Trending Now: Summer 2016 Sunglasses

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!  Whether you're hitting the beach or just relaxing in the backyard with friends and family, the start of summer means it's time to make sure your sunglass style is on point.  We're breaking down the biggest eyewear trends for 2016 and don't forget, not only will these frames have your friends talking but you'll be protected from sun damage and skin cancer to boot. I've included links to great holiday deals in the posts below if you are shopping for these looks, but don't forget you can also use your vision insurance on prescription sunwear from these great designers at your local eye doctor's office!

All About Round

Hands down the biggest trend for the season is round eyewear.  This retro look channels the boho-friendly 70s style that's everywhere these days: off the shoulder tops, fringe accents.  To prevent that Minnie Mouse look, avoid bulky plastic frames and veer towards thinner metals that let the shape do the talking.  A lighter brown or gradient tint is also ideal to really achieve that retro vibe.

Chloe Carlina frame via

Shop Round:

Mirrored Lenses
Mirrored lenses can update any sunglass style, and by reflecting light off the front of the lens, they also help reduce glare. Last year it was all about the silver mirrored look, and those styles are still hugely popular for the summer.  But this season's biggest trend in mirrored is going gold for an even bolder statement.  Just remember that as light bounces off the surface of your glasses, it can reflect back onto your nose, so make sure you apply sunscreen!

Model Karli Kloss wears Linda Farrow gold mirrored frames

Shop Gold Mirrored Lenses:

Browbar Frames
In both sunglasses and ophthalmic eyewear, browbars are the biggest accent trend in frames this year. To prevent the dreaded unibrow appearance, go thin on your frame material with a barely-there browbar piece.  Thinner metals will let your own natural eyebrows show through so there's no optical illusion of a unibrow created.

Want plastic frames and a brow bar? These Christian Dior frames do it right by combining the thicker plastic frame material with a barely-there thin metal browbar in the center. 

Shop Browbars:

Pantone Tints
2016 boasts 2 Pantone colors of the year, and we've seen both rose quartz pink and serenity blue make strong showings in tinted lenses.  How do you know the right tint for you? Blue tints are popular for water activities, but are notorious for glare issues.  That's why you'll see so many blue tinted lenses with flash mirrors to help reduce glare.  Rose tints are great for glare reduction naturally, and offer very comfortable vision for both outdoor and driving needs.

Are you a Serenity Blue?

Model Gigi Hadid rocks the ever popular Dior So Real frame in blue mirrored lenses

Shop Blue Tints:

or Rose Quartz Pink?

The Fendi Crystal cat-eye comes in blue too, just in case you can't decide

Shop Rose Tints:

Full-Time Protection
Common misconception: many people just wear sunglasses outside at the beach or pool, but we need protection year round.  Just like you can get sundamage to your skin on cloudy days, your eyes can also suffer UV damage with everyday outdoor exposure.  If you aren't great about changing into your sunglasses every time you step outdoors, there's no reason your eyes need to pay the price. Transitions lenses offer 100% UV protection, and immediately convert to sunglasses when exposed to UV light. Added plus: the new graphite green tint is really fashion forward and green tints provide the highest contrast vision of any colored tint!

Model Laurence Leboeuf in graphite green lenses

Want more 2016 trend advice?  Check out my friend and eyewear expert Daniel's blog featuring eyewear style advice from fashion expert Tim Gunn.