Why the black square is the default
Two reasons, one about the colour and one about the shape. Black is the colour that suits every skin tone and every outfit, and it hides the thickness of the frame, so a bold square can be worn without reading as heavy; the black sunglasses guide covers the colour in every shape. The square is the shape that adds structure: a straight top line and squared corners give the face an edge, which is why it suits the round and oval faces that are most common, and it is the shape that reads as classic in acetate and modern in metal; the square sunglasses guide covers the shape in every colour. Put the two together and you have the pair that nobody notices and everybody owns, which is a compliment.
The four decisions
Gloss or matte. Polished black acetate catches light along the top edge and reads as dressed; a matte black absorbs it and reads as casual and modern. Gloss for the evening and the city, matte for the beach and the car.
How big. A neat square sits inside the face and reads as classic; an oversized square covers the brow and the cheekbone and reads as the sunglass most people picture when they picture one. The oversized sunglasses guide covers how to size the big version so it stays on.
How square. A true square with sharp corners is the strongest version and the hardest to wear; a square-round, with the corners softened, is the easiest; a flat top, with a straight brow bar and a curved bottom, is the modern one, and the flat top sunglasses guide covers it.
Acetate or metal. Acetate is the classic black square, with weight and presence; the acetate sunglasses guide covers what to look for in the material. Metal is lighter and thinner and takes a flat lens, and a black metal frame photographs as gunmetal more often than as true black, which is worth knowing before you buy one online.
Which face suits a black square
Round faces take the black square best of all, because the corners add the angle the face lacks; the bigger and squarer the better. The sunglasses for round face guide says more. Oval faces take any version and suit the oversized one most. Heart faces take a square that is not too wide at the top, so a neat square or a square-round rather than a flat top; the sunglasses for heart shaped face guide goes further. Square faces should take the square-round, so the frame does not repeat the jaw, and the sunglasses for square face guide covers the alternatives. The how to choose sunglasses for your face shape guide covers all of them.
The lens to pair with it
A black frame takes any lens, and the choice decides the pair's job. Grey, and polarized grey above all, is the working lens: it keeps colours true and cuts glare off water and roads, and the polarized sunglasses for men guide and polarized sunglasses for women guide cover the filter by wearer. Dark grey on a black square is the full classic look, and the dark sunglasses guide covers when a very dark lens is right and when it is wrong. A mirror or a coloured lens turns the default pair into a statement, and the gold hardware version is its own piece, the black and gold sunglasses guide.
Fit: the square's one habit
A square frame carries its weight at the front and across a straight top line, so if the bridge does not sit on the nose the whole pair tips forward and the top bar drops below the brow, which undoes the shape. People with a lower nose bridge see this most, because most squares perch on them instead of resting; a frame cut for a lower nose bridge, with the bridge lower and closer to the face, keeps the top line where it belongs. Many of our frames are cut that way, every acetate pair below among them, and the low bridge fit sunglasses collection gathers them. The how should sunglasses fit guide gives the four checks.
Six MUJOSH black square sunglasses
Every pair is UV400; polarization is stated only where the product page states it; black colourways verified from the product photos; prices from the product pages on 27 October.
Cinnamon, $69. An oversized flush-mount square in acetate with polarized lenses, cut for a lower nose bridge; BGG is black. The lowest priced pair in the range and the classic oversized black square, which makes it the one to start with. Cinnamon
Dixrea, $99. A polished acetate square with polarized grey lenses, small gold tone rivets and a low bridge fit; OBBB is gloss black. The dressed black square, the one for the evening. Dixrea
Verse R9, $99. An oversized acetate square, cut for a lower nose bridge; OBG is black, in a shape with a touch more height than the Cinnamon. The coverage pair. Verse R9
Species BL, $135. An oversized square-round in acetate with spring hinges and a low bridge fit; BGD is black. The softened corner version, the one for a square face, and the one with the hinge that survives being sat on. Species BL
Oatt Fold, $149. A folding round-square in lightweight TR90 that packs flat; GBG is black with grey lenses. The black square that fits a pocket; the foldable sunglasses guide covers the mechanism. Oatt Fold
Maga KC, $79. The metal one: a flat top square with flat flush-mount polarized lenses, nose pads and a low bridge fit; BLB photographs as gunmetal rather than true black, which is the honest description, and it is the flat top of this list. Maga KC
The square sunglasses collection has these with the other colours, the polarized lenses collection marks Cinnamon, Dixrea and Maga KC as the polarized three, the oversized sunglasses collection has the big shapes, and the full range is in the sunglasses collection. The affordable sunglasses guide ranks the range by price if the $69 pair is the point.
Keeping a black square black
Black shows two things: dust in the polish and scratches on a dark lens. Rinse before you wipe, so grit does not drag across the lens, and polish the acetate with a dry cloth rather than a wet one, which leaves streaks on gloss black; the how to clean sunglasses guide covers the rest. Keep it in a hard case, because a black acetate frame scuffs at the corners in a bag.
The bottom line
The black square is the default pair because black suits everyone and the square adds structure; the choices that matter are gloss or matte, neat or oversized, true square or square-round or flat top, and acetate or metal. Round and oval faces take it best, square faces take the softened version, and every version needs the bridge to sit right so the top line stays at the brow. In the MUJOSH range that is Cinnamon at $69, Maga KC at $79, Dixrea and Verse R9 at $99, Species BL at $135 and Oatt Fold at $149, three of them polarized and all cut for a lower nose bridge or fitted with nose pads.
Frequently asked questions
Who suits black square sunglasses?
Round faces best of all, because the corners add the angle the face lacks; oval faces take any version; heart faces take a neat square rather than a wide flat top; square faces take the square-round with softened corners.
Gloss or matte black square sunglasses?
Gloss for the evening and the city, because polished acetate catches light along the top edge and reads as dressed; matte for the beach and the car, because it absorbs light and reads as casual and modern.
Are black square sunglasses polarized?
Only when the product says so. In the MUJOSH range Cinnamon ($69), Dixrea ($99) and Maga KC ($79) carry polarized lenses; Verse R9, Species BL and Oatt Fold carry a non-polarized grey lens.
Which MUJOSH sunglasses are black squares?
Cinnamon BGG ($69), Dixrea OBBB ($99), Verse R9 OBG ($99), Species BL BGD ($135) and Oatt Fold GBG ($149) in black, and Maga KC BLB ($79), the flat top in gunmetal.
