Summer 2023 Sunglasses Trends

The sun will soon be shining, and you will likely want to protect your eyes with some of the stunning summer 2019 sunglasses! The breakouts from the summer 2019 eyewear trends are shield sunglasses, both in sporty designs and in more classical ones. We also saw all kinds of innovative frames and lenses, in color, print, and shape, so if you are a creative type you are sure to enjoy the summer 2019 sunglasses trends.

Conspicuously missing from the summer 2019 sunglasses trends are aviator sunglasses, which have been so popular in previous years. Cat eye sunglasses and triangular sunglasses, however, have remained fiercely popular. Overall, the effect of the sunglasses that were part of the summer 2019 eyewear trends was futuristic, innovative, and sleek, although there were also a few more retro options if that’s more your cup of tea.

1. Shield Sunglasses

Shield sunglasses provide the most protection, which means they also cover a lot of the face. Their key marker is that they are not bi-framed like most sunglasses, but instead are made of one large piece of protective, see-through material that covers both eyes and the bridge of the nose.

The sportier takes on shield sunglasses for summer 2019 – the kinds that would be most popular amongst surfers and snowboarders that need serious sun protection, showed up on the runways of Stella McCartney, with an aerodynamic shape, colorful mirrored lenses and only a top frame, and Each X Other, with totally frameless shield sunglasses that were very sporty thanks to that same kind of rainbow-colored mirror lenses.

Super oversized shield sunglasses are also key this season, with the most extreme version showing up at Marques’ Alemeida, Rick Owens, and Gucci. At Miu Miu, the shield sunglasses stood out thanks to a bow adornment at the center, just above the nose, and some extra bling at the sides. Other designers to play around with shield sunglasses for summer 2019 included Loewe, Tod’s, Tom Ford, 3.1 Phillip Lim, and more.

2.Sporty Sunglasses

With the big comeback of the shield sunglasses, the summer 2019 eyewear trends also capitalized on the sporty structure both used for the above-mentioned glasses and for more delicate designs.

Sporty sunglasses were combined with oversized shield accents at Nicopanda, Each x Other, MSGM, Zadig & Voltaire and 3.1 Phillip Lim among others, where we got futuristic mountain sunglasses perfect for taking to winter as well. Courreges unveiled sunglasses that merged three trends in one look – shield, flat-top and sporty accents.

Roberto Cavalli, on the other hand, combined sporty accents with feminine scarf temples wrapping the models’ heads and perfectly matching the outfits they were wearing.

3. Extreme Bling

Jewels and embellishments are a common sight on high-end sunglasses, but this season designers took it to the extreme. If you define yourself as “extra” then this will be one of your favorite summer 2019 sunglasses trends.

It would be a genuine surprise if Dolce & Gabbana hadn’t sent models out on the runway in massive, jewel-encrusted sunglasses. D&G delivered with golden frames shaped in the form of the brand’s letter logo, as well as many other frames encrusted with gold, pearl, and jewel designs.

Extremely noteworthy is a pair of sunglasses at Givenchy that simply overflowed with jeweled chains covering the temples and the outer, lower parts of the eye wires. Other blinged-out sunglasses for 2019 that merit a mention showed up on the Prada and Jeremy Scott runways.

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4. Patterned Frames

There were unique spring 2019 print trends all over the runways this season, so it was only natural that they would also show up on the summer 2019 sunglasses. The brands that really stood out with fabric patterns are also the ones with noteworthy patterns and prints on their sunglasses frames.

It is obligatory to start with Moschino, where a scribble pattern on suits and dresses was one of the most memorable for this season, and was super fun and creative as it translated to sunglasses. Polka dots were one of the print trends for clothing this season, and it was totally fun to also see them show up in black on white on the sunglasses at Fendi.

The sunglasses at Christian Siriano were made of acetate that was decorated with an unusual static-like pattern of black and white.

5. Red Frames

My first pair of prescription sunglasses had a red frame, and they made me feel like the heroine of a 1950s travel film. Because of that, I was happy to see red frames make it into the spring/ summer 2019 sunglasses trends.

At Versace, triangular sunglasses had a bright red frame that contrasted against a soft blue lens. It was all about colorful plastic frames at Salvatore Ferragamo, where one pair with red frames and black lenses looked almost identical to the glasses I still think of wistfully.

A pair of red sunglasses worn by a model at the Sally Lapointe show was made of a light, clear plastic, with lenses to match. We also saw red sunglasses with red lenses as part of the Each X Other collection.

6. Triangle Shaped Lenses

This season, the spring 2019 sunglasses with triangle lenses had a futuristic effect, rather than a retro one. They were sleek and sophisticated, with a slight avant-garde vibe.

Burberry opted for an especially unique take on the triangle lens, with the lenses having a slightly rounded top and being downturned, giving the models a slightly sad-eyed effect.

