The Best Affordable Men’s Sunglasses for Every Face Shape and Style

Best for: Any face shape

Who sports this style: Tom Cruise in Risky Business, Muhammad Ali

These might be the most iconic shades in the game, a type of frame that goes by many names. Ray-Ban, who originated the iconic design, calls their style the Wayfarer. Warby Parker calls their take on the shape the Harris. Plenty of others simply call it the Classic.

And it's a classic for a reason. Not only have these iconic sun-blocking spectacles adorned countless famous faces throughout the latter half of the 20th century and into the 21st, but they also look incredible on virtually any face shape.

Case in point: This frame style looked equally cool on both of the Blues Brothers, and there may be no two faces more different in shape than Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi.

For a reliable and affordable pair of classic shades, look to these PolarSpex, which are available in a range of frame and lens colors.

Read More: The 10 Best Bluetooth Sunglasses of 2022

Best for: Heart, square, and oval faces

Who sports this style: Tom Cruise in Top Gun, Future, President Biden

As the name suggests, this extremely popular style of sunglasses were first designed for military pilots in the 1930s and ’40s, with General MacArthur sporting the Army-Air-commissioned spectacles in newspaper photos around the world. Now a staple of mens’ style on the home front as well, aviators are beloved for their thin metal frame and glare-resistant lenses, making them as functional as they are stylish.

For those looking to step into the “danger zone” with a sleek pair of aviator-style glasses, we recommend these all-black shades from Luenx. They come with a protective case to ensure the frame doesn’t get bent or distorted when it’s not being worn.

Best for: Oval, diamond, and square faces

Who sports this style: Bruce Willis in Moonlighting, Tim Roth in Reservoir Dogs

Browline frames originated as a style of clear eyeglasses in 1947, sported by historical figures like Vince Lombardi and Malcolm X. The style lost popularity in the 1970s, but saw a resurgence in the 1980s after Bruce Willis sported a pair on the television program Moonlighting. This inspired Ray-Ban to introduce their own Browline sunglasses called the Clubmaster, and the frame saw a massive resurgence.

If you're looking for a bit of that throwback cool, snag these slick browline shades from Kaliyadi, and stick with the tortoiseshell matte color for the full effect.

Best for: Oval and heart faces

Who sports this style: Robert Pattinson in The Batman, Marcello Mastroianni in 8 1/2

If the classic Wayfarer shape is the four-in-hand necktie of sunglasses, these rectangular style frames are the skinny tie — a more slender, more modern look, and a riskier wear that, if paired with the right face and outfit, can make for a distinctive look.

The Arnette Slicksters are an affordable alternative to the typically pricey designer shades, and come with a case and cleaning cloth.

Best for: Square, triangle, and heart faces

Who sports this style: John Lennon, Samuel L. Jackson, Liam Gallagher of Oasis

A round frame doesn’t necessarily mean a perfect circle, unless you’re going full ’70s John Lennon. In that case, you’d better be prepared to churn out some classic albums. But any kind of rounded frame can help to draw attention away from the more angular elements of square, triangular, or heart-shaped faces.

If you're looking for a set of circular lenses to take for a spin, these round glasses from WearMe Pro are a perfect middle ground between the classic aviator style and a fully circular frame, at a remarkably reasonable price point.

Best for: Oval and square faces

Who sports this style: Miles Davis, Elvis Presley

The actual terminology for this subset of aviators, which feature a thicker plastic frame as opposed to the thinner metal frame typical to aviators, is debated. Some use “teardrop” to denote a more “dipped” lens than the typical aviator, and others simply mean a larger lens.

What is certain is that this particular type of aviator is favored by those looking for a more durable pair of shades, since thin metal frames have a tendency to bend and distort in pockets, or even just dangling from necklines. Plus, frames of this size — like these ZeroUV large aviators — offer total eye-protecting coverage, ideal for bright lights and beach days.

Best for: Oval, diamond, and heart faces

Who sports this style: Will Smith in Men in Black, Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry

The key advantage of a wrap around sunglass frame is that it curves with the contours of your face, ensuring that it blocks out sunlight not only in front of your face, but in your periphery as well. And it still maintains a relatively classic, casual look.

As a result, these shades tend to be favored by those with an active lifestyle, be they outdoorsman, drivers, or the aforementioned men in black. These affordable polarized shades from Nitrogen sport lenses with UV400 protection, helping to filter out both UVA and UVB rays.

Best for: Round, oval, and some heart faces

Who sports this style: El-P of Run The Jewels, Roddy Piper in They Live

This style of sunglasses are sometimes called square frames, other times flat top, and still other times “driving glasses,” with Jim Halo choosing all three for this particular pair.

This type of frame often features a very distinct straight line across the brow, and very angular lenses. It makes for a very striking statement, but also strongly accentuates facial angles in a sometimes glaring way. So, those with square, rectangular, or triangular faces should probably steer clear.

Best for: Oval, diamond, and heart faces

Who sports this style: Sean Combs, Tom Cruise

Rimless eyeglasses have actually been around for well over a century. President Theodore Roosevelt famously sported a pair, and they were thought to evoke a sense of intellectualism. In the latter half of the 20th century, that high status association carried through to the sunglasses style, as figures at the top of their respective industries — like Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs and Tom Cruise — were seen sporting them.

But be wary because an attempt to recreate this particular red carpet look could blow up in your face, if that face happens to be round or square. That's because this type of frame — particularly rectangular lenses like those in these distinct Feisedy glasses — accentuates facial width, which makes them more ideal for longer face shapes like oval or diamond.

Best for: Square, diamond, and triangular faces

Who sports this style: Bad Bunny, Will Smith in Wild Wild West

Musician Bad Bunny is nothing if not daring in his sense of personal style: After all, this is the person who gave us glow-in-the-dark Crocs and a Cheetos tracksuit. But he also takes a lot of risks with his eyewear, including reviving interest in the oval frame sunglasses.

As any of us who got those Wild Wild West promotional sunglasses with our Burger King kids meals can attest, these unique frames aren't a perfect fit for every face. They serve to smooth out more angular faces — much like their round counterparts — so square, diamond, and triangular faces would be better served by this frame.

But you also want to make sure these slimmer rounded frames fit your face size-wise, lest you wind up looking more Ben Franklin than Bad Bunny. These oval shades from Gifiore feature two 42-millimeter-wide lenses and a 22-millimeter bridge, which should comfortably fit most wearers.

Best for: Diamond, square, and oval faces

Who sports this style: The Weeknd, Robert DeNiro in Casino

For a while, it seemed like these deliberately oversized style of sunglasses were going to stay a thing of the past. They were the kind of shades you often saw in movies set in old Las Vegas, or in real life sported by people in Vegas who were, well, fairly old. Then, in 2019, The Weeknd dropped the video for “Blinding Lights,” and suddenly, everybody was seeking out the kind of chunky shades their grandmas usually packed for a weekend in Boca.

Now, most of us can't pull off frames as radical as The Weeknd (this is a guy who can make a face full of bandages look cool, after all), but if you're looking to add an oversized frame to your sunglass game without breaking the bank, you can snag these flat top oversized aviators from Vanlinker. They come with a microfiber carrying case and cleaning cloth, to boot.

Best for: Oval, diamond, and heart faces

Who sports this style: Aaron Judge, Francisco Lindor

“For most of us,” the old show Arli$$ used to say, “...the dream of becoming a champion remains a fantasy.” But that doesn’t mean we don’t look to athletes as inspiration, as role models, and sometimes, as style icons. So, while this particular style of sunglasses began as an entirely functional invention intended for athletic activity, it’s now emerged as a popular style for men in everyday life.

Sports sunglasses, like these Torege shades, feature a rimless bottom that allows for a clear lower vision field and prevents lens fogging. It features a rubber nose pad, which helps the glasses stay secure — even when sweating. Plus, this particular pair comes with three interchangeable lenses for daytime and nighttime activities, as well as driving.

Best for: Oval and diamond faces

Who sports this style: Kool Moe Dee, Jackie Chan

Shield sunglasses can — obviously — be a bit of a risky choice. They're deliberately ostentatious, with a single large lens covering both eyes and crossing over the bridge of the nose. As such, there's no real way to go low-key with a shield: You have to embrace it. However, go too far in the deliberately garish vibe, and you'll wind up looking like Macho Man Randy Savage (which, if that's your goal, hey, we have you covered).

If you're looking for a pair of shield sunglasses that won't strain your wallet — but don't look cheap — turn to this simple shield from Foster Grant, a company with over a century of history in the sunglasses industry.

Best for: Square, triangle, and heart faces

Who sports this style: Dwayne Wayne from A Different World, Lupe Fiasco

Sure, when it comes to style, you can always chase the latest trends, but sometimes, you have to go deliberately retro.

Call it “steampunk,” or if you’re of a certain age, the “Dwayne Wayne.” But whatever you call it, these rounded flip-up shades are certainly a striking and distinctive look that can be sported ironically. (Or, if you can truly commit to it, with full stylish sincerity.)

Best for: The bold

Who sports this style: Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, Playboi Carti

We'll get this right out of the way: These are about as bold and as risky a sunglass choice as you could possibly get. If something like a Wayfarer is the right frame for almost every face, this style could very well be considered wrong for most. But sometimes, you gotta just run headlong into a style so wrong that it becomes right again.

That's what Kurt Cobain did in 1993 when he paired these glaringly white goggles with a hunting cap and nail polish, and it's also what happened in 2017 as a slew of ostentatious rappers like Lil Yachty, Lil Uzi Vert, and Offset all embraced these intentionally garish '60s-mod-style shades as part of their persona.

This is a case where determining if you can pull off these shades has nothing to do with face shape, and everything to do with confidence. After all, fortune favors the bold.