Tiny sunglasses are going to be huge – according to Kanye West

From Joan Crawford to Jackie O, Kate Moss to Kanye West, a pair of sunglasses has long been the accessory weapon of the A list. They are a symbol that says: “I am very famous, and have possibly recently had a facelift.” But, as Kanye himself has recently decreed, “the bigger the better” is no longer the unspoken sunglasses rule. Instead, only tiny ones barely covering your eye sockets are cool now.

Of course, viewers of Keeping Up With the Kardashians would know that already. Kim revealed that her husband, who doubles as her stylist when he’s not busy being the real Kanye, has effectively outlawed big sunglasses. “[Kanye] sent me a whole email like, ‘You cannot wear big glasses any more. It’s all about tiny little glasses,’” she said recently in the show.

Insiders have been reducing the size of their shades for a while now, but the Kardashians wearing them on their eponymous TV show means tiny sunglasses have gone mainstream and – sorry to ruin your summer before it has even begun – that you’ll have to ditch your aviators. This is the latest example of what fashion calls a “tricky trend” – see ugly trainers, vinyl, even skinny jeans – going mass.

The likes of Bella and Gigi Hadid are big fans of small sunglasses. Solange Knowles’s Surface magazine cover, released last week, slays partly because of her skinny red sunglasses. Rihanna wore some on the red carpet last year. None of this means you will have an easy transition to the new shape, however. Even Kardashian, a woman whose physical perfection rates very highly on the golden ratio test, doesn’t look her best pictured in West-approved shades. What hope is there for the rest of us?

Fair to middling, is the answer. These sunglasses should be worn halfway down the nose – Bella Hadid is a master at this – and with a heavy dose of irony (part of the reason Kardashian’s sunglassed shift doesn’t entirely work is that she doesn’t really do irony). Brands to know include George Keburia, which made Solange’s Scarlet Red shades, and Andy Wolf, which did Rihanna’s, though eBay is also worth a look. Your inspiration should come from the late 90s/early 2000s – specifically Trinity in 1999’s The Matrix, played by Carrie-Anne Moss in a pair of spoon-like shades. That doesn’t mean PVC catsuits and floor-length leather macs are set to be the next tricky trend. But, hey, it can only be a matter of time before Kanye decrees it so.

Do You Know How To Pick Sunglasses For Men?

Most men will have a pair of sunglasses for those hot summer months to protect themselves from the harsh glare of the sun and particles that are harmful to the eyes. However, sunglasses can also be worn in other times other than during summer because they are a great fashion accessory. Available in various styles and for various purposes, every buyer would find a pair to suit his needs whether buying for fashion or for their practicality. Outlined below are the various styles, lenses and frames of sunglasses for men that you should know about before shopping for a pair.

The Style

New styles are frequently introduced in the market. Aviator, sports and driving sunglasses are some of the common styles available.

Aviator Sunglasses

Aviator sunglasses are available in various designs. They were very popular some time back before World-War II especially with pilots, thanks to their wide frames which were useful when it came to shading the eyes from the sun's glare. They then became popular with everyone, even non-pilots because they helped achieve a certain fashion look. They are still popular to-date.

Sport Sunglasses

They come in a various designs, but they are all practical when it comes to wearing them during intense physical activity. You can find various sport sunglasses meant for different water sports such as rafting, kayaking, water polo and so on. There are also others meant for parachuting, rock-climbing and other intense sporting actions that require eye-protection.

Driving Sunglasses

These ones are for eye-protection during long hours of driving on the road. They mainly protect the driver from the glare and reflection of light which is harmful to the eye. For adequate protection, driving glasses are normally made from high-contrast lenses that increase the sharpness of an image and minimize the harmful glare.

The Frames

The frames are made from mainly two materials which are plastic and metal. The price, durability and appeal of a sunglass are normally dependent on the material used as the frames.

Plastic Frames

Plastic frames are lightweight, durable and very affordable. So they are able to withstand rough handling. However they can become affected by bending during hot temperatures which can make the wearer feel uncomfortable. A better option than the plastic-framed sunglasses is the nylon-framed sunglasses. The nylon frame variety costs more but is more reliable and stronger compared to plastic.

Metal Frames

They are the strongest and commonly used in many sunglasses of the designer kind. They conduct heat during high temperatures but will rarely bend. However, they are prone to breakage when bent or twisted. These frames simply look great as a part of sunglasses.

The Lenses

These are what make sunglasses to be called sunglasses. They are available in various colors which offer different practical purposes. There are plastic, glass and polycarbonate lenses.

