Cat eye sunglasses made their debut decades ago when Hollywood starlets began wearing them to supposedly protect their identities while out in public. They have not changed much since. Nor have they truly gone out of style. Cat eyes are one of a small number of classic frame styles that seems to be appropriate in any era.
The designers at Olympic Eyewear will tell you that all cat eye frames have one feature in common: the upturned outer corners at the top of each eye. Beyond that, there are quite a few variations. Some of those variations are described below using unofficial terms. Which style is right for you?
The Fat Cat
The first of our unofficial styles is the fat cat. This is a style that combines the pointed corners of the classic cat eye with the oversized frames that seem to be in style right now. They are big, they are bold, and they are beautiful – at least to those who appreciate cats.
You have to have the right kind of face to pull off the fat cat look. Otherwise, fat cats can easily overwhelm. They are great for people with more round or oval faces.
The Siamese
Next up is the slim and slender Siamese cat eyes frame. They are the exact opposite of the fat cat. Lenses are barely wide enough to cover the entire eye yet long enough to extend well past the corners. If you have ever seen a Siamese cat up close and in person, you know why these glasses are so named.
The Siamese is ideal for smaller faces with sharper, more well-defined lines. Those with square faces can get away with them as well.
The Triangle
Combine classic cat eyes with asymmetric triangles and you have a very interesting pair of sunglasses. The triangle look creates a slightly disjointed presentation that makes you just uncomfortable enough to appreciate them. Triangle cat eyes work very well with modern fashions that seem to break all the rules.
The Teardrop
The other side of the triangle coin is the teardrop. Teardrop cat eyes are aptly named because they look just like teardrops with the extended cat eye corner. They are so teardropish that you might not recognize them as cat eyes if someone didn’t tell you that’s what they were. They are a particularly good choice for square faces and people who appreciate big hair.
The Cat-Farer
What would you get if a pair of cat eyes married a pair of wayfarers and produced children? You would get the ‘cat-farer’, a style that looks a lot like a traditional wayfarer except for the upturned corners. Some of the more recent iterations boast wider frames in sleek black with smoke gray lenses. The frames tend to be flat at the bottom of the lens in order to accentuate the wayfarer aspects.
It is not clear who would most benefit from cat-farers. However, the fact that companies are making them is evidence that customers are buying them.
The Miss Kitty
This last style doesn’t take its name from the legendary Miss Kitty Russell of Gunsmoke fame. Rather, their shape more resembles the Hello Kitty cartoon character. The frames are more round than any of the other styles described in this post. They are also thicker and wider, giving the sunglasses extra depth. Throw in a bright color and you have the Hello Kitty look down perfectly.
Who knew that cat eye sunglasses came in so many styles? The variations may not have official names, but they are out there.
