The optical style guide: which glasses suit me?

Posted by: Helen Atkin
Published: 2 years ago

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Gone are the days when you picked your glasses based on your face shape. The new optical rules are all about the individual.

Picky glasses is a tricky business. They are frequently the first style statement that someone sees and have a way of completely altering how you look. As well as thinking about how glasses look on your face you also have to consider if they complement the clothes you have in your wardrobe, glasses are an (essential) accessory, after all.

But there are some new style guidelines to follow to make the decision a little bit easier. Tom Broughton, the founder and CEO of eyewear bran Cubitts, share some nuggets of wisdom in his failsafe guide to choosing your perfect pair:

1. “The most important feature is fit - get a frame that fits across the bridge, temples and to the ears.”

2. “Traditionally a person’s pupils should fit slightly above the vertical middle of a lens, and roughly in the horizontal centre, but times have changes and lenses have improved so that isn’t always required.”

3. “Try to avoid having your eyebrows within the lens. Indeed, frames often look more suitable to the individual if the brow along the top sits well with your own eyebrows.”

4. “The vertical space between your cheeks and eyebrows determines the maximum size of the spectacle front.”

5. “If buying online, try to compare the measurements to your current pair (the overall width and the bridge size).”

6. “Colour will always be a personal decision, but think about general tone - warm to cool - and contrast this against your features: skin tone, hair colour, and so on.”

7. “The general rule is to offset the geometry of your face. For example, if you want to reduce the visual appearance of a large forehead, think about a frame with thicker rims.”