Frame shapes, decoded: pantos, aviator, cat-eye and the rest

Almost everyone can spot a pair of aviators. But between a pantos, a cat-eye and a browline, the vocabulary of frames quickly turns into a maze. Here is the map, drawn by our opticians.

When you walk into one of our stores, you often say "I'm after something round", or "a bit retro". That is a great start. But every big family of frames has a precise name, a history, and its own way of speaking to a face. Knowing these names is not optical snobbery. It is the fastest way to find, and then ask again for, the shape that suits you. Let us walk through the shapes you will meet most often, from our workshops in Bali to the runways.

The round, quietly clever

Near-perfect circles. The round frame calls to mind the artist, the architect, the quiet poet. We owe it as much to reading glasses of the past as to a certain sixties spirit, and it has never really left the stage. Its strength: it softens anything angular. On a square face or a strong jaw, it brings welcome roundness. The trap: on an already round face, it can amplify the effect. There, we choose it thinner, in metal, to keep things light.

The pantos, a French classic

The pantos is the most elegant shape that few people can name. Picture a circle slightly flattened on top, with a soft curve below. Born in the 1950s and 1960s, it carries an assumed vintage feel without ever tipping into costume. It is an excellent middle ground for anyone who finds the round too bold and the square too strict. The pantos flatters a majority of faces, which is why our opticians so often suggest it as a first try.

The aviator, born in the cockpit

The inverted teardrop, in thin metal, with its double bar across the nose. The aviator was designed for military pilots, to cover the widest possible field of view. Today we love it above all in sunglasses, but it works just as well in optical frames. It lengthens round faces and softens broad foreheads. Its secret is lightness: plenty of lens, very little material around it.

The cat-eye, a line that lifts the gaze

The upper corners, the ones nearest the temples, rise slightly, like a stroke of eyeliner. An icon of the 1950s, the cat-eye was long filed under so-called feminine glasses. We have moved past that: worn with confidence, it suits everyone. It lifts the cheekbones, energises a soft face, and gives character to the simplest outfit. In a discreet version the tilt is barely there; in a bolder one it becomes a signature.

The browline, the top half

Its name says it all: the material underlines the brow, while the bottom of the lenses stays thin or rimless. It is also called clubmaster. An intellectual, faintly retro shape, it frames the gaze without weighing down the lower face. It appeals to those who want a frame that is present, but not overwhelming. Try it if you hesitate between wanting your glasses to be seen and not wanting them to take over your face.

The square and the rectangle, the architects

Clean lines, assumed angles. The square and the rectangle bring structure. On a face full of curves, they create a contrast that slims and lengthens. They suit personalities who like the bold, the graphic, the contemporary. The only tip: on an already angular face, soften with slightly rounded corners so as not to harden the features.

So how do you choose yours?

A simple principle guides most fittings: contrast. A shape opposite to the geometry of your face rebalances the whole. But it is not an absolute rule, and that is a good thing: style, the mood of the day and comfort matter just as much. The best judge remains the mirror, with an optician beside you to fine-tune proportions, lens height and the position on the nose. If you want to go further, our guide to face shapes is the natural next read.

A frame you can name is a frame you can find again, in the store and in your memory.