Plastic or Glass

The plastic ones are normally common and inexpensive but they are still able to offer the same kind of eye protection just like glass. However for better clarity, glass is the best option but it will require a lot of care because it can shatter when dropped.

Polycarbonate

Polycarbonate lenses are more costly, but they are strong and can resist breaking in case they are dropped. They are less prone to scratches compared to plastic and glass but one drawback is that they offer lesser clarity than glass lenses. However if you want glasses that will last for a long time, then glasses with polycarbonate lenses are the best choice.

Color

Most sunglasses normally have black lenses which is practical when it comes to cutting light and they also don't distort colors unlike other colored lenses, however, when it comes to black or grey colors one cannot properly tell when wearing black sunglasses.

4 Tips for How To Choose The Right Glasses For Your Face

Remember when you were a kid and all you wanted was to wear glasses? You even went as far as to fake bad vision during your elementary school eye exam. Then you got a little older and actually needed glasses. Suddenly they weren't cool anymore and wearing them was like wrapping yourself in some sort of man-repelling, social-life-destroying cocoon of horribleness. You needed contacts. It was contacts or nothing.

Now you're an adult and although you still love your contacts for certain things, they can also be a hassle and you've come to see your glasses as just another accessory. The trick now is finding the right ones. In an ideal world, you'd have dozens of pairs in different colors, shapes, and styles to suit your ever-changing mood and look, but in reality, glasses can be expensive and more often than not you're limited to just one or two pairs at a time, so you want to make sure the ones you get are as flattering as possible.

Harvey Moscot, the fourth generation owner of 100-yr old optical brand MOSCOT, suggests keeping these 4 general tips in mind when it comes time to buy your next pair:

1. Contrast — "The shape of your frame should contrast the shape of your face, so if you have rounder features, you want more angular glasses, and if you have more angular features you want to soften them with more curved shapes."

2. Proportion — "In general, you want your frames to be in proportion with the rest of your face. It's different when you are shopping for sunglasses, which tend to be larger for greater coverage, but what looks good as a sunglass will not necessarily look good in optical."

3. Color — "Choose a color that compliments your features. Black is always good for highlighting and outlining your eyes. Glasses that contrast the tone of your face and hair will stand out more, but it's up to you how much of a statement you want your glasses to make."

4. Face Shape — This is where it gets a little more complicated. Here's the breakdown:

Heart-Shaped Faces — Aviators and Rimless Styles

"Aviators are good for balancing out a broader forehead with a narrower jaw line and a more pointed chin, because of the way they flare out at the bottom. Rimless styles are also good, because they keep the face from looking too top-heavy."

Square-Shaped Faces — Ovals and Rounded Rectangles

"Narrower oval and rectangular styles with rounded edges are great for softening a strong, square jaw and lengthening the face."

Narrow Faces — Taller Frames and Decorative Temples

"Try taller, squared-off or more circular frames, which will take up more room on your face and help balance out your features better than oval or rectangular frames. Also look for glasses with thicker arms or decorative details at the temples, since they will draw attention to the sides of your face and make it appear broader."

Round Faces — Rectangular Frames and Contrast Bridges

"Angular, rectangular frames help elongate the face and a contrasting bridge makes the eyes look farther apart."

Trapezoidal Faces — Half-Rim and Cat Eye Shapes

"If your face is wider on the bottom, try a half-rim style or a dramatic cat eye to bring attention up and balance out your jaw line."

Oval Faces – Top-Heavy Frames and Butterfly Shapes

"If you've got broad cheek bones, but a narrower forehead and chin, look for styles that are thicker or darker on the top than the bottom, or try a butterfly style, which wings up and out slightly at the top."

Creatures of the Wind x State Optical Co.’s Sunglasses Work for Day . . . Or Night

On the March day which Shane Gabier and Christopher Peters of Creatures of the Wind planned to celebrate the launch of their sunglasses collaboration with Chicago-based eyewear brand State Optical Co., a massive snowstorm hit New York City. Undeterred, they went ahead with the party anyway. That was kind of an appropriate gesture, since the influences that informed their designs were about wearing shades indoors; that punky, new wave era of the late ’70s and early ’80s when hipsters would party, party, party in nightclubs with dark glasses firmly affixed to their faces—Joy Division’s Ian Curtis, Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh, and queen of the kitschy cat-eye Debbie Harry of Blondie.

