Ray Ban Aviators

You can never go wrong with buying a pair of Rayban Aviators. Given how rapidly the face of fashion evolves season by season, these beauties have stood the test of time and have a major cult-following even today. I strongly believe Aviators are perhaps the only pair of sunnies that suit every face shape. Infact I would advocate it as a fashionista staple!

Iconized by hunkalicious Tom Cruise in the ever-groovy flick Top Gun, Rayban Aviators were introduced to the market in 1936 by Bausch & Lomb under the branding of Rayban. They were developed specifically for pilots, and that is how they got christened ‘Aviators’. Aviators also got a major fan following in the 1960’s when pop idols like Paul McCartney, Ringo Star and even Freddie Mercury sported them. Back then, aviators were characterized by their dark reflective lens and very thin metal frame. Although the shape and frame has remained the same, Aviators come in many colours and added features today.

Why buy Aviators? Rayban Aviators have maintained their high quality standards over the years. An Aviator’s lenses guarantees 100% UVA, UVB and UVC protection, is made from high quality optical glass, and can block invisible glare, UV radiation and reduce infrared heat ray penetration ensuring overall comfort to the wearer.

So how do you go about choosing a pair that’s right for you?

Size:

Rayban Aviators are available in 4 different sizes (this is the width of the lenses in mm): 52, 55, 58 and 62. The perfect fit would be when the edges of the lens covers the sides of your face, but don’t go beyond it. 52 is ideal for a very petite face, 55 for a small to medium face, 58 for a medium to large face, and 62 for a large face. But there’s no right or wrong with this, some people like it snug, and some like bigger frames.

Aviators come in three different models. All three have the same iconic tear-drop lens shape and very thin metal frame, but they differ in the size and colour options:

3025 – This is the original Aviator, and also the one with the most colour options (over 30 variations including polarized lens). It comes in three sizes: 55, 58 and 62. The classic Aviator lens colour is black, but golden and green have also got a strong cult following. In recent years, many new shades such a metallic gold and champagne pink have been added to the list.

3044 – This comes in size 52 only, and only has 4 colour options available. This is perfect for petite faces.

3026 – This is specifically for large faces, and only comes in size 62. It only comes in 2 colour options.

 

 

 

 

There are also two other variations of these three basic styles:

3460 – This style allows you to flip out and interchange the lenses; useful if you like to keep updating your look without splurging on a second pair. They come with three different lenses that you can easily pop out and interchange.

3479 – This style comes with a foldable frame, saving you storage space. I have the 3479-02 model (golden lenses). Personally, I find it to be a bit of a pain as the foldable frame does not allow me to slip up the Aviators onto my head when not in use (so I have to physically fold them and put them away every time I’m entering a shady area).

 

 

Frames:

Gold – Aviator gold frames are made of high quality core metal that has genuine 24 carat gold permanently bonded onto the metal. This ensures the gold will never fade or chip off.

Gunmetal – Aviator gunmetal frames come in black chrome and silver. These have also been bonded with the core metal and will not chip off.

Lenses:

Polarized – reduces glare from bright surfaces such as water, snow and glass. Polarized lenses are recommended for pilots and long-distance driving. Interestingly, the original Rayban Aviators were not polarized!

Gradient – these lenses are darker on the top and fade out at the bottom. I find