Stylish men's sunglasses for a narrow face

November 9, 2008 11:09 AM

Can you help me find stylish men's sunglasses that look good on a very narrow face?

Men's sunglasses usually look cartoonishly big on my long, narrow face. I like styles like classic Wayfarers or various styles of Aviators, but they always seem to run big. Is there a sizing chart I don't know about? Are there particular brands/styles that typically run a bit smaller?

I guess ultimately I would like something that looks attractive and "classic", rather than something you'd see on hotchickswithdouchebags.com.

If I could try them on it would be ideal, but I live in a small town with no selection :/ I'd almost surely need to buy them online.

Thanks!

posted by deern the headlice to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (10 answers total)

I think these look good, attractive and classic on a guy with a narrow face, but I couldn't tell you what brand they are (perhaps someone else can).
posted by cashman at 11:20 AM on November 9, 2008

My boyfriend with a very narrow face shops in the kids frames section and chooses classic styles. Have you tried looking there?
posted by arnicae at 11:35 AM on November 9, 2008

I have a narrow face, and I have to buy kids' glasses for it to look right. I've gotten both wayfarer-type and aviator-type in kid sized frames before. You'd need to find a pretty well-stocked sunglass place to find much of a kids' selection to try on, though.
posted by ctmf at 1:26 PM on November 9, 2008

I have a narrow face too. I recently bought this pair of Ray Ban glasses and I'm very happy with it. It came with a 1 yr warranty and I can get another pair half off if I break this one.

If you like aviators, they make them for small faces too. Try searching ebay for aviator small face.

Ultimately the best thing you can do is to go to a store and try them on, which doesn't seem like an option for you. Next best thing? Buy them for a store with a generous return policy.
posted by special-k at 2:05 PM on November 9, 2008

for a store = from a store.
posted by special-k at 3:07 PM on November 9, 2008

Tyra to the rescue! (Adapt for men's styles, and sorry about the horrid ad that you have to sit through, but really, she's spot on, I got the best looking sunglasses ever following this advice.)

no I don't usually watch Tyra. okay I do but only sometimes.
posted by nax at 4:33 PM on November 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

You have to look hard, but sunglass frames come in different sizes. What I mean is, exact same style, but different widths. I've seen it at Walgreens, but maybe if you hit up a sunglass store, you will see ones with different sizes.
posted by gjc at 5:59 PM on November 9, 2008

It seems to be easier to find normal glasses in different sizes - I got some '60s vintage Wayfarer-ish frames in my size off eBay recently, and had them fitted with tinted lenses. It's a bit of a rigmarole, but the frames were so cheap that the total cost was half the price of new Ray-Bans.
posted by jack_mo at 12:24 PM on November 10, 2008

Is there a sizing chart I don't know about?

Dunno about a chart, but the size of the frames is usually printed on the inside of the arms, so if you find a style you don't like, but that fits well, you can see if your preferred style is available in your size. Opticians can always tell at a glance what size you are, in my experience.
posted by jack_mo at 12:29 PM on November 10, 2008

Oh, and since it's not always obvious, the printed numbers on modern specs are in millimetres, and (from left to right) refer to the width of one lens, the length of the nose bridge, and length of the arm.
posted by jack_mo at 12:35 PM on November 10, 2008