Sunglasses know no season, but hot damn if we don’t need them twice as hard come springtime. Once those flea markets pop off, the flowers bloom, and the snow begins to melt, our poor little peepers need a jumbo Claritin and fresh pair of sunnies that scream, “My other car is your mom.”
Are we guilty of starting a GoFundMe for the Oakley Over The Top sunglasses? You betcha. But the best sunglasses shouldn’t have to cost you all your coins, and honestly, most of our shades are destined to get tossed around tote bags, forgotten in Ubers, or crunched by a rogue rear end. (We can’t be expected to control where this sweet peach lands!) But that doesn’t mean we deserve to wear fake, neon Ray-Bans that look like they were given to us by a club promoter on a Florida beach. We’re grown now, dude, and we require the facial accessories that prove it.
Whether you seek a new set of shades for the beach, or a practical pair that you can wear at night better than a Blues Brother, we’ve got you covered with the best sunglasses this side of the Bermuda Triangle. We found everything from 90s-nostalgic wire-frame shades to high fashion Euphoria dupes; we’ve gathered the best sunglasses bundles, Y2K-style shades, Mad Max-worthy pairs, and so much more.
Ray-Bans are forever
Nothing says, “I think I left my bass here last night” quite like a pair of Wayfarers. Besides, has any pair of sunglasses lived as many lives as Ray-Bans? These iconic shades have graced the faces of The Blues Brothers, Johnny Marr, JFK, Roy Orbison, Tom Cruise (lol) in Risky Business, and so many others. If you own these, there’s a good chance you might (already) be on tour somewhere, smell like a 1970s phone book, and idolize Jack Kerouac. We’d roll our eyes some more, but you’d still look slick, dammit.
The best sunglasses bundle on Amazon
If you want the look of Wayfarers for less, this set of polarized sunglasses is 24% off, and has a 4.5-star average rating from a whopping 36,600+ reviewers. They come with a little velvet pouch, and feel far more expensive that their affordable price tag lets on. “I expected cheap sunglasses,” one reviewer writes, “but these appear well made, and the attention to detail in protection during shipping is exceptional.”
Not one, but four pairs of soft-rectangle shaped sunglasses come in this 4.6-star rated Amazon bundle. “They come exactly [as pictured],” writes one reviewer about the sunnies, which come in black, cream, sage, and tortoiseshell colorways. “They’re just great overall.” They’re also one of the most affordable sets you can get online that actually look good, on sale now for roughly $5 per frame.
You read the classics
“Not quite square, not quite round” is how Warby Parker describes this best-selling pair of sunglasses, which are the ideal shades for indecisive—but discerning and well-read—hot people such as yourself.
Durand (opens in a new window)
The classic movie star frames
If you’re trying to look like a leading man, or maybe a 60s-era James Bond, then the unequivocal answer is Oliver Peoples. This classic brand has been the favorite of cool-people and celebs for decades, so it’s safe to say these will never go out of style.
You can’t decide between round or square frames
… Neither can we, mate. Good thing the Los Angeles-based eyewear brand Akila makes sunglasses that could go either way.
The coolest thin metal frames
Ah, the 1990s. Grunge reigned supreme, our brows could cut a diamond, and we tried so hard to make sure that none of our sartorial choices were try-hard (easier said than done). We learned a trick or two from low-vibrational cool kids including Lisa Bonet and Aaliyah, who were both famously partial to round, wire-rimmed glasses. Pair them with a long velvet skirt and a chainmail top to go full Enyacore.
We made out at a Prodigy concert once
Well, you’re a firestarter. We never forgot the glimmer of your tongue ring, but it’s the way you rocked those Oakley sunglasses that truly made our heart go pitter-patter at Glastonbury ‘95. There are two extremes in which Oakleys thrive on the sartorial spectrum: Bass Pro Shops/PBR-drinking uncle, and crusty-balloon-pants-ed cyberpunk. We prefer to have one leg in both, and a fresh pair of frosty Oakleys is just the ticket. Catch us in the iconic brand’s new Plazma Sanctuary Collection frames, or in its classic Crankshaft sunnies, which have garnered a 4.5-star rating on Amazon.
Alexa, play ‘Stars Are Blind’ by Paris Hilton
Were you an extra in Charlie’s Angels? You sure could’ve been, with a pair of Y2K-worthy shades such as these. The Dollger rimless rectangular shades are one of Amazon’s best-selling pairs with a 4.5-star average rating, and they come in multiple colorways ranging from “frosted tips” to “Baby Bottle Bop.”
The aspiring gallerist
We get it, we get it—you have the XXL David Hockney art book from Taschen, and only go to the movies to catch a film that’s post-post-post French New Wave cinema. You also need these über-round sunglasses to accommodate your artistic tunnel vision.
You’re ‘The Dude’
We swerve for sunnies that make us look like we know how to parallel park a U-Haul (we don’t) and nothing says “gifted grifter” better than a pair of tinted shades. These sets are worthy of The Dude himself, and boast a whole gamut of mustard-hued lenses in aviator and square-shaped frames.
70s Aviators (opens in a new window)
‘The Matrix’ (re-re-loaded)
Our atoms were rearranged after singer-songwriter Miguel popped up at the Grammys in these wrap sunglasses, and we could go into heavy detail about why these Balenciaga shades are so perfect, from the slightly raised rectangular shape to the fact that they’re 57% off, but you weren’t born yesterday. You were born today, from a 3D printer, and just started speaking in tongues about bitcoin and lizard people (and we never stopped listening).
The Balenciaga alternative
Look, not all of us have a stylist or a Miguel/pop star budget. That’s cool. These wrap around shades will leave the basement ravers none the wiser that they’re not real Balenciaga. Cop a pair in the monochrome silver colorway if you’re feeling extra frosty.
The hottest NPC
… But make it fashion. The French brand Jacquemus is at its best when it plays with proportion and form, and this time it took a playful page straight from Super Mario Bros with these pixelated lookin’ shades.
The most comfortable sunglasses in the world
Finally, sunglasses that feel like a portable face pillow. These wild, feather boa-esque shades are lined in a fuzzy faux fur that rolled right out of our lucid dreams; so you can look like Kim Kardashian, for a fraction of the price.
Stay shady.
The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.
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