Claire's Picks

Sunglasses Worth Having in Your Wardrobe

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Most sunglasses do very little. They sit on your face, technically block the sun, and add nothing to how you look. The ones worth actually owning do something different entirely. They finish an outfit. They give a plain white shirt a point of view. They make getting off a plane look intentional. We have been genuinely selective here because this is a category where the gap between brilliant and forgettable is enormous. Frame shape matters more than most people realise. A cat eye reads differently to an oversized square. A classic tortoiseshell aviator carries associations that plain black simply does not. Getting it right means understanding what you are actually buying and why. What we have pulled together here are the pairs that justify the spend, whether that is a serious investment frame or something that punches well above its price. Good UV protection is non negotiable, that is the baseline. But these go further than that. They have the kind of considered design that holds up season after season without looking like you are trying too hard. The right pair of sunglasses is the easiest upgrade your wardrobe has available to it.

Claire's Top Picks

70s Sunglasses Worth the Detail MADE IN PARADIS UK Women's polarized sunglasses Hawkers Audrey Neuve Jump to section ↓

£27.51 MADE IN PARADIS UK

90s Sunglasses Worth Keeping Handy SCHUH Quay Hyped Up Sunglasses in Cream Jump to section ↓

£44.99 SCHUH

Aviator Sunglasses That Pull It All Together INSTOCK UK Aviator Sunglasses Box of Jump to section ↓

£63.94 INSTOCK UK

Infinity Leather De-Gamme Geometric Frame Square Polarized Sunglasses - Saint Marlo In Red

Sunglasses That Lift the Whole Outfit DOROTHY PERKINS UK Infinity Leather De-Gamme Geometric Frame Square Polarized Sunglasses - Saint Marlo In Red Jump to section ↓

£29.99 DOROTHY PERKINS UK

Sunglasses That Pull It All Together DOROTHY PERKINS UK Carrera Shield Black Crystal White Blue Dark Grey Gradient Sunglasses Jump to section ↓

£81.00 DOROTHY PERKINS UK

Sunglasses Worth Finishing the Look With MISSPAP_UK_IE Guess Women's Oval Gold Bordeaux Gradient GF Sunglasses Jump to section ↓

£44.00 MISSPAP_UK_IE

70s Sunglasses Worth the Detail

Seventies sunglasses have a specific superpower that more minimal frames simply do not. The oversized lenses, the tinted colours, the slightly geometric or rounded shapes that feel simultaneously retro and completely current. There is something about that era's approach to eyewear that understood sunglasses as a statement rather than just sun protection. We have always been drawn to frames from this period and the contemporary versions that genuinely capture what made them worth loving in the first place. Not everything does. A lot of seventies inspired sunglasses miss the proportions or cheapen the tints and the whole effect falls flat. The ones we have gathered here get the details right. The frame weight feels considered. The lenses have actual colour depth rather than a watery approximation of it. These are sunglasses that change the register of an outfit rather than finishing it off quietly. A good pair can make a simple white tee and jeans look like an actual look. That is the real value here. Seventies frames do not just sit on your face. They say something.

MADE IN PARADIS UK Women's polarized sunglasses Hawkers Audrey Neuve £27.51 MADE IN PARADIS UK

STUARTS LONDON Vallon Sunglasses Ski Aviators - Black One Size £95.00 STUARTS LONDON

DOROTHY PERKINS UK Joe Browns Oversized Retro Sunglasses In Green £29.00 DOROTHY PERKINS UK

SUPERDRY_UK Superdry & Co Women's Oversized Square Sunglasses Yellow Milky Yellow Brown Lens - Size: SIZE £27.99 SUPERDRY_UK

SUPERDRY_UK Superdry & Co Women's Oversized Square Sunglasses Purple Lavender Purple Lens - Size: SIZE £27.99 SUPERDRY_UK

SUPERDRY_UK Superdry & Co Women's Oversized Square Sunglasses Black Matte Blacksmoke Lens - Size: SIZE £39.99 SUPERDRY_UK