“When we were researching this collaboration, we looked at our heroes and icons from that period,” says Peters, “though we didn’t want the shapes to look retro. We tweaked them so they didn’t look too recognizable or so specific.” The four styles are rendered in tortoiseshell, red, black, and green acetate, and vary from the aforementioned elongated feline look to a weightier square style that does indeed refract the past through the (sorry!) lens of today. “They all have this glam component to them,” says Gabier. “I wouldn’t say they were gender neutral, but they’re playful in that regard.”

The styles are named after Chicago addresses—both Creatures and State spring from the city. (There’s the Monitor, the Tripp, the Leland, and the Neenah.) The process involved Gabier and Peters making a couple of trips to State’s ateliers, located in a northern suburb, where they could meet with the company’s technicians. Those trips back to where they first started likely only added to the ongoing reflection they’ve been experiencing on what they want their label to be, given their announcement to move to a more project-based approach. They’re happy to be (somewhat) stepping out of the fashion rat race.

“Over the past few months, not having to do a full collection has made things feel a lot more creative and open,” Gabier says, something echoed by his partner Peters. “You’re thinking about what you should be making instead of grandiose ideas about what you should be doing. Our sales have been incredible since we chose to work this way,” he continues. “It’s been good to change and to make things that matter.”

Are Expensive Sunglasses Worth It?

There's a reason good sunglasses are expensive. Better materials and a whole lot more craft go into making every pair, especially when they're handmade, or sourced from vintage materials. The thing is, now you can find cheap sunglasses for sale just about everywhere you look. The question that must be answered is why bother buying expensive, name-brand sunglasses? After all, cheap sunglasses are cheap to replace if you sit on them, and expensive ones are, well, expensive.

The argument goes both ways. If you are one of those lucky people who look pretty good in most styles of sunglasses, you can probably get away with buying drugstore varieties. In terms of benefits, buying inexpensive sunglasses makes it possible to try out a variety of different styles to see which ones might suit you best. You can have a whole wardrobe of cheap sunglasses and not break the bank. If you like to try new trends and coordinate everything you wear, cheap sunglasses might be the best solution for you.

However, some people have faces which are difficult to put into frames. For these folks, everything seems to make them appear slightly off, except for expensive, well-made sunglasses. Designers seem to understand that not everybody has the same facial shape. They make shades suitable for people with round faces, rectangular faces, long oval faces... you name it. But the cheap brands, generally speaking, are more limited in terms of which facial shapes they compliment. There's nothing like an ill-fitting pair of sunglasses for highlighting your facial flaws!

Now, granted, if you lose an expensive pair of sunglasses, you'll basically be losing a good chunk of your hard-earned cash. That said, many people can really tell the difference between good and low-quality sunglasses, and for these folks this is a risk worth taking. Handsome materials simply look nicer against your skin. Additionally, the hardware on pricier frames tends to be positioned better, so you're less likely to snag your hair. Name-brand sunglasses are more likely to be comfortable as well. You know that cool plastic pair you never can wear because they rub your nose the wrong way? Not so likely to happen with a good pair of shades. They generally tend to feel good on your face, they fit well, and they're less likely to rub and chafe.

Additionally, there's the added satisfaction of owning nice things. Not only do designer sunglasses look nice against your skin and suit your facial shape well, but you can also feel kind of proud about them. If you take good care of them, they'll last a long time. Paint is not likely to peel off onto your skin, and the lenses won't fog or scratch.

I guess when it comes to sunglasses, it's usually worth it to pay a little more for better quality. The reasons are that better-quality sunglasses tend to look better, be more comfortable, and offer maximum protection from the harmful UV rays of the sun. And, since you can wear them theoretically every day of the year, if you take good care of them, expensive sunglasses are an investment that can pay dividends for years to come.

7 Tips You Need To Know To Choose The Right Sunglasses

1. Undertone

Choose an undertone that suits your complexion.  Warm browns and tortoiseshell suits warm colouring.  Cool greys, blues and blacks suit cool colouring.

2. Shape

Pick a pair that flatters your defining features (find out more about them here).  Angles for angled features and curved for curved features.

3. Bridge

A high bridge will make your nose look longer, a low bridge (butterfly shape) will make your nose look shorter.

4. Size

The larger and deeper the frame the shorter your face will look, so if you have a long face shape, choose a deeper frame.  If you have a shorter face (round or square) then choose a narrower frame.

5. Scale

The scale of the frame should relate to your face, unless you are dramatic and want to express that part of your personality.

6. Eyebrows

Make sure your eyebrows don’t stick out of the top of the frame at an odd angle so you look like you’re permanently surprised.


7. Top Bar

Balance a strong jaw with a heavier top bar