Face-shape guide:what suits your face

There are twenty frames on our shop page and no good way to try them all. Face shape is the shortcut. It will not tell you which pair you love, but it will tell you which four to look at first, which is most of the work.

What follows is the convention of the optical trade, and it helps to know where it comes from. The idea is contrast: a soft, round face gains definition from angular frames, and a strong jaw is softened by curves. It holds up more often than not, which is a lower bar than a rule and an honest way to put it.

First, work out which one you are

Take a photo of yourself straight on, hair back, no expression. Then compare three widths: your forehead, your cheekbones and your jaw. Whichever is widest, and whether the jaw is soft or angular, is nearly all of it.

• Widest at the cheeks. Round if the jaw is soft and the face is about as wide as it is long. Oval if it is clearly longer than it is wide.
• Widest at the forehead. Heart, especially if it narrows to a defined chin.
• All three about equal. Square if the jaw is angular. Long if the face is noticeably taller than it is wide.

The five shapes

Each one below has the frames that tend to work, and a link straight into those frames on the shop.

Round

Soft jaw, about as wide as it is long. Angular frames give it edges: rectangular and square, worn a little wider than the cheeks.

Oval

Balanced, slightly longer than wide. Almost everything works, so choose on taste rather than correction. Keep the frame roughly as wide as the cheekbones.

Square

Strong jaw, forehead and jaw a similar width. Round and rimless frames soften it. Aviators work for the same reason: the curve counters the angles.

Heart

Wide forehead narrowing to the chin. Frames that are light on top and wider at the bottom balance it, so rimless and aviators do well. Avoid a heavy brow bar.

Long

Noticeably taller than it is wide. A deeper frame breaks the length up, and a wider one adds width across the middle. Small frames make a long face look longer.

Plenty of people suit the frame they were told to avoid.

Two things that matter more

Face-shape advice is a convention, not a science, and it is easy to over-trust because it sounds systematic. Two things decide whether a pair actually works, and both are measurable rather than aesthetic.

The first is the width across the front. Too narrow and the arms press, too wide and the frame slides. The second is where the bridge sits on your nose, which decides whether the frame rests level or drifts down all day. The size guide covers both in millimetres, and they will tell you more than any diagram here.

The last one is simpler still. If you pick the wrong pair, swap it free inside 30 days. That is what the guarantee is for, and trying a frame on your own face beats every rule on this page.