DOROTHY PERKINS UK Joe Browns S Style Uv Lens Sunglasses £29.00 DOROTHY PERKINS UK

SUPERDRY_UK Superdry & Co Women's Oversized Square Sunglasses Brown Tortoiseshell Brown Lens - Size: SIZE £39.99 SUPERDRY_UK

SNEAKIN UK Women's sunglasses Hawkers Audrey Raw £29.34 SNEAKIN UK

HAWKERS UK Sunglasses Hawkers Black Butterfly £29.99 HAWKERS UK

MADE IN PARADIS UK Women's sunglasses Hawkers Fervor £38.36 MADE IN PARADIS UK

HAWKERS UK Sunglasses Hawkers Alembert Xl £29.99 HAWKERS UK

90s Sunglasses Worth Keeping Handy

The nineties got sunglasses exactly right and we are not apologising for saying so. There is something about the proportions from that era, the small oval lenses, the barely there wire frames, the flat rectangular shields, that simply works in a way current trends keep circling back to without ever quite improving on. These shapes feel genuinely cool rather than trying to be. That distinction matters. What we love about this edit is how wearable the pieces are. These are not statement sunglasses that demand the rest of your outfit justify them. They sit easily over a summer dress, over a leather jacket, over absolutely nothing special, and they make the whole thing look considered. A good pair of nineties sunglasses is one of the highest return on investment accessories you can own. We have pulled together the frames that capture that era properly without tipping into costume. The tints that feel right. The shapes that flatter without being obvious about it. Some are faithful reproductions. Some are contemporary takes that understand what made the originals worth revisiting. All of them earn their place in regular rotation.

SCHUH Quay Hyped Up Sunglasses in Cream £44.99 SCHUH

SUPERDRY_UK Superdry & Co Women's Sport Wrap Sunglasses Black Black Smoke Lens - Size: SIZE £39.99 SUPERDRY_UK

MISSPAP_UK_IE Gucci Women's Rectangle Black Gold Grey GGS Sunglasses £211.00 MISSPAP_UK_IE

MADE IN PARADIS UK Women's sunglasses Hawkers Southside £38.36 MADE IN PARADIS UK

SCHUH Quay Hyped Up Sunglasses in Black, Size: mm £51.99 SCHUH

MONSOON Bubble Rectangle Sunglasses £19.00 MONSOON

SCHUH AIRE Burgundy Ceres Sunglasses £30.00 SCHUH

HAWKERS UK Sunglasses Hawkers Lauper Black £38.99 HAWKERS UK

SUPERDRY_UK Superdry & Co Women's Sport Wrap Sunglasses White White Smoke Lens - Size: SIZE £39.99 SUPERDRY_UK

HAWKERS UK Sunglasses Hawkers Fluor Carey Ejecta £35.99 HAWKERS UK

SNEAKIN UK Sunglasses Hawkers Trendset £37.63 SNEAKIN UK

HAWKERS UK Sunglasses Hawkers Sour £32.99 HAWKERS UK

Aviator Sunglasses That Pull It All Together

Few frames have the finishing power of a well chosen aviator. There is something about the teardrop lens and the slim metal bridge that reads instantly as polished, the kind of sunglass that makes a simple outfit look considered and a great outfit look complete. That is what we mean when we say they pull it all together. It is not a casual claim. Aviators have a reputation for being unisex to the point of feeling borrowed, but the right pair worn the right way is entirely and specifically a woman's accessory. Proportions matter enormously here. A frame that sits well on your face rather than swamping it, a tint that flatters your colouring rather than washing it out. Gold hardware reads warmer. Silver feels sharper. Both have their moment. We have been pulling together our favourite aviators across price points because this is a category where brilliant options exist at every level. Classic gold with a brown gradient lens. Sleek silver with flat mirrored glass. A few more contemporary shapes that keep the essential aviator structure but feel genuinely current. The right pair does not just protect your eyes. It finishes the look.

INSTOCK UK Aviator Sunglasses Box of £63.94 INSTOCK UK