below to visit the official store.

→ Shop Urban Sunglasses — official site

Visit this site