The Ciccio Francis sunglasses, which you can find on the East Dane website
One of the main rules when it comes to putting outfits together and to coordination your clothes is that they need to match the setting and the occasion for which you will be wearing those clothes. It is essential that you dress for the occasion, otherwise, no matter how great your outfit looks; you will be out of place and risk to attract the wrong kind of attention. Sunglasses are a very important part of an outfit, especially in the summer time when, for most people, they tend to become an essential part of their daily looks. But, just as your outfits, your sunglasses need to look very good as well.
„Good-looking” is a relative term. The reason for this is because, one, what looks good on a person might not look as good on another and secondly, because „looking good” is always related to the context.
You might look fantastic wearing shorts and a yellow blouse on the beach, but the same look might not be appropriate for a black tie event.
This picture, used by some sites as their 404 error message, illustrates that idea very well.
But, what you should know is that your overall outfit is not the only thing that needs to be context-appropriate. The rule we mentioned above applies to each individual piece that is a component of your look. In this article, we will be focusing on sunglasses and explain why some models fit casual outfits, while others are appropriate for more formal looks.
Generally, most people own just one pair of sunglasses, but we always advise everyone to own several pairs. Just as you have more pairs of shoes, appropriate for different settings, you should have different pairs of sunglasses, each intended to a purpose.
Let’s take a look at what makes a pair of sunglasses casual rather formal. There are three main elements you need to look at in order to establish whether a pair of sunglasses works better with a formal outfit or with a casual one. These are the line, the texture and the color.
Note that these tips are not unbreakable rules, but rather guidelines that will help you make better sartorial choices. Here they are:
- The line. In product design, the “line” is referred to the outline of a product, as it would look if you were to make a simple sketch of it on a piece of paper. If your pair of sunglasses consists of very few, very simple lines, then it is probably more appropriate for a formal look than for a casual one. A pair of sunglasses featuring a combination of light curves, smooth and rough corners and so on is most likely to be more appropriate for a casual outfit. Of course, there are other elements to consider as well, such as the texture and color or colors.
- The texture. The texture of your sunglasses is also a good indicator of whether you should wear it with a suit or with a t-shirt and shorts. Sunglasses made from flexible plastic, wood, etc. fall in the casual category, while glasses made from finer materials are usually more formal. The overall design matters very much here, as you can have a very elegant pair of sunglasses made from plastic as well. If you are not sure, look at the shine (the shinier, the more formal), the colors, etc., and see whether they would go better with a formal outfit or with a casual one.
- The color. The color or colors of a pair of sunglasses are strong indicator of when you should wear those sunglasses. Bright colors, such as neon, fuchsia, etc. are generally casual, while metallic and darker colors, such as black or burgundy are more formal.
Sunglasses for casual outfits
When you are wearing a casual outfit and wish to match it to a cool pair of sunglasses, there is pretty much no wrong choice you can make. Of course, the sunglasses need to work with your overall look and to go with the colors you are wearing, but when it comes to sunglasses, most sunglasses go with casual outfits.
Informal sunglasses usually feature a combination of lines and shapes: rectangles combined with squares, pointy corners, etc., which give them a more relaxed, versatile look.
For example, the Carrera 5003 sunglasses with mirrored lenses combine all these elements: they have straight lines mixed with rounded edges as well as with square corners. Both the glass and the frames feature bright colors. The result is an amazing pair of summer sunglasses, which, due to their size also offer a good amount of protection.
This being said, there are different ways of being casual. One can be casual and urban or casual and quite elegant and sophisticated. For a more urban look, we definitely recommend getting sunglasses that feature bright colors. You can get sunglasses that feature bold frames or glasses or that mix bold frames with bold glasses.
Some sunglasses are on the border and go with both casual and formal outfits.
The Carrera Square Aviator Sunglasses is the perfect example of a pair of sunglasses that works with pretty much any anything. These specs feature a cross between casualness and extreme sophistication, by mixing a series of fine lines with smooth colors and textures.
Sunglasses and formal outfits
If casual outfits go with pretty much any type of sunglasses, the same thing can’t be said about formal outfits. Our recommendation is to never wear sunglasses with very formal outfits. There is no need to wear sunglasses at a highly formal event (unless you are some kind of music star on a red carpet). Besides from the fact that sunglasses don’t go with formal outfits such as tuxedos, most formal events are held in the evening and during the night, so there is no practical need to wear sunglasses there. To be clear, there are different degrees of formal wear. Morning coats, Hátíðarbúningurs or Barong Tagalogs, which are clothes specifically destined for formal events, are clothes that should never be worn with sunglasses, while everyday, modern yet formal suits can be worn with sunglasses.
Sunglasses that go with formal outfits are generally pieces that consist of very fine, simple lines. Shades that have very simple outlines and neutral glasses work very well with formal or semi-formal outfits as well.
To exemplify, we can take a look at the Oliver Peoples West Piedra gold sunglasses.
This amazing pair features simple lines, smooth edges and the fine, smooth materials give it a relaxing vibe that makes the pair stand out but in a non-ostentatious way. Note that gold and silver are both neutrals, so they go with any type of outfit and with each other. What this means is that for example, you can wear both golden sunglasses and a silver watch and that you can wear them with any colors, textures or patterns.
Wearing sunglasses is very important during the summer, as they have a very practical function as well, which is of course, to protect you from the strong radiations of the sun. And because wearing them is so important, make sure that you find a pair or two that fit your style and taste and that you can always rely on.
Fraquoh and Franchomme
Further reading:
How to choose your glasses according to your features
P.S. What kind of sunglasses do you like to wear? What colors do you prefer? What designs do you like? Share your comments, questions or feedback below and don’t forget that you can subscribe to Attire Club with your e-mail and you can follow us on our social media pages, such as Facebook and Twitter!
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