Credit: Retro Spectacle
What Glasses Suit My Face Shape?
Choosing the right pair of vintage glasses or vintage sunglasses to suit your face shape can be difficult, especially if you haven't tried them on. Our guide gives you all the hints and tips to help you choose your perfect pair of vintage eyewear.
You can now filter the glasses and sunglasses in our collections by the style/shape, so once you have identified what shape of glasses suits your face, you can find suitable frames easily.
The six key face shapes we are going to address are :
- Oval
- Square
- Round
- Oblong
- Heart
- Diamond
How To Identify Your Face Shape
Not sure which face shape you have? Grab a mirror or take a straight-on selfie and compare your features.
Ask Yourself:
- Is my face longer than it is wide?
- Are my cheekbones the widest part of my face?
- Is my jawline rounded or angular
- Is my forehead wider than my jawline
- Does my face narrow towards the chin?
Quick Face Shape Guide
Oval - Balanced proportions with a softly rounded jawline.
Round - Similar width and length with soft curves
Square - Strong jawline with equal width through the forehead, cheeks and jaw.
Heart - Wider forehead narrowing towards the chin.
Diamond - Prominent cheekbones with a narrower forehead and jaw.
Oblong - Longer than it is wide with straighter sides.
Remember face shape is only a guide. The best glasses are the ones that fit well, suit your style and make you feel confident.
Still Not Sure?
Send us a straight on photo and our qualified Dispensing Optician can recommend vintage glasses and sunglasses to suit your face shape, prescription and personality.
Oval Faces:
Have a tendency to be longer than they are wide. Their features are balanced and they have a rounded jawline. Lucky for the oval faces out there, they suit most types of glasses, as long as the frames are no wider than the broadest part of the face. A bold/strong bridge can help to draw focus to the centre of the face, preventing it from looking drawn. Larger frames, vintage cat-eye glasses and exciting and eccentric shapes work very well indeed.
Oblong Faces:
Are longer than they are wide. They tend to have prominent cheekbones and a high forehead which exaggerates the length. All features are well balanced. Oblong faces are best suited to round or square frames as they accentuate the balanced features. You want to add width to the face and this can be achieved by having a colourful top rim or decorative sides.Particularly with oblong faces attention should be given to the distance between your eyes.If your eyes are wide set you want to draw attention to the centre of your face making your eyes appear closer together. This can be done by choosing a frame with a prominent bridge. If your eyes are close set decorative detail on the outer edge of the frame will give the illusion of greater width.
Square Faces:
A square face will comprise of a strong jawline, broad forehead and straight prominent bones. The face will be relatively symmetrical with both the jaw and the forehead being the same width. The idea for those with square face shapes is to soften the face, round frames or oval shapes will help achieve this. Plastic frames should be relatively thin/fine to stop the face appearing bulky.
Round Faces:
First of all let's get this clear, by no means does a round face mean a fat face. It's just equal in length and width with fuller cheeks and a softer curved jawline. What we want to achieve with a round face is some angularity so stay away from round glasses and go for something more square, angular and strong. A more angular cat-eye can add definition and create the illusion of a longer, slimmer face. Plastic frames in strong dark colours such as blacks and tortoiseshells will draw attention to the natural lines of your face. Thinner metal frames with a prominent bridge will distract people away from those fuller cheeks and help them focus on your eyes.
Heart Faces:
Heart shaped faces are wider at the top of the face than the bottom and the cheeks contour down towards the chin. As the facial proportions are less balanced oval and square frames with curved edges work well. This gives the narrower jaw a more proportioned look. Cat-eye glasses help balance a broader forehead while drawing attention to the eyes and cheekbones. Thin light metal frames or crystal plastic can draw focus towards the eyes and away from the prominent chin.
Diamond:
Diamond faces suit oval, cat-eye and brow-line styles particularly well. These frame shapes help balance prominent cheekbones while adding width to the upper face. Frames should sit comfortably within the width of the cheekbones rather than extending significantly beyond them.