For most people, glasses are seen not as a fashion accessory but a necessary item to help their vision. We think that the majority of the population see glasses this way. It’s estimated that around 75% of adults use some kind of vision correction such as eyeglasses or contact lenses. That means that the majority of people actually wear glasses or contacts and it’s more likely you’ll see someone wearing them than not. This is a surprising statistic for many people as perfect vision is often considered the norm.

Despite the number of people wearing some kind of vision correction, it’s still thought of as a necessity that you have to wear or else you’d be blind as a bat. Thankfully, the sheer number of people wearing glasses has put more attention on using glasses as a fashion accessory to complement the rest of your outfit. Nowadays, there are loads of high-end fashion brands that make glasses and sunglasses. The overall perception of glasses has changed as well with more people choosing to wear them over contact lenses.

So in this post, we’re going to talk about how you can change your perspective on sunglasses and treat them more like an accessory to complement your outfit rather than just a necessity.

First thing’s first; do you actually need to wear glasses?

Although glasses are incredibly popular as a fashion accessory these days, most people would feel a bit weird wearing them if they don’t actually need to. It can make you look a bit like a fashion poser that is only wearing glasses because someone said it’d look good. If you actually wear glasses and need them for your vision then this isn’t something you’d think about. However, if you don’t actually need to wear glasses then it begs the question; can you still wear them?

The answering is a resounding yes. Plenty of stores are starting to offer clear lens options which means that the lenses in your frames won’t actually do anything. They might get dirty and they usually pick up fingerprint marks, but that’s just something everyone has to deal with when they wear glasses. Simply order your frames with clear lenses and wear them like an accessory. You don’t need to have poor vision to wear your frames as a fashion accessory and you shouldn’t let anyone make you feel bad for wearing them even if you technically don’t need them.

Glasses and sunglasses; when should you wear them?

There’s an obvious answer to this; wear sunglasses when you’re outdoors and it’s sunny, otherwise, wear glasses. However, it’s a lot more nuanced than you might think when picking between sunglasses and glasses. After all, people still wear regular glasses when they’re outdoors.

Most eyeglasses aren’t designed to protect against the sun. While they might offer some kind of anti-glare coating, they don’t shield your eyes from the bright sun as sunglasses will. If you don’t actually need glasses then you’re free to wear sunglasses or glasses depending on how they fit your outfit. If one complements your appearance better than the other, go for that option. However, if you need to wear glasses for your vision, then we’d suggest sticking to your regular glasses unless you’ve chosen lenses that react to sunlight. These are a bit more expensive than regular lenses and it can look a bit strange, but they’re convenient to have if you want an all-in-one solution to help your vision and also protect your eyes from the sun.

Make your glasses the main attraction or keep them in the background?

You have two main options when wearing glasses; do you make them the main attraction or do you keep it subtle? If you’re wearing a lot of fashionable jewellery then we’d highly suggest that you keep your glasses simple. However, if you’re wearing an oversized pair with a unique colour and design, then you should make it the main focus. You can frame it with subtle jewellery such as studs or small earrings and necklaces. This helps to draw more attention to your glasses while still creating a balanced look.

Picking the right pair for your face

While you can always go to a store and pick a pair off the shelf, you actually have the option of buying your glasses and sunglasses online as well. In fact, you can even buy high-end brands such as Ray Ban from online stores. However, it’s important to remember that you need to measure your face and compare it to the dimensions listed on the website. This will help you get a better idea of how large the frames are and if they’re suitable for your face. While most online retailers will let you return your glasses, you generally want to pick a pair that already suits your face so that you don’t need to go through the hassle of sending them back.

You should also keep in mind the shape of your face. There are many different face shapes so we’ll keep it simple. There are four main shapes; round, heart, square and long. Round faces benefit from glasses with sharp edges. Heart faces are great with glasses that have rounded bottoms. Square faces pair well with round glasses. And long faces tend to benefit from oversized frames to help balance their facial proportions.

It can be a little daunting trying to categorize your face and pick frames based on it. However, the concept is rather simple. Your goal is to try and balance your face by wearing glasses that are the opposite of your face shape. For instance, if your face is rounded then you go with angular glasses to create a more balanced appearance. The same is true for the reverse. At the end of the day, you should pick something that makes you feel comfortable, but these are some general tips to help you pick a great-looking pair of glasses.