How to choose the right pair of glasses for your face

Telegraph

12-04-2025

When Andrew Garfield wore his glasses to the Golden Globes awards ceremony in January, the power of great eyewear was confirmed. Distinctive glasses that truly suit your face can have a transformational effect on your appearance.
And yet opticals are an often overlooked element when it comes to personal style. Far too many of us play it safe with a purely practical choice, when something more considered has the potential to refresh, modernise and enhance your look.
Take Cate Blanchett, who teamed sugar-pink aviators with a sequin slogan tee – and the internet is going wild for the small metal frames worn by Jonathan Bailey in the upcoming release of Jurassic World Rebirth.
Bold styles are a particular favourite with the fashion pack. Stylist Sarah Corbett-Winder is known for her stand-out specs on Instagram and refers to her glasses as 'armour'. She admits: 'I could easily use contact lenses but I love my glasses. It's like my approach to party dressing, I want to make a statement.'
If you've wondered whether bold frames would suit you too, apparently they're relatively easy to wear. Managing director at Cubitts, Katie Dolby, says: 'Larger frames compliment various face shapes and the rules of proportion mean that bigger frames make your features appear more delicate in comparison.'
Beyond bold, to define what face shapes suit which glasses, we enlisted The Telegraph team as guinea pigs while dispensing optician Evelyne Jeyarajah from Auerbach & Steele was on hand to offer her expert advice.
Lisa Markwell
Face shape: Round
[Left] Amaya glasses, £460, Barton Perreira at Auerbach & Steele; [Right] Fairfax glasses, £385, l.a. Eyeworks at Auerbach & Steele
Evelyne says: 'The larger frames leave more lens space around Lisa's eyes, which has the effect of pushing them together. In comparison, the smaller pair frame her eye sockets perfectly, as there isn't so much room around them. This shade also makes the colour of Lisa's eyes pop.'
Lisa says: 'I was drawn to the larger, translucent frames because of their colour and would never normally pick up the others as they're so small. But it makes sense to consider what people looking in can see. It's nice to feel like your eyes are being seen!'
Sophie Tobin
Face shape: Oval
[Left] Trendsetter glasses, £99, Bloobloom; [Right] Twiggy glasses, £135, Ace & Tate
Evelyne says: 'You want people to look at you without having a frame in the way. The left shape works really well with the features of Sophie's face but there's a gap between the top of the rim and the brows. On the right, the gap is filled. These frames sit higher, so her eyes drop down slightly lower in the lens and therefore look more central.'
Sophie says: 'These both echo my usual glasses shape and show that if you get the frame shape right, choosing a lighter and heavier version allows you to switch between them.'
Kamal Ahmed
Face shape: Oval
[Left] Crawford glasses, £145, Finlay & Co.; [Middle]: Hemingford glasses, £150, Cubitts; [Right] Kaiser glasses, £355,
Evelyne says: 'For Kamal, the thicker, bolder shapes have a great juxtaposition between the harshness of the outside lines and the softness of the roundness inside. If there's any opportunity for him to show his personality and wear something more interesting, this shape accentuates this.'
Kamal says: 'As a journalist you don't want everyone to look at you – that's not your role. I think many men only have one pair of glasses but I like the idea of having glasses that you can mix and match, like you would with clothes and shoes. These frames are definitely more fun.'
Jade Conroy
Face shape: Heart
[Left] Darren glasses, £135, Jimmy Fairly; [Right] Eleanor glasses, £125, Ace & Tate
Evelyne says: 'The black frames are a cool statement piece. Although if they're too much to wear every day, the transparent frames have a cat-eye shape, which match the arch of Jade's brows and almost disappear on her face.'
Jade says: 'I've wanted clear glasses for summer, because I wear my hair up and my earrings are on show. Black or tortoiseshell feels too heavy as my face is quite small but the clear frames are more subtle. I love them!
Francis Dearnley
Face shape: Rectangle
[Left] Blakey glasses, £385, l.a. Eyeworks at Auerbach & Steele; [Right] Côté glasses, £325, Mondelliani at Auerbach & Steele
Evelyne says: 'The square frames are serious and enclose Francis's eye socket, which feels too limiting. Whereas the second frames still have the strong lines of the square shape – the angular lines suit his face – but the softened edges are interesting and lend character.'
Francis says: 'Typically, I would focus on my face shape, hair colour and skin tone when choosing specs. Today, I've focused on eye colour and seen the impact that it has. The unusual tortoiseshell frame throws in some blue, which emphasises my eyes. The emphasis on the slightly bigger frames draws you in, rather than feeling like you're being shut out. And who would want to be shut out?'
Liam Tooher
Face shape: Square
[Left] Kara glasses, £300, Matttew at Auerbach & Steele; [Right] The Spiaggia glasses, £150, Jimmy Fairly
Evelyne says: 'If you have a really strong jawline or a strong set of cheek bones, you want to offset those strong lines with something softer and rounder in shape. One of these frames are super round (named the Harry Potter shape) but you also need to take the eyebrows into consideration. The top of the tortoiseshell-rimmed frames are flatter and meet with Liam's brows, which suits him better.'
Liam says: 'The small circle frames put too much focus on my ears and don't really fit the shape of my face, whereas the bigger ones frame my face much better.'