What counts as geometric
A frame is geometric when its rim is made of visible straight segments meeting at corners, and when the corners are part of the design rather than a softened square. A round frame has no corners, a rectangle has four rounded ones that nobody notices. A hexagon has six that everybody notices, and that is the point.
The family runs from the mildest version, an angular square with flat edges and sharp corners, through the diamond and the crown shapes, to the full polygons: hexagon, octagon and the irregular multi-cut fronts where each lens has five or six edges of different lengths. The types of glasses frames guide places the family against the other shapes; this piece stays inside it.
The five shapes in the family
- The hexagon. Six sides, usually with a flat top and bottom and angled sides, worn in thin metal. The classic geometric frame and the one most people mean when they search. It has its own guide: hexagon glasses.
- The octagon. Eight sides, so the corners are shallower and the frame reads as a round shape with facets. The softest of the polygons and the one that suits the most faces.
- The diamond and the cat eye cut. A frame whose corners sit at the outer top and the inner bottom, so the lens leans upward like a cut stone. On an optical frame it is a cat eye drawn with straight lines; the lift at the outer corner does what a cat eye does with none of the curve.
- The multi-cut. An irregular polygon, each edge a different length, the lens looking as if it were cut from a sheet. The most modern of the family and the one that works best in a lightweight material, because thin rims make the angles read.
- The angular square and the crown. A square with corners kept sharp and edges kept flat, or a panto with a flat top edge and a crown line. The quiet end of the family, geometric enough to look considered and square enough to pass as a classic.
What angles do to a face
A frame draws lines on the face, and straight lines do the opposite of what curves do. A round frame repeats the curves of a round face and softens an angular one; a geometric frame adds structure to a soft face and matches the structure of an angular one.
- Round and soft faces. Corners are the point. A hexagon, a diamond cut or an angular square adds the definition the face does not have, which is why the glasses for a round face guide leans on angular shapes. Keep the frame a little wider than the face at the cheekbones so the angles frame rather than crowd.
- Oval faces. Almost everything works, and the geometric frame is the way to make an oval face look like it chose something. The octagon and the multi-cut both suit it.
- Square and angular faces. Corners on corners can be too much. The octagon and a diamond cut with a shallow angle keep the geometric idea without repeating the jaw. A full hexagon in a thick rim is the one to try on before buying.
- Heart shaped faces. A frame that is wider at the bottom than the top, or an octagon, balances the narrower chin. A diamond cut that lifts at the outer corner adds width at the top and is the one to avoid.
- Long faces. A geometric frame with real depth, the octagon or a deep multi-cut, shortens the face; a shallow hexagon in thin metal lengthens it.
The glasses for every face shape guide has the full set of rules; the geometric frame follows them, with corners as the extra variable.
Thin rim or thick rim
The same shape reads differently in two materials. A geometric frame in thin metal shows the shape as a line: the lens is what you see and the angles are an outline. It is the version that suits the most people, because it adds structure without weight. A geometric frame in acetate shows the shape as a block: the rim is thick enough to be the feature, the angles are bold, and the frame becomes the first thing people notice. It suits strong features and short hair and it is the one that fights a small face.
The practical rule: if you want the angles to be a detail, buy thin; if you want them to be the look, buy thick.
Sizing a geometric frame
Corners do not change the fit rules, but they change where the rules bite. A frame that is too wide shows it at the corners first, because the outer points sit past the temples and catch the eye. A frame that is too narrow pinches at the bridge, and a geometric frame with a sharp inner corner makes a pinch look worse than a round frame does. Check the width against the face at the cheekbones, the eyes near the centre of each lens, and the lower edge clear of the cheeks when you smile; the how should glasses fit guide runs the checks. Many of our frames are cut for a lower nose bridge so the frame sits level rather than sliding, and the low bridge fit eyeglasses collection lists them.
Geometric optical frames or geometric sunglasses
An optical frame is seen with the eyes behind it, so the angles work with the eyes and the brows and the frame can afford to be subtle. A sunglass hides the eyes, so the shape carries the whole look and the geometric sunglass is nearly always bolder: a polygonal aviator, a rimless diamond cut, an oversized angular square. The two halves of the MUJOSH list below follow that split.
MUJOSH geometric glasses
Nine frames with angles, from the eyeglasses collection and the sunglasses collection.
Optical frames:
- Ultem, $99: a geometric multi-cut frame in lightweight Ultem with a mortise and tenon hinge, in five colourways. The multi-cut of the family and the frame this guide was written around: thin rim, visible facets, almost no weight.
- Trendy Diamond, $99: a diamond-cut cat eye in acetate, cut for a lower nose bridge, two colourways. The cat eye drawn with straight lines; the lift at the outer corner is the whole shape.
- Beta Pitot, $135: a square-round frame with beta-titanium temples and a low bridge fit, two colourways. The quiet end of the family, a square with its corners kept.
- Alio XZ, $99: a crown panto in ultra-light material with spring hinges and a low bridge fit, three colourways. The crown line across the top is the geometric detail on an otherwise soft shape.
The metal frame glasses collection gathers the thin rim frames.
For the sun:
- Geometric Polygon, $119: a metal aviator with a polygonal front, weighted temple tips and a low bridge fit. The aviator with its curves replaced by straight edges.
- Pearl-Accented, $99: a rimless diamond-cut lens on titanium temples with a pearl detail, polarized. With no rim at all, the cut edge of the lens is the shape.
- Comte Oversized, $119: an oversized square in acetate, cut for a lower nose bridge. The thick rim version: the angles as the look.
- Species BL, $135: an oversized square-round in acetate with spring hinges and a low bridge fit. The square with its corners softened a degree, for the angular face that wants the family without the repeat.
- Oatt Fold, $149: a foldable round-square in lightweight TR90, three colourways. The travel version of the quiet shape.
The bottom line
Geometric glasses are frames with visible corners: hexagons and octagons, diamond cuts, multi-cuts and angular squares. They add structure to round and soft faces, flatter oval faces, and need a softer angle on square and heart shaped faces. Thin metal shows the shape as a line and suits most people; thick acetate makes the shape the look. Size them like any frame, with the corners as the tell for width. In the MUJOSH range, Ultem is the multi-cut, Trendy Diamond the diamond cut, Beta Pitot and Alio XZ the quiet squares and crowns, and for the sun Geometric Polygon, Pearl-Accented, Comte Oversized, Species BL and Oatt Fold carry the angles.
A geometric front is the quickest route to a frame that looks chosen; the cool glasses guide covers what else does it.
Frequently asked questions
What are geometric glasses?
Frames whose rims are made of straight segments meeting at visible corners: hexagons, octagons, diamond cuts, multi-cut polygons and angular squares. A rectangle with rounded corners is not geometric in this sense; the corners have to be part of the design.
Who do geometric glasses suit?
Round and soft faces most of all, because the corners add structure the face lacks; oval faces, where almost any shape works; and angular faces with a softer version such as an octagon. Heart shaped faces do better with a frame wider at the bottom than the top.
Are geometric glasses still in style?
Yes. The hexagon and the multi-cut have been the alternative to round and rectangular frames for a decade and are still on the frame type lists, now most often in thin metal and lightweight materials rather than thick plastic.
Which MUJOSH frames are geometric?
Optical frames: Ultem (multi-cut), Trendy Diamond (diamond cut cat eye), Beta Pitot (square-round) and Alio XZ (crown panto). For the sun: Geometric Polygon (polygonal aviator), Pearl-Accented (rimless diamond cut), Comte Oversized, Species BL and Oatt Fold.
