Guide to buying glasses to suit you
Though comfort and practicality will no doubt be upper most in your mind when buying a pair of glasses, these days the options are plentiful and the right specs can reflect your personality and style.
But if you can't face trying on endless pairs, it's worth bearing in mind that not all shapes, styles and colours suit everyone. Here's our guide to choosing the right pair.
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Before you start searching the racks for designer frames, it's important to understand which ones will suit your face shape. Your very own visage can point the way to the frames and styles that will complement your looks and give you confidence.
Oval
An oval face, where the forehead is slightly wider than the jaw and the chin rounded, is considered the ideal because of its naturally balanced proportions. In order to maintain that balance, you'll need frames that are as wide or wider than the broadest part of the face. But the oval face has the advantage of suiting almost any style of frame so if you're lucky enough to have this classic shape, the opticians is your oyster!
Triangle
With a broad forehead and narrow, rounded chin, the triangle face requires a style that will de-emphasise the top half of the face. A frame that is wider at the bottom may help to bring balance to the face and light colours or rimless frames are also a good choice.
Oblong
With more length than width, the oblong shape needs a bold style to make the face appear shorter. Go modern with a square frame and add width to the face with accents or details at the temple.
Round
At the opposite end of the scale, a rounded face requires a pair of glasses that will give the appearance of a narrower, longer shape. Sharp, angular, narrow frames will help to offset the circular face, specifically a rectangular style that provides definition.
Square
The strong jaw and broad forehead of the square face require a style to soften the sometime angular appearance. A narrow, oval or round frame can help to emphasise the eyes - square frames are a no-no.
Pyramid
The opposite of the triangle, this face shape widens in the bottom half of the face so the idea is to accentuate the top third. Try frames with detailing on the top or cat's eye styles to give the face more balanced proportions.
Diamond
Just like the precious stone, the diamond shape is rare indeed. The widest part of the diamond-shaped face is the cheekbones and drawing attention to the eye will help to balance the appearance. A rimless frame will most certainly do this, but if you are feeling bold try a dramatic, large frame.
Aside from the shape of your face, skin tone, eyes and hair colour should also be taken into account. All three can be easily separated into warm or cool colours and the frame colour should reflect this for best effect.
