Women’s Persol Sunglasses

Persol has been making frames in Italy since 1917 and the shapes barely move, which is why a pair from twenty years ago still looks current rather than dated. The 649 is the one most people recognise without being able to name it. There's more in sunglasses and accessories if none of these are right.

Persol Sunglasses Shapes For Women

There's a decent spread here for seven pairs. Rectangular at one end, rounder shapes at the other, and the 3235S off on its own with a double bridge across the top. The 649 is the pair most people recognise without being able to name it. Nothing on this page is oversized in the way a lot of women's eyewear is, so if you've been wearing something big, expect these to feel smaller on than you're used to.

Wearing Persol Sunglasses

These are frames you keep. An optician can adjust or reglaze them rather than sending you back for a new pair, and the shapes don't move enough for them to look dated in five years — the 649 has been in production since the fifties. Several use glass lenses, which are sharper to look through and harder to scratch, though rather less forgiving if you drop them on a pavement. They also go with more than you'd expect: the darker rectangular pairs sit well with tailoring, and tortoiseshell takes almost anything, a summer dress included.

Getting the Size Right on Persol Sunglasses

Shape gets all the attention and size does most of the work. A 54 here will sit noticeably narrower than a 58, and that gap changes how a pair looks on you far more than round-versus-rectangular does. If you already own sunglasses that suit you, look on the inside of the arm — there's a set of numbers printed there and the first one is the lens width. Match it and you'll be close. It's a duller way to shop than going by the picture, but it's the one that works.

Sunglasses live in a bag and get scratched, so keep the case. There's more in sunglasses, hats and the rest of accessories.

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