Modern image of a retro-style. Cat-eye sunglasses and nude lips.
As cold mornings turn into warmer and warmer days, one can’t help but get excited for the incredible spring and summer seasons that we have here in Denver. And we all know that with the gorgeous weather comes long days of sunshine. With an average of 300 sunny days a year, we spend a great deal of time outside soaking it up: at parks, concerts, patios and so forth. And while we may all love this, our eyes likely don’t feel the same way. With intense UVA and UVB rays, the sunshine we all value has a damaging effect on our vision. But this isn’t a health-oriented, scary story. This is my appeal to you—for you to protect your precious eyes and look like a retro-beauty. The solution: cat-eye sunglasses.
Whether you’ve lived through this style once before (sorry mom—that’s for you) or you’re donning it for the first time, there is no doubt that it is truly a classic look. From Princess Grace to sex-bomb Marilyn to Audrey Hepburn (for all you Golightly fans), the classic beauties of generations-past made this look iconic. Sure, some styles made their mark thanks to beauties like Jackie Kennedy. But the cat-eye became more iconic. In a time when women began to step into classically men’s fashion and roles, the cat-eye sunglasses were a sexy accessory.
Saying that an accessory like sunglasses looks ‘sexy’ sounds funny when you think of it in terms of what it really is. How can putting on a pair of plastic frames with tinted lenses make you look more seductive? Well, you can thank the women who first wore these shades. These confident, powerful and chic women gave these sunglasses the sexiness we associate with them. They also made them iconic. There has always been an emphasis on cats as feminine and provocative creatures, but it took a few Hollywood women who lived up to that reputation to make this look what it is now.
Cat-eye sunglasses come in all colors, sizes and magnitude of cat-ish-ness. So find what works best for the structure of your face and color of your hair. The ideal cat-eye sunglass will:
Simple hair, earrings and a cat-eye to complete this classic style.
- Line-up with the mid to upper portion of your cheekbones and then curve upwards, revealing the rest of your cheekbones. If the glasses are so large that they completely hide the natural curvature of your face, or the entirety of your cheekbones, they are not an ideal fit.
- Arc just below or just even with your eyebrows. If they are much higher than that, the frames are too large for your face. With a cat-eye, you are better off with a slightly smaller frame than one that is too large.
- Contrast nicely with the color of your hair and your complexion. Generally, women with blonde hair look best in a brown or tortoise-shell frame. Brunettes can typically wear lighter brown or gold hues the best, while redheads come in as the obvious winners for silver or black. However, there are exceptions to every rule.
It is my personal opinion that cat-eye sunglasses look the best with a dark, dark lens. The glasses have enough character that ombré or uniquely colored lenses detract from this iconic style. However, earrings and a nude lip are absolute musts to polish off this look.
Reduce your wrinkles, protect your eyes and look fabulous!