How to dress like a grown up with Shane Watson: Why every woman needs a chic shades upgrade

Here’s everything I know about sunglasses. They are excellent for shy people, sunlight sensitive people, tired people, people who have recently been weeping and anyone who requires some facial definition but is not inclined to go all out with the kohl and eyelash extensions. 

Also, sunglasses are six or so inches of accessory that can update, upgrade or edge up your look (ideally all three) and give you more value per wear than any other fashion item. 

As you may have guessed, I love sunglasses. I also love an easy shortcut to looking right on the money whatever your age (if you want a real life example of this, consider Anna Wintour, editor of American Vogue who, at 72, is still rocking giant fly eye glasses that you’d otherwise expect to see on Rihanna). 

Lady Gaga is pictured here looking edgy in Modern Cat Eye sunglasses. They have an almost square frame with a slight flare in the outer corners

I mention this now because it’s never too late to make the shift from someone who grabs the nearest pair on the Boots carousel to a woman who treats sunglasses as her notso-secret weapon. 

And the new rule is: wear more shades. Sticking with one pair, all the time, is a bit like wearing your best black boots with your beach dress. 

The world of sunglasses has expanded and improved beyond recognition so you can get good quality, great looking, eye-protecting sunglasses for not much more than the price of a pair of Havaianas flip-flops. 

So you don’t need to stop at two. Here’s a few tips for kicking off your collection:

J-Lo is pictured looking stylish in square framed sunglasses. Shane Watson advises opting for a tinted lense

THE TOP PICKS

Top Gun Aviators 

This is the year of Top Gun’s revival and the always cool Rayban Aviator (£137, ray-ban.com) has arguably never looked better. Even so, you might want a modern take on the style, especially if it’s extra-oversize, has category 3UV protection and costs under £20 (£19.99, zara.com). 

The Modern Cat Eye 

Old-style cat eyes — narrowish with an upward flick — are a no-go, even if Gucci has done them this season. They are instantly Edna Everaging on grown-up women. 

The modern cat eye, on the other hand — an almost square frame with a slight flare in the outer corners — is the shape that will deliver the big three in one (update, upgrade and edge up your look, remember). 

It’s the shape of Celine’s Summer 2022 Triomphe style (the one to copy) and it’s a classic worn by Bardot and Kate Moss. H&M do a pair with some sun protection in dark tortoiseshell (£6.99, 2.hm.com) and Asos’s chunky tortoiseshell style with a green tinted G15 lens looks like the upmarket brand Cutler & Gross circa the midNineties (£12, asos.com). 

More exaggeratedly cat eye and upswept is Finlay’s ‘­Henrietta’, as regularly worn by the Duchess of Cambridge (£150, finlayandco.com). This brand costs more, but you get a classic with full UVA/UVB protection. 

Note: a greenish-grey lens in a softer frame is the way to go unless you’re posing in the evening, in which case go for black, with a black lens (£17.99, shop.mango.com). 

The Colour Frame 

Very Right Now, coloured frames are more forgiving and upbeat than Devil Wears Prada black and they can be matched or clashed with what you’re wearing. Pale pink acetate frames in a modern cat-eye shape are glamorous and pretty (£25, oliverbonas.com). 

If you can get the family to club together for an early Christmas/birthday, then Celine’s Triomphe comes in a heavenly pale pink (£370, celine.com).

The Metal Update 

If you like a metallic frame, then octagonal is the new round. Mango’s version (£22.99, shop.mango.com) have graded light brown lenses. Note that coloured or graded lenses make your shades look new. 

The New Label 

Le Specs is the brand that does designer looks for around a fifth of the price and their ‘air-heart’ style (a cat-eye shape in caramel acetate) is the fashion girls’ most coveted (£60, net-a-porter.com). I also like the ‘bandwagon’ style (£20), which is like a rounded giant Wayfarer.