What makes a frame a butterfly
Three things, together. Size: a butterfly is oversized, the lens covering the brow at the top and reaching the cheekbone at the bottom. Taper: the frame is wider across the top than across the bottom, so the lens narrows towards the nose and the whole front reads as two wings meeting at the bridge. Lift: the outer corner sweeps up and out, higher than the inner corner, which is the cat eye's trick at a bigger scale. A frame with the size and the taper but a level top edge is an oversized square; a frame with the lift but no size is a cat eye; the butterfly needs all three.
The shape arrived in the sixties and the seventies made it bigger and tinted the lens; the 60s sunglasses guide and 70s sunglasses guide place it in each decade, and the retro sunglasses guide sets it beside the other shapes that came back.
Butterfly or cat eye
The two are often sold under the same name and the difference is scale and taper. A cat eye can be any size, is usually medium, and gets its character from the lifted corner alone; the cat eye sunglasses guide covers the family. A butterfly is always oversized and gets its character from the taper as much as the lift: the lens is a wing, not an almond. The practical difference is coverage: a cat eye frames the eye, a butterfly covers the brow and the top of the cheek, which makes the butterfly the beach shape and the cat eye the town shape.
Butterfly or oversized round
Both are big and soft, and the difference is the top line. An oversized round is widest at the middle and curves away at the top, so it softens everything, which is why it suits a square face and not a round one; the oversized sunglasses guide covers it. A butterfly is widest at the top, with a line across the brow and a lift at the corner, so it adds structure, which is why it suits a round face better than the round does. A face that wants softening takes the round; a face that wants lifting takes the butterfly.
Who butterfly sunglasses suit
Oval faces take the butterfly best; the only check is that the frame stops at the temples.
Round faces take it well, because the wide top edge and the lifted corner add the line and the lift a round face lacks; keep the lift defined and the lens deep enough to cover the cheek, and the sunglasses for a round face guide has the rest.
Square and angular faces take the softer butterfly, the one with a rounded lower edge and a gentle lift, which softens the jaw without repeating it; the sunglasses for a square face guide explains the choice.
Heart faces need a narrower top line and a lens that fills out at the cheek, because the butterfly is widest where a heart face is widest; the sunglasses for a heart shaped face guide covers it.
Long faces take a deep butterfly, where the lens reaches the cheekbone and breaks the length.
The how to choose sunglasses for your face shape guide runs the full check if you are not sure which you are.
How to size a butterfly
Oversized frames are the ones most often bought wrong, because the size that looks right on a model is not the size that fits. Four checks: the top edge sits at or just above the brow; the outer corner reaches the temple and stops, because a butterfly that goes past the face reads as a mask; the lower edge clears the cheek when you smile, the check a big lens fails most often; and the frame sits level and stays there, which on a lower nose bridge means a frame cut for it or adjustable pads, because a big tapered lens that slides pulls the wings into a frown. Every MUJOSH pair below is cut for a lower nose bridge or carries adjustable pads, and the how should sunglasses fit guide has the checks in full.
The lens that works
A butterfly covers so much of the face that the lens decides whether the pair reads as glamorous or as a visor. A gradient, dark at the top and lighter at the bottom, is the classic butterfly lens, because it shades the brow and lets the eyes show through the lower half; the gradient sunglasses guide covers it. A medium solid tint works in a dark frame for a more anonymous pair. For a beach day or a long drive, a polarized lens earns its place in a frame this size, and the polarized cat eye sunglasses guide lists the pairs with the filter.
Colour
Black is the butterfly's first colour and the one that reads most sixties; tortoise softens the shape and suits warm colouring; red and burgundy make the shape a statement, which the red sunglasses guide covers; and white, cream and pale pink are the resort and wedding versions, which the wedding sunglasses guide covers for a bride and a guest. A translucent or crystal frame makes a big shape lighter on the face and is the version for fine features.
MUJOSH butterfly sunglasses
Seven pairs from the cat eye sunglasses collection and the oversized sunglasses collection with the size, the taper and the lift, by price. Polarized where the product page says so.
- Jasmin, $79: an oversized cat eye in Italian acetate with polarized lenses and a low bridge fit, in OBPG black or LRPG true red. The butterfly of the range: full size, tapered, lifted.
- Talk Nice, $79: a soft cat eye with a gentle upswept corner, cut for a lower nose bridge, non-polarized, in BBS black, WWB ivory with a grey gradient, PPB pink with rose lenses, BWB cream white with grey lenses or GGB green with grey lenses. The soft butterfly for a square face, and the resort colours.
- Jasmin Straight, $89: the same oversized acetate cat eye with a straight top line, polarized, low bridge fit, in LRPG red or OBPG black. The butterfly for a round face, where the flat edge adds the line.
- Lvy Narrow, $99: an oversized cat eye in lightweight TR90 with a one-piece bent lens, cut for a lower nose bridge, non-polarized, in WS, BR black with a red lens or BB. The lightest butterfly, and the one-piece lens gives the widest unbroken wing.
- LYF Cat Eye, $99: a soft cat eye in polished acetate, rounded along the bottom and lifted at the outer corner, non-polarized, in OBB black with grey lenses, RRB burgundy with grey lenses or BBB clear beige with a brown gradient. The rounded butterfly, and the beige is the version for fine features.
- Retro Cat Eye, $99: a retro cat eye in acetate, cut for a lower nose bridge, in ORG red or OBG. The sixties butterfly, in the sixties colour.
- Lady Lang, $119: a screwless cat eye in metal with a hinge-free front, polarized, adjustable nose pads, cut for a lower nose bridge, three colourways. The metal butterfly, lighter on the face than acetate at the same size.
All seven are in the low bridge fit sunglasses collection by cut or by pads, the three polarized pairs in the polarized sunglasses collection, and the full range in the sunglasses collection.
The bottom line
A butterfly sunglass is oversized, wider at the top than the bottom and lifted at the outer corner, the cat eye at full scale; it suits oval and round faces best and square faces in its softer version, it is sized to the brow, the temple and the cheek, and it is worn with a gradient lens so the eyes show. In the MUJOSH range that is Jasmin and Jasmin Straight, Talk Nice, Lvy Narrow, LYF Cat Eye, Retro Cat Eye and Lady Lang, seven pairs from $79 to $119, every one cut for a lower nose bridge or fitted with pads.
In black, the oversized cat eye is the boldest pair in the range; the black cat eye sunglasses guide covers the colour at every size.
Frequently asked questions
What are butterfly sunglasses?
An oversized frame that is wider across the top than the bottom, with a lens that is deepest at the outer edge and sweeps up at the corner, so the two lenses read as a pair of wings. It is the cat eye at full scale, and it dates from the sixties and seventies.
Butterfly or cat eye sunglasses: what is the difference?
Scale and taper. A cat eye can be any size and gets its character from the lifted corner alone; a butterfly is always oversized and tapers from a wide top to a narrower bottom, so it covers the brow and the cheek as well as framing the eye.
What face shape suits butterfly sunglasses?
Oval and round faces best, because the wide top edge and the lifted corner add line and lift. Square faces take the softer, rounded version; heart faces take a narrower top line; long faces take a deep lens. Check that the frame stops at the temples and clears the cheek.
Which MUJOSH sunglasses are butterfly shaped?
Jasmin ($79) and Jasmin Straight ($89), both polarized, Talk Nice ($79), Lvy Narrow ($99), LYF Cat Eye ($99), Retro Cat Eye ($99) and Lady Lang in metal ($119), every one cut for a lower nose bridge or fitted with adjustable pads.
