Here at The Old Glasses Shop we sell a wide range of vintage prescription glasses: from the classic retro styles of Yohji Yamamoto and Bugatti, to the exquisite hexagonal style designs of Carrera and Jean Paul Gaultier.

So, whether you’re looking for true round glasses or an old fashioned prescription glasses style you thought was no longer available, we’d love to help you find a style that suits you.

But, with so many shapes and styles to choose from, how can you find out which shape and style of glasses will suit you?

How to find out your face shape

Different frames and different styles of glasses suit different face shapes. And it can be hard to work out what your actual face shape is. Your hairline, jawline and facial features can all get in the way and distract you when you look in the mirror.

So here are two quick and simple methods you can use to work out whether your face is classically ‘square’, ‘round’, ‘heart-shaped’ or ‘oval’. This will help you choose from the wide range of old fashioned glasses we have in stock.

Method one

You will need:

• A mirror
• A soft eye make up pencil or lip liner
• A hairband or tight beanie-style hat

How to do it:

1. Place your mirror in a good source of light and make sure it’s clean.
2. Pull your hair back from your face with either a hairband or a tight beanie hat. (You need to be able to see your forehead without the distraction of any hair.
3. Pick up the eye pencil or lip crayon.
4. Look straight into the mirror.
5. Keeping your head still, mark a series of dots on the surface of the mirror, around the reflection of your face. Move in a clockwise motion from your forehead to your cheeks, your cheeks to your chin and around to the other side of your face. (You don’t need to include your ears in your outline.)
6. Keeping your face in the same position, gently sketch a series of short lines between the dots on the mirror to join them up.
7. Move your face away from the mirror.
8. There you will see your actual face shape. (We’ve added some extra descriptions below to help you make sure you’ve got it right.)
9. Remember to clean the mirror!

Method two

You will need:

• A printed headshot-style photograph of your face, looking straight into the camera
• A piece of tracing paper
• Two paperclips
• A soft-leaded pencil

How to do it:

1. Position the tracing paper over the photograph and clip it into place with the paperclips.

2. Carefully trace the outline of your face shape with the pencil, taking care not to damage the surface of the photograph.

3. Remove the tracing paper and look at the shape you have drawn. This is your actual face shape. (We’ve added some extra descriptions below to help you make sure you’ve got it right.)

How to define your face shape

If your forehead, cheekbones and jawline are almost exactly the same width apart…

Your face shape is SQUARE.

You join women like Angelina Jolie and Winona Rider and men like David Beckham in having strong features, defined cheekbones and an angular jaw.

Your ideal glasses style is ROUNDED – look at rounded aviator-style frames, rectangular frames with soft, rounded corners and frames with minimal detailing. Consider frames that are slightly wider than your cheekbones to avoid overwhelming your features.

Look at designers like Avalon, Burberry, Carrera and Winchester.

AVOID: narrow, boxy frames as these will get lost on your face.

If your face is as wide as it is long, with the maximum width at your cheekbones…

Your face shape is ROUND.

Look at Drew Barrymore, Charlotte Church and Mila Kunis for women with your face shape and men like Jack Black, Kanye West and Elijah Wood.

Your ideal glasses style is RECTANGULAR – look at frames with bold, angular lines and styles where the bottom rim sits just above your cheekbone. Large glasses are an ideal style for you. Choose a solid frame with a defined, angular line to elongate your face.

Look at designers like Hugo Boss, Burberry, Ray Ban and Versace.

AVOID: round, circular style frames as these will shorten the appearance of your face.

If your face tapers clearly from your forehead and narrows at your chin, which tends to be pointed…

Your face is HEART-SHAPED.

You join women like Cheryl Cole and Naomi Campbell, Reece Witherspoon and Scarlett Johansson and men like Leonardo di Caprio, John Legend, Colin Farrell and Justin Bieber.

Your ideal glasses style is OVAL – look at frames that are bottom-heavy and lower at the temples to add balance to your face. Oval shaped frames draw attention to your eyes. You can also carry off a rimless or light-framed style with ease.

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Look at designers like Boucheron, Burberry, Versace and Yamamoto.

AVOID: frames with detailed embellishments on the outer edges, frames that are top heavy or wider at the top.

If your face is longer between your cheekbones and your chin than it is across from cheekbone to cheekbone…

Your face shape is OVAL.

Uma Thurman, Elle MacPherson and Jessica Alba all have oval faces. As Jude Law, Jake Gyllenhaal and Hugh Laurie. You have the most versatile face shape of all and can experiment with almost all frames. Feel free to play with colours and textures too, you suit most frames.

Your ideal glasses style is BOLD – think oversized frames and strong colours and textures. Consider your features; the more angular your nose and jaw, the rounder the frame that will suit you.

Look at the hexagonal, cat eye and panto-shaped glasses on the site for something a little different. Designers like Carrera, Roberto Cavalli and Winchester offer something a little bolder to suit your face shape.

AVOID: taking the safe option, you’ve got the face shape to carry off even the boldest style.

Any questions? As ever, feel free to email or call us 01434 221122 with any questions you might have. We want you to be delighted with the glasses you order from us and will do our best to help you choose which ones are right for you.