We saw the very opposite at Marni, where triangular lenses were slightly upturned instead, giving an ultra-futuristic effect. Sally Lapointe, and Saint Laurent also crafted triangular sunglasses for spring 2019 that are absolutely worth mentioning.

7. Horizontally Slim Lenses

While overall oversized lenses ruled the summer 2019 sunglasses trends, a few ultra-skinny sunglasses fought to also gain their place in the list. Horizontally slim lenses, for the most part, had a futuristic effect, and showed up in both triangular and rectangular shapes.

The thinnest frames we spotted were at Aalto, where a semi-frame design included just a wire-rim below the single lens, which was long, rectangular, and bright orange. We saw super slim, triangular sunglasses at Sally Lapointe, in all kinds of fun colors. Courreges also gave us some ultra-slim takes on sunglasses.

8. Tiny Sunglasses

Alongside the mod futuristic skinny sunglasses, the summer 2019 eyewear trends also featured interesting shapes of tiny sunglasses that came to rather accessorize than shield your eyes from the sunrays.

Fendi’s tiny sunglasses had certain bug eye motifs, beautifully marrying the polka dotted patterns with the double-winged design that looked oh-so-romantic! Each x Other and Saint Laurent both unveiled a range of tiny sunglasses in any shape or form, from diamond shapes to interesting thunder-inspired designs.

9. Big Square Lenses

Square-lens sunglasses are perfect and timeless – you can use them to shield your face on days when eye makeup was just too much trouble, and know that you will look fashionable without trying too hard. It was not a surprise to see them become one of the summer 2019 eyewear trends.

At Christian Dior, a blush-colored pair of glasses with a thick acetate frame and a large, square lens drew a lot of attention from almost all fashion bloggers. We saw a large, square lens in light blue at Boss that was beautifully complemented by a matching light blue frame. Other designers to give us large square sunglasses included Chanel, Burberry, and more.

10. Unique Eyewear Shapes

Some of the spring 2019 sunglasses did not fit in into any of the trends because they were just that innovative. Designers played fast and loose with traditional eyewear shapes and created fascinating variations on sunglasses.

Monse, with asymmetrical aviators, really broke ground, although we suspect only the most daring of fashionistas would be willing to wear those particular creations. At Acne Studios, we really enjoyed the look of melted, mangled shield sunglasses. This kind of purposeful destruction is very iconic of Acne.

At Marques’ Almeida, a sort of butterfly shaped frameless pair of sunglasses with stud decorations is difficult to describe, but is guaranteed to stand out. Other designers that played around and decided to stay away from traditional shapes included Saint Laurent, Emporio Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, and Sportmax.

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11. Round Lenses

If sharp edges are just not your thing, then the summer 2019 sunglasses with round lenses might be more your style. Most of the sunglasses we saw with round lenses had a glamorous quality, as they were beautifully oversized.

One of the softer pairs of round sunglasses at Etro had a delicate wire frame, dark yet sheer lens, and most importantly – an oversized round lens. Glasses with round lenses were equally lovely at Elie Saab, thanks to a gorgeous silver braided-wire frame. Rounded blue lenses stood out on a frameless pair of sunglasses at Arthur Arbesser.

12.Cat Eyes

Cat eye sunglasses hold a retro charm, and they are perfect for elongating the face and emphasizing the cheekbones. We saw both modern and old-school takes on them in the spring/ summer 2019 eyewear trends.

Acetate frames were perfect for the chic cat eye sunglasses worn by models on the Christian Siriano runway, particularly in an olive green shade. At Michael Kors, we saw an especially extreme take on cat eye sunglasses, with a stark white plastic frame contrasted by solid black lenses.

Black cat eye sunglasses with a small rounded embellishment at the bottom looked classically retro at the Valentino show, while it was pure ‘50s softness on the cat eye frames at Sonia Rykiel and Oscar de la Renta.

13. Heart Frame

The heart framed sunglasses from the film Lolita became instantly iconic, so even though we only saw these kinds of glasses show up on the runway twice – they still stuck in our mind.

At Balenciaga, the heart framed sunglasses were very much like a larger version of those in the film – a red plastic frame, with dark black lenses. At Saint Laurent, on the other hand, the small size of the lens and the wire frame actually fit in with the ‘60s summer of love vibe that ran through the whole collection.

Rejina Pyo’s sunglasses reminded us of a wearable heart frame with rough edges – a perfect option for all those that want to wear the trend but consider the Balenciaga heart frames too much for them.

14. Butterfly Sunglasses

Seems like designers wanted to pay homage to butterflies in any possible way this spring, utilizing butterfly motifs everywhere from the spring/ summer 2019 fashion trends as clothing embellishments to the patterns to the summer 2019 sunglasses. Butterfly sunglasses can be the perfect, more wearable alternatives to the heat frames, yet this spring they sometimes look quite risqué and futuristic to quench the sartorial thirst of all the bold ones out there.

