The best sunglasses for men aren’t just protective eyewear, and they’re definitely more than nice-to-have accessories. The very best sunnies are major fit enhancers in their own right, capable of stealing the spotlight from even the loudest coat or wildest haircut.
What explains their outsized impact? Easy: All the most important action happens around your face. A billowy coat might turn heads from across the street, but up close, it’s your mug that does the heavy lifting. And when one accessory holds that much power, it pays to have the perfect shades on deck.
Whether you’re chasing the legendary cool of classic aviators or the right-now swagger of beefed-up cat eyes, the best sunglasses for every face, shape, and every budget are immediately below, each one ready to carry your fits. And if you really want to do your research, check out our guide to the very best sunglasses brands—both new and old—as you make your selections.
The Best Men’s Sunglasses, According to GQ
In This Guide
Best Classic Sunglasses: Ray-Ban Wayfarer Sunglasses
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Bowen Fernie
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Ray Ban
Original Wayfarer Classic Sunglasses
If you have no idea where to even begin, just get these. The Ray-Ban Wayfarer is a failsafe buy that’ll always be in style—today, tomorrow, and 50 years from now. With not much else on but some whitey tighties and crew socks, Wayfarers were the cherry on top of Tom Cruise’s famous Risky Business scene, cementing them further into the zeitgeist. But you don’t have to be an A-lister to wear them like one. Ray-Ban Wayfarers are the eyewear equivalent to a pair of Levi’s 501 jeans in your drawer—they’re insanely popular, look great on just about everyone, and can sync up with just about any style. This isn’t exactly a competition, but if the sunglasses emoji is a pair of Wayfarers, you know you’ve got the most classic frames there are.
Best Aviator Sunglasses: Randolph Engineering Aviator Sunglasses
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Bowen Fernie
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Randolph Engineering
Aviator Sunglasses
Randolph Engineering has been the standard issue shades for the American military since the ‘80s. Thanks to the brand’s military-grade precision and craftsmanship, their aviator sunglasses have been outfitting military personnel since the 1980s. Each pair is crafted in the USA in Randolph, Massachusetts in a process totaling over 200 steps (military spec, and all that!). They come in a variety of metal frames including 23k gold and gunmetal as well as polarized lenses with total UV protection.
Best Aviators for Menswear Guys: Persol 649 Sunglasses
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Bowen Fernie
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Persol
649 Original Sunglasses
Would a sunglasses roundup be complete without a reference to Steve McQueen? We’re not about to find out. Persol’s aviator shades are iconic for racing through San Francisco hills atop McQueen’s mug in Bullitt and have been the go-to for professional racecar drivers for decades. Despite the asphalt-burning ties, the Persol’s Italian-made shades were originally designed for sky-high endeavors as a way for pilots to protect their eyes leagues into the air. The tear-drop design crucially expanded sun-coverage while the innovative Meflecto temple design allowed for a flexible and comfortable fit. In tandem with the acetate tortoiseshell frames and you’ve got one of the most stylish sunglasses ever.
Best Sport Sunglasses: Oakley Radar EV Path Sunglasses
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Bowen Fernie
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Leave it to the tireless churn of the fashion cycle to make the sunglasses you wore warming the bench on your middle school volleyball team look like the coolest thing in the world again. Call it a quirk of Y2k’s resurgence, or a draft riding in on the gorp wave. Wherever these sporty shades are coming in from is besides the point. The right pair of sunnies will look just as killer with a vintage hoodie and offbeat jorts as they do with a tailored black suit like you’re secondary character in The Matrix. Oakley’s Radar EV Path are the go-to for baseball players shagging fly balls on clear, sunny days and cyclists zooming through open roads, thanks to the maximum coverage of the shield-type lenses, the lightweight frames, comfortable nose pads, and glare-cutting clarity. Like most fashion classics, these shades were built entirely for functionality and, over time, have become menswear canon.
Best Upgrade Sunglasses: Moscot Lemtosh Sunglasses
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Bowen Fernie
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If the Wayfarer feels a bit too obvious or perhaps slightly aggressive, you might want to go with something more tastefully understated. Enter, the Moscot Lemtosh. The Lemtosh is somehow both iconic and understated. It looks great on every face but also fades into the background. It’s quiet and doesn’t shout, but it’s not boring, either. Where the Ray-Ban Wayfarer draws attention for its angled design, Moscot’s Lemtosh sits back and lets the right crowd come to them. They’re quietly luxurious, made by hand, and are offered in over a dozen colorways and three different sizes to fit just about anyone.
