Why round reads differently on men
A round lens is a soft line, and most men's faces are sold on hard ones: the jaw, the brow, the straight nose. Put a soft line in the middle of a hard face and one of two things happens. Either the contrast flatters, because the curve takes the edge off a jaw that is already strong, or the contrast fights, because the lens is so small and so round that it looks borrowed. Which one you get depends on three things: the face underneath, the size of the lens, and how round the round actually is. The round sunglasses guide covers the shape in general; this piece is the men's version.
Which men's faces suit round sunglasses
- Square faces. The best match. A strong jaw and a straight brow are the lines a round lens softens, and the result reads as deliberate. The sunglasses for a square face guide puts round and oval at the top for this reason.
- Long and oblong faces. Round works if the lens is wide enough. A round lens adds width at the cheekbones, which a long face needs; a small round lens adds nothing and makes the length more obvious. The sunglasses for a long face guide explains the width rule.
- Oval faces. Round suits them, as most shapes do. The only check is size.
- Heart faces. A round lens balances a wide brow and a narrower chin, as long as the frame is not heavier at the top than at the bottom.
- Round faces. The caution case. A true circle on a round face repeats the face, and the usual advice is to go square instead. The way round works on a round face is the square-round, a lens with a flat top or a squared outer corner, which is why most of the pairs below are that shape. The sunglasses for a round face guide has the full list.
The four round shapes
"Round" covers four shapes that do not look alike on a man.
- True round. A circle. The most retro and the hardest to wear; it suits a square face and a narrow one, and little else. The 1960s version in the retro sunglasses guide.
- Square-round. A round lens with a straight top line or a slightly squared corner. The shape that gives most men the softness of round without the costume, and the shape to start with.
- Oval. Wider than it is tall. On a man it reads as narrow and modern rather than retro, and it is the only round shape that suits a very wide face. The oval sunglasses guide covers it.
- Panto. Round at the bottom, flatter at the top, with a keyhole or a straight bridge. Halfway between round and square-round, and the dressiest of the four.
If in doubt, square-round. It is the shape the range is built on for men.
Size: the lens should never read small
The single most common mistake with men's round sunglasses is a lens that is too small. A small round lens on an adult male face reads as a novelty; the same shape at a size that covers the eye socket, with the lower rim near the top of the cheek, reads as a proper pair of sunglasses. The rule is that the frame should reach the sides of the face at the temples, so no skin shows beyond the lens, and the lens should be deep enough that the eye sits in its upper half, not its centre. Oversized round, which sounds like a contradiction, is the men's version of the shape that works best.
Lens and material
A dark lens makes a round frame read as sunglasses; a light tint makes it read as glasses with a tint, which is the costume again. Grey or green for a classic look, brown for warmth, and a polarized lens on any of them for driving, which the polarized sunglasses for men guide covers. For the frame, thick acetate or a bold modern material gives a round shape the weight it needs on a man's face; thin wire rounds are the retro version and suit narrow faces best. Black, dark tortoise and a deep green are the colours that keep round masculine; crystal and light tortoise are the softer options.
How to wear round sunglasses as a man
Round is a statement shape, so let it be the only one. A plain jacket, a tee, a shirt without a pattern. Keep the hair simple; a round lens with a lot going on above it looks busy. If the round is a true circle, wear it with the plainest clothes you own; if it is a square-round, it goes with anything a square would. The best sunglasses for men guide ranks the shapes against face shape; the aviator sunglasses guide is the other soft shape and the usual alternative.
Fit
Round frames sit on the bridge, and a round lens that slides down reads as small as well as low. Check that the frame stays put when you look down and that the lower rim clears the cheeks when you smile. On a nose that does not rise much between the eyes, choose a frame cut for a lower nose bridge, which keeps the lens at the height it was designed for; two of the pairs below are, and the rest of them are in the low bridge fit sunglasses collection. The how should sunglasses fit guide has the full check.
MUJOSH round sunglasses for men
Five pairs from the sunglasses collection, all square-round or oval rather than true round, because that is the shape that works on most men. Prices as listed on 27 October.
- Species BL, $135: an oversized square-round in acetate with spring hinges and a low bridge fit. The pair to start with: large enough to read as sunglasses, square enough at the corners to stay masculine, and the spring hinges take a wider head.
- Retro Round, $99: a retro square-round in a lightweight frame with adjustable nose pads, two colourways. The 1960s shape at the entry price, with the pads to set the height.
- Velo M0, $135: a square-round in AQUA material with spring hinges that adapt to head width, four colourways. The modern material version, for a man who wants the shape without the retro.
- Oatt Fold, $149: a foldable round-square in lightweight TR90 that packs flat, three colourways. The round for a jacket pocket; the foldable sunglasses guide covers how the fold works.
- Zest, $169: a narrow oval in polished acetate with polarized lenses, three colourways. The oval for a wide face or a man who wants the narrowest version of round, with the polarized lens for driving.
The polarized pairs are also in the polarized sunglasses collection.
The bottom line
Round sunglasses for men work when the face has lines for the curve to soften, the lens is big enough to read as sunglasses, and the round is a square-round rather than a true circle. Square, long, oval and heart faces take them; round faces take the square-round only. Dark lens, substantial frame, plain clothes. Check the bridge, because a round lens that slides reads small. In the MUJOSH range, Species BL is the pair to start with, Retro Round the entry pair, Velo M0 the modern material, Oatt Fold the one for a pocket, and Zest the narrow oval.
The optical side is in the round glasses for men guide, with the same rules for size and rim.
Frequently asked questions
Do round sunglasses look good on men?
Yes, on square, long, oval and heart faces, where the curve softens a strong jaw or adds width. The two rules are a lens big enough to cover the eye socket and reach the temples, and a square-round shape rather than a small true circle.
What face shape suits round sunglasses for men?
Square faces first, then long, oval and heart. Round faces should choose a square-round with a flat top line rather than a circle.
Should men's round sunglasses be big or small?
Big. A small round lens reads as a novelty on an adult face; a lens that covers the eye socket, with the frame reaching the temples, reads as sunglasses. Oversized round is the men's version that works.
Which MUJOSH sunglasses are round for men?
Species BL, Retro Round, Velo M0 and Oatt Fold are square-round; Zest is a narrow oval with polarized lenses. Species BL and Zest are the two to try first.