Coach 1941 embraced the concept of butterfly sunglasses in the literal sense of the word unveiling a pair of ombre-lensed sunglasses resembling spring butterflies. The butterfly frames coming from Prada and Marques’ Almeida were futuristically bug-eyed, finished off with stud embellishments.

15. Flat Top Sunglasses

One of the more unique design trends to show up on the summer 2019 sunglasses was a flat top. Basically, we saw multiple sunglasses where the top part of the eye wires was perfectly straight.

At Courreges, for instance, the flat top was actually the only part of the frame that came in contact with the lenses. It was made of acetate and gave sharp contrast to semi-rounded lenses. At Sally Lapointe, the top of the sunglasses was the ultra flat part of a very sharp triangle shape.

16. Black Lenses

Embody your inner secret agent, with a pair of sunglasses that has black lenses to totally conceal your eyes. If you’re a fan of poker you probably already have a pair like these in your collection, but if you don’t, there are plenty of new designs to choose from.

Oversized sunglasses at Tory Burch and Tom Ford came in both round and square shapes, with reflective black lenses matching black frames. The combination of shield sunglasses with solid black lenses at Zadig & Voltaire was particularly striking. Kate Spade New York, Celine, Saint Laurent, and many others also gave us different takes on black lenses on sunglasses for spring 2019.

Yellow Lenses

There is something that reminds us of the ‘90s when it comes to sunglasses with yellow frames, but yet, the yellow lensed options in the spring/ summer 2019 sunglasses trends actually didn’t carry over too much of that. Instead, they were modern, unique and surprisingly flattering.

The most unique take on sunglasses with yellow lenses (as well as yellow frames) was at Max Mara, where the lenses were rounded and slightly protruded, looking protective in a steampunk type of way. At Emporio Armani, oversized glasses with a unique shape and wire frames had lenses with a greenish-yellow tint that we can imagine would only be flattering to those with olive undertones to their skin.

18. Two-Toned Lenses

The sunglasses with two-toned lenses are some of the more fun and innovative of the summer 2019 sunglasses, thanks to unique color combinations and exciting shapes.

Sunglasses at Asai fit into multiple of the summer 2019 eyewear trends, with their unique shape and large size. However, what stood out on the massive sunglasses was the two-toned glass, with an ombre going from dark blue at the top to clear at the bottom.

On the Etro runway, black to yellow and black to pink ombre sunglasses worked well with a very warm and summery collection. Other designers to send models out on the runways with ombre two-toned sunglasses included Miu Miu and Elie Saab, although in both cases the effect was subtle.

At Emporio Armani, the two-toned sunglasses were the least subtle, as the top part of each lens was colored a contrasting shade with a clear line of demarcation.

19. Mirrored Lenses

Mirrored sunglasses are normally either intimidating or sporty, depending on the design. Paired with shield sunglasses, they are certainly more on the sporty side, although even then there are few things more off-putting then speaking with someone while looking at your own reflection. If you like keeping folks on their toes, this will likely be one of your favorite summer 2019 sunglasses trends.

Massive shield sunglasses at Rick Owens were especially intimidating, because of the amount of face that they covered and the intense mirror effect. Frameless mirrored glasses at Chanel showed that this type of lens could be perfectly classy and stylish.

Marine Serre gave us a sporty example of mirrored sunglasses for summer 2019 with a flexible plastic frame and lenses in mirrored shades of blue or a pink to yellow duochrome.

20. Updated Aviators

While aviator sunglasses aren’t as popular this summer as in previous seasons, there were designers that still stuck to them, refusing to forgo the classical aviator forms. The summer 2019 aviator sunglasses are either perfectly traditional or overly futuristic, but everyone is sure to find her perfect match.

Max Mara’s aviators were infused with clear sporty touches for a modern street style-approved look, while Zadig & Voltaire kept it slightly oversized and minimalist. Anna Sui combined aviator shapes with colorful plastic frames, from blue to pink to green.

21. Rectangular Lenses

Rectangular sunglasses look polished, elegant and extremely wearable, and it was no surprise to see so many designers favor this shape for summer. Rectangular lenses were either very sharp and defined or slightly curved and rounded, yet they always looked chic.

Off-White’s rectangular sunglasses came in deep black or neon colors, the former definitely appealing to the fans of minimalist styles, while the latter coming to brighten up your summer beach days. Self-Portrait used rectangular lenses for a safari green pair with thin metal temples.

Of all the rectangular sunglasses for summer 2019, we also loved the Y/Project simplistic designs featuring deep brown lenses and golden metal details.