Sunglasses have been my favorite accessory since college, when I stopped feeling self-conscious about what I wore (tulle skirts to class notwithstanding). Sunglasses are such a key item—they’re the only element of an outfit that’s actually on your face! They also determine the personality of an outfit—they can seal the entire thing together. Think: an all-black outfit + a pair of oversized orange aviators vs. sleek cat-eye sunglasses vs. wayfarers vs. oversized pair + sunglass chain, and so on. As it’s now getting a bit colder, I’m considering the combination of sunglasses with my favorite cold weather accessory — the scarf — which by the way has a whole range of styles from woven to silk to knit for both the fall chill or the eventual winter bite.
I’ve come across five very specific sunglass styles and five equally specific scarf styles that I’m enjoying right now. Take a look, because the sun will come out tomorrow!
The Classic Retro + Dainty Crochet
An everyday yet iconic pair of sunglasses, with self-aware coolness. The Wayfarer’s dark lenses and chunky frame look great on so many faces, and they’re easy to pair with any outfit. I personally own a pair of Harris sunglasses from Warby Parker, and I love them for their size, style, comfort, and durability. They have a bit of weight to them so I opted for pairing them with a long lightweight crochet scarf perfect for the 65 degrees we’ve been at in NYC. I then paired with a smart collared top (you could also do a jacket or full suit!) + a bold lipstick.
The Oversized Thin-Framed Rectangle + Chunky Woven
I’ve been wearing chains (or croakies) on my sunglasses for five years now—leaving me quite excited by the Gucci Spring 2020 show, which had models walking the runway in them. I specifically loved the collection’s oversized square frames + chains and decided to recreate that here (after recently referencing the collection in our Friday shopping newsletter that featured cool vintage finds… I’m clearly quite the fan). They are dainty so I combined them with this chunky scarf I found on Etsy (which is unbelievably soft, by the way). This is a bold and glamorous statement—enough to next-level your leggings + sweatshirt combo (and I highly recommend that exact look).
The Colored Monochrome + Match-y Scarf
Colored lenses have been around for a while. Beth recently wore an oversized vintage rose-colored pair in her vintage vest story. What I love about this pair is the whole body of the sunglasses—lenses and frame—is one uniform color. I’m drawn to the red because it’s bright, cheery, and loud. I added on yet another sunglass chain to really play into the monochrome (and because I’m me). For the scarf pairing I further embraced the color red with this bandana scarf that’s perfect for chilly-but-not-brick days and cozy sweater to really quadruple-down on the whole monochrome thing.
The Cool, All-Black Pair à la Zoë Kravitz from High Fidelity + Equally Cool Scarf
This is a hyper-specific style, and the closest to it I’ve found is the Ray-Ban 2016 Daddy-O II. Here, I styled a vintage pair of legitimate ’90s sunglasses (on loan from a friend), which is the route I would take, if not the Ray-Bans. Lucky for you, there are plenty of similar vintage ones (see below). The requirements: oval (though I am a big fan of this pair from Fenty, which is rectangular), all-black, and narrow; dark lenses are a must, and wide arms preferred. I love this style of sunglasses paired with a plaid, checkered or flannel scarf (I am personally eyeing this one from Dr. Marten’s). I added a re-worked tank from DENIMCRATIC and oversized denim jacket to really lean into the 90s.
The Clear Aviators + Bold Pattern
I have always preferred acetate aviators to metal ones, but what I am specifically drawn to right now is a clear frame. To my delight, Coco and Breezy makes the exact pair I was envisioning. They’re also easy to style so have fun with your scarf and do a bold print like this bold gingham puffy scarf from COA NYC. I went a step further and went full-gingham with a smaller-print gingham shirt, to make it an outfit.
Those are my 5 favorite sunglass styles + scarf pairings. Do you have any of either you’re loving right now? How would you pair them? Let me know because if it’s not obvious, I really, really like both. And if you need any additional sunglass chain suggestions, you know where to reach me (the comments below)!
Photography by Beth Sacca.
Model: Naomi Byrd.
