Best Designer Aviator Sunglasses for Women

The aviator has been reinterpreted by nearly every house, and the best versions keep the double bridge but change the proportions. Bottega Veneta, Celine, Saint Laurent, Tom Ford, Loewe and others offer fine gold wire, chunky acetate and flat-top hybrids. This edit sorts them by how much metal and how much drama you want.

An aviator should cover the brow and sit just above the cheek. Teardrop lenses flatter a square jaw and a broad forehead; rounder, smaller versions suit a narrow face. Check the width of the frame against your temples. If the arms press, the frame is too narrow, and no adjustment fixes that.

Fine wire aviators go with trench coats, suiting and a white tee. Acetate aviators in tortoiseshell or dark brown feel warmer and work with knitwear and leather. A tinted lens in green or amber adds colour without changing the outline.

Polarization and UV protection are two different things. Polarized lenses reduce glare from flat surfaces such as water and roads. UV protection is about blocking ultraviolet light, and it is a separate property of the lens. The retailer listings for these pairs do not state that the lenses are polarized, and we have not verified polarization for any pair here, so we do not claim it. Some listings mention a lens filter category, which describes how dark the lens is. Check the brand's own details for the exact colour you choose, and look for a UV 400 or equivalent mark on the lens or tag.

Store sunglasses in a hard case, away from heat in the car, and clean the lenses with a microfibre cloth rather than a shirt. Acetate frames can be adjusted by an optician with gentle heat; metal frames can have their nose pads replaced. If you wear prescription glasses, a clip-on or a custom prescription lens is a separate purchase, and these listings do not describe prescription options.

If you want one pair for decades, take a gold wire aviator with a neutral lens. If you prefer something less expected, the acetate flat-top versions are the better buy. Try the frame on and judge the width and the nose fit before anything else.

If this one was useful, I also put together Best Gold-Frame Designer Sunglasses for Women, The Designer Sunglasses Shortlist and Best Tinted and Mirrored Designer Sunglasses for Women.