A guide for choosing the best glasses frames for men

Rows of eyeglasses. — Chuttersnap/Unsplash

While shopping for glasses frames for men, have you ever come across a great pair of eyeglasses you instantly fell in love with the minute they met your eyes, before you’ve even had the chance to put frame to face? You’ve seen a certain style on someone, like the always impeccably well-put-together Stanley Tucci, and you’re set on replicating his eyewear game in those Oliver Peoples. But after actually trying them on and taking a proper look in the mirror, your heart sinks. You have to admit to yourself you do not look nearly as good as Tucci. Something about these beautiful, fashion-forward sunglasses feels off. But why?

Contents

How to determine your face shape
The face shape breakdown
Once you have the shape locked down, pick out those details

The truth about choosing the best glasses for your face — and ultimately how much they flatter you — lies in a few factors, but primarily it’s down to the shape of your face and how your frame of choice complements your proportions. It’s a little more in-depth of a process and might require trying on quite a few pairs. That’s why you need this guide for the perfect glasses frames for men to find your face’s perfect match.

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A man outside fixing his coat and wearing glasses. — Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels / Pexels

How to determine your face shape

There are about seven different face shapes: round, square, heart, oval, oblong, triangle — and the rarest — diamond. Not sure what shape yours is? A simple trick is to trace the outline of your face onto a mirror with something like lipstick or anything that’s easy to clean off. When in doubt, ask a professional, like an optician, for their opinion.

But in reality, most people don’t fit this cut-and-paste categorization of different face profiles, so don’t be confused if you end up being a mix of two (or more) of these shapes. Instead, view these groupings as guidelines. And if you don’t want to follow them, that’s fine, too. The most important outcome is how you feel about what you wear.

So, regardless of whether you don eyewear for the occasional fashion moment or if you genuinely require a pair out of visual necessity, we’ve done the research to match your face shape to your ideal frame style and broken it down into a simple guide. As a general rule, opt for a frame style that contrasts the shape of your face.

A pair of sunglasses and eyeglasses on a table. — Dids/Pexels

The face shape breakdown

Face shape: Oval

Your face is widest at your cheeks. You have soft, rounded features, with your jaw slightly narrower than your forehead.

Best Style Frame: Lucky you! An oval face is regarded as one of the most versatile face shapes where matching eyewear is concerned. Take your pick. But if you’re feeling bold, consider a geometric pair of glasses.

Face shape: Triangle

A triangle with the tip pointing up is when your face is narrowest at the forehead and widest at the chin. An upward-pointing triangle face shape means you have strong angular features.

Best Style Frame: A style with more top-heavy detailing, like winged-out D-frames with rounder lenses, will counterbalance a strong angular jaw.

Face shape: Inverted triangle

If you have a triangle face shape with the tip pointing downwards then you have a downward-pointing triangle shape or an inverted triangle shape. An inverted triangle shape means the widest part is at the forehead, and then it narrows at the jawline to a pointed chin. It’s similar to a heart-shaped face.

Best Style Frame: Inverted triangle shapes pair well with butterfly, cat eye, and the timeless style of aviator sunglasses.

Face shape: Diamond

Your face is narrowest at your forehead and chin, and widest at your cheekbones. You have strong angular features.

Best Style Frame: Oval shapes will work best to soften your face’s sharp edges.

Face shape: Round

Your face is as long as it is wide. You have softly rounded features.

Best Style Frame Option 1: Angular-shaped glasses, like squares and rectangles, add structure and definition to your face and balance its proportions, especially if the frames are wider than your cheekbones.
Best Style Frame Option 2: Angular glasses with a thicker brow line, as is seen with semi-rimless frames, offset your rounded facial proportions

Face shape: Square

Your face is as long as it is wide. You have strong angular features.

Best Style Frame: Oval or round glasses with thin frames add softness to an angular face.

Face shape: Heart

Your face has a broad forehead and wide cheekbones, slowly narrowing towards the chin.

Best Style Frame Option 1: To balance out the wider top half of your face, consider a pair that’s bottom-heavier, like aviator-style glasses, to give the narrower bottom half of your face more width.
Best Style Frame Option 2: Conversely, you could balance out your wider forehead by sporting glasses with an exaggerated brow line. Clubmaster-style frames do this well.

Face shape: Oblong

Your face is longer than it is wide. You have strong angular features.

Best Style Frame: Big, square, boxy frames with depth contrast the length of your face.

A man wearing headphones and wearing glasses. — Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels

Once you have the shape locked down, pick out those details

If you feel a little attacked or restricted by which type of glasses frames will go with your face shape, it’s okay. You still have to pick out the nitty-gritty details of your glasses. Yes, you might still have to try a bunch of pairs on, but at least you have the style narrowed down, and that will help you and the optometrist.

You’ll still have to choose the finer points

The frame color: What clothing color do you wear the most? Do you want an adventurous design? Do you have to dress up a lot? These are all questions that will help you pick the right color for your lifestyle.
The material: There aren’t a whole lot of options here, so this will be easy. This will mostly depend on how often you’ll wear your glasses and how heavy you want them to feel on your face.
The thickness of the frames: This is where you can have some more fun. Besides the frame color, the thickness of the frames will change the overall look and give your specs some personality.

For an extra tip, make sure the size is proportional to your face. Most glasses are available in three different sizes, so make sure you and your optometrist find the correct one.

As when finding that precise style of watch, boot, or suit for the occasion, you need to make sure your glasses match your personality. It’s an investment accessory piece that not only helps you to, you know, see things, but could help elevate your whole look. Find the right glasses frames for men for your head shape to put your best face forward.