What makes an aviator oversized
Three things, and two of them are enough. Lens depth: the teardrop reaches from above the eyebrow to the cheekbone, so the eye sits in the upper half of the lens and the lower half covers the cheek. Lens width: each lens runs from the bridge to the outer edge of the eye socket and past it, so the front covers the face from temple to temple. Bridge height: on an oversized aviator the double bridge sits level with or above the brow, which is what gives the shape its height. A classic aviator has the shape and a medium lens; a small aviator keeps the shape inside the face; the oversized one covers it. The aviator sunglasses guide covers the shape at every size, and the oversized sunglasses guide the oversized look in every shape.
How big is too big
Four checks, all done in a mirror, no measurement needed. The brow: the top bar should sit on or just above the eyebrow, not a finger's width above it; higher than that and the frame reads as borrowed. The cheek: the lens should clear the cheekbone when you smile; if it lifts, the lens is too deep for the face. The sunglasses touching cheeks guide covers that case. The temple: the outer edge of each lens should finish level with the side of the face; past it, the temples splay and the frame slides forward. The eye: the eye should sit in the upper third of the lens, not the centre; if it sits in the centre, the lens is too deep. Pass all four and the pair is big, not too big.
Who suits an oversized aviator
Oval and long faces carry it best, because there is room between brow and cheek for a deep lens, and the teardrop's width balances a long face. Square faces take it well too: the curved lower edge of the teardrop softens the jaw, and the straight top bar echoes the brow; the sunglasses for square face guide says more. Round faces need care: the teardrop's curve repeats the face's curve, so a round face should take the version with the straightest top bar and the most angular lens, and the sunglasses for round face guide covers the alternatives. Heart faces take an oversized aviator better than most big frames, because the teardrop is widest at the top where the face is and narrowest at the bottom where the chin is; the sunglasses for heart shaped face guide goes further. Small faces should step down to a classic or small aviator; the sunglasses for small faces guide covers the fit. Wide faces and big heads are the oversized aviator's natural home, and the sunglasses for big heads guide covers what else fits.
Fit: why a big metal frame slides, and what stops it
An oversized aviator has a large lens hanging from a thin metal frame, so almost all its weight sits at the front, on the nose. If the bridge does not rest on the nose, the frame slides, the lens lands on the cheeks and the whole pair sits crooked, and the thin temples cannot hold it up on their own. Two things fix it.
Adjustable nose pads. The aviator's own answer: two pads on wire arms that can be moved in, out and down to put the frame's weight exactly where the nose carries it. All four pairs below have them, and the nose pads for glasses guide shows how to set them in a minute.
A low bridge fit. People with a lower nose bridge find most aviators perch on the top of the nose rather than rest along it, and perch is slide. A frame cut for a lower nose bridge sits the bridge lower and closer to the face, so the pads meet the nose where it is; many of our frames are cut that way, three of the four aviators below among them, and the low bridge fit sunglasses collection gathers them. The sunglasses for a low nose bridge guide runs the four checks and the glasses keep sliding down nose guide is the full diagnosis. The how should sunglasses fit guide covers the rest of the fit.
The lens for an oversized aviator
A lens this big is a lot of colour on the face, so the choice matters more than on a small frame. Grey is the classic and the one that keeps colours true; the everyday choice. Green is the aviator's traditional lens, a touch warmer than grey, and reads as vintage on a gold frame. Mirror is the showpiece: a silver mirror on a big teardrop is the most reflective surface you can wear, and the mirrored sunglasses guide covers how to keep it unscratched. Gradient softens the size, because the lower half of the lens goes pale and the cheek shows through. Polarized is the glare filter for water and roads, and it is a separate property from colour: none of the four MUJOSH aviators below carries a polarized tag, so for a long drive in low sun the driving sunglasses guide and the polarized lenses collection are the places to look.
Four MUJOSH aviators
Every pair is UV400 with adjustable nose pads; the four are non-polarized per their product pages; colourways verified from the product photos.
Aviator Total, $99. A metal aviator with adjustable nose pads, cut for a lower nose bridge, in four colourways: MSPG silver with a silver mirror lens, the showpiece; GBPG black metal with a grey lens, the quiet one; MSDS and MSGG silver with grey. The oversized aviator of the range and the one to start with. Aviator Total
Retro Trendy, $99. A classic metal aviator with balanced temples, adjustable nose pads and a low bridge fit; CGPG black with grey, SP silver with a violet lens, BST silver with a blue gradient. The pair for a coloured lens on the shape. Retro Trendy
Retro Aviator, $119. A classic metal aviator with balanced temples and adjustable nose pads; BGG is gold with a green lens, the traditional aviator in its traditional colours, and BSS silver with grey. The 70s sunglasses guide places the gold and green pairing in its decade. Retro Aviator
Geometric Polygon, $119. A geometric metal aviator with a polygonal front, a double bridge, weighted temple tips that hold the frame back on the head, and a low bridge fit; SS is silver with a mirror lens. The angular one, and the aviator for a round face. Geometric Polygon
The aviator sunglasses collection has all four, the metal frame sunglasses guide covers how to look after a thin metal frame, and the oversized sunglasses collection has the other big shapes.
The bottom line
An oversized aviator is a teardrop that covers brow to cheekbone and temple to temple under a high double bridge; it suits oval, long, square and heart faces and big heads, and a round or small face should take the angular or the smaller version. Check the brow, the cheek, the temple and where the eye sits, and keep the pair up with adjustable nose pads and a low bridge fit, because a big metal frame carries all its weight on the nose. In the MUJOSH range that is Aviator Total and Retro Trendy at $99, Retro Aviator and Geometric Polygon at $119, every one with nose pads and three of them cut for a lower nose bridge.
Frequently asked questions
How big should oversized aviator sunglasses be?
The top bar on or just above the eyebrow, the lens clear of the cheekbone when you smile, the outer edge level with the side of the face, and the eye in the upper third of the lens. Pass all four and the pair is big, not too big.
Who looks good in oversized aviators?
Oval, long, square and heart faces, and anyone with a wide face or a big head. Round faces should take the angular version with the straightest top bar, and small faces a classic or small aviator.
Why do my oversized aviators keep sliding down?
Because a big lens on a thin metal frame carries all its weight on the nose, and if the bridge perches instead of resting, it slides. Set the adjustable nose pads, and if your nose bridge is lower, choose a frame cut for it; three of the four MUJOSH aviators are.
Which MUJOSH sunglasses are oversized aviators?
Aviator Total ($99, four colourways including a silver mirror), Retro Trendy ($99, including a violet and a blue gradient lens), Retro Aviator ($119, gold with a green lens or silver with grey) and Geometric Polygon ($119, the angular one with a mirror lens), all with adjustable nose pads.
