How to Buy the Perfect Sunglasses to Go with Your Suit

Section: Men's Style - Blog

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There is deep ingrained perception among us males (especially here in Australia) that a pair of shades instantly ups your street cred by about a million points. And while any old pair will almost always enhance your beachwear look, the same cannot be said of the suit you wear to the office or a wedding. So if you’re one of those guys that just can’t put down his Oakleys, then have we got some advice for you.

How they fit

First and foremost as with a custom made suit is the fit of your sunglasses. Too small and you’ll look like you’ve picked them up at the toy store, too large and you’ll look like you have a penchant for novelty specs.

And just like your tailored suit is crafted to hug your body, so too can you have your shades built to fit the contours of your face. A good pair of bespoke sunglasses will last you a lifetime so we can’t recommend highly enough that you take this avenue of approach. If however, your budget is a little more modest then a trip to a bona fide sunglasses emporium will see you purchase a pair that fits the size and shape of your face.

Protection

Now we Australians are quite clued in when it comes to matters of the sun. We fully understand the dangers posed to both your skin and your eyes even on an overcast day. So we shouldn’t really have to mention that you want to get the highest level of protection possible from your lenses. Nothing less than 100% UV protection will do.

The Styles

Sunglasses fall into two distinct styles

Active eyewear

These are the sunglasses that you wear when you’re jogging, climbing a mountain, riding a bike, or throwing a Frisbee on the beach. Yes, you guessed it, the pair you wear when you are active. Some of the best shades on the market fall into this category. They usually offer incredible levels of protection not only from the sun’s harmful rays but also from dust, dirt, and bugs that seem predisposed to lodging themselves under your eyelids.

However, as far as suits are concerned these sunglasses are an absolute no go. Yes, they may have cost more than your dress shoes, but these shades are built for durability while the donning of a suit is all about style.

Stylish eyewear

Octagonal, round, star shaped (okay maybe not), the list of sunglass styles is endless. But as with all matters of fashion, there are a couple of styles that stand head and shoulders above the rest as the perfect partner to your suit.

• Aviator – Try as you might it’s impossible to get the image of Tom Cruise and the rest of the Top Gun crew out of your mind when mentioning this style but trust us, this is no eighties throwback trend. A pair of Aviator sunglasses finishes off a suited look with levels of panache that only a sartorially clued in man can pull off. Wear these with your suit and every other man present will wonder why he didn’t get himself a pair.

• Retro Square – There’s something about the word retro that makes you want to draw back instinctively claiming that you’re ‘no hipster’, but once again you have to trust us on this. Retro Square shades offer a different angle to your style. While Aviators give an apparent air of self-confidence to the wearer, Retro Square sunglasses show a man comfortable with his style choices.

So when grabbing a pair of sunglasses to go with your suit all you have to remember is - sports shades out, classic styles in. Oh and by the way, when the sun goes down so too should your sunglasses. The moon’s not that bright is it?