Five face types: oval, round, square, heart, triangle
The classic taxonomy: oval faces are balanced, with cheekbones as the widest point and a soft jaw. Round faces have similar height and width, with soft lines throughout. Square faces have a pronounced jaw and forehead, with the face nearly equal in width from top to bottom. Heart-shaped faces have a wide forehead tapering to a narrow chin. Triangle (or inverted heart) faces flip that — wide jaw, narrow forehead. In practice, most faces are a blend; we see a pure square or pure heart maybe once a month. So our job is to find the strongest line in your face and choose a frame around that — we work with the person, not the category.
Which frame for which face?
Classic principle: contrast is flattering. A square frame on a round face, a round frame on a square face — that visual tension lifts the features. Oval faces are lucky; almost anything sits well, which is why I sometimes suggest oval-faced clients 'break the rule.' On a round face, a rectangular or wayfarer-style frame (like the Ray-Ban 2140) brings structure. On a square face, an aviator or round (Lennon-style) frame softens the angles. On a heart face, you want bottom-heavy frames to balance a wider forehead — clubmasters or acetates with rounded lower corners work beautifully. On a triangle face, the opposite: bold upper rims, browline frames, an emphasis at the top to crown the face and visually narrow the jaw. One note: the eyebrow line should move in parallel with the frame's top edge; if the top of the frame sits below your brow, the face reads tired.
Your skin undertone: warm or cool?
Frame colour, like lipstick, works with undertone. Look at the veins on the inside of your wrist: if they read green, you're warm-toned; if they read blue or violet, cool-toned. Warm tones glow with gold, honey, havana (tortoise), olive and nude frames. Cool tones lift with silver, black, grey, cool blue and dusty rose. Hair and eye colour add another layer: dark hair plus fair skin gives natural contrast and can carry bold frames (matte black acetate, say). Near-white hair plus cool skin reads more elegant with light, thin frames; for this group, the Lindberg Spirit collection is almost always our first suggestion.
Lindberg titanium: for narrow and delicate faces
The Lindberg Air Titanium Rim and Spirit lines weigh around 1.8 grams; once they're on, you barely feel them. That lightness is critical for small, narrow faces — where a traditional acetate frame can sit like a 'mask,' Lindberg's screwless construction does the opposite: the frame almost disappears, and your face wearing glasses looks closest to your face without them. If your bridge is narrow or cheekbones are high, Lindberg's custom-fit service is invaluable; we can adjust the bridge width and temple length to the millimetre. It also works for clients with pronounced bone structure and sharp jaws — the minimalism foregrounds your character rather than competing with it.
Acetate and bold frames: for confident statements
Persol, Cutler and Gross, Mykita, Tom Ford — the heavy acetate lines are statements of character. If you want to lean into a specific feature (cheekbone, jawline), a thick acetate is both a frame and an accessory. Matte black is the classic, but our recommendation is usually a havana tortoise close to your skin tone — warm, natural, and it pairs with everything. It works at the office and at the weekend. If your face is small, a 50 mm lens width is often enough; medium faces sit well at 52-54 mm, wider faces at 56 mm and up. A temple length of 140-145 mm fits most Turkish bone structures when the curl wraps behind the ear.
When should you break the rules?
I've learned over the years that rules are only a starting point. Round frame on a round face — supposed to be a no — but the Persol 714's retro round shape, in the right colour and thickness, can be magnificent on a round face. What matters is that the frame is an expression, not a costume. Working with clients on the shop floor, I always say: if you look in the mirror and ask 'is this me?', it isn't the right frame. If you can say 'yes, this is me — only a little more myself,' that's the frame. Finding it takes time; come in without an appointment, we'll have a coffee, try five or ten frames. There's no rush.
Short checklist
Put the frame on, look in a mirror under natural light. Your eyebrow line should be visible above the frame, not hidden behind it. The frame's outer edge should roughly align with the outer contour of your face — wider frames narrow the face, narrower frames widen it. Nose pads shouldn't pinch; an hour in, you shouldn't notice them. Temples shouldn't press behind the ear. Smile — if your cheek touches the frame, the pantoscopic tilt is wrong and needs adjusting. We check all of this with you at the bench; we don't want to see a hastily chosen frame forgotten in a drawer three months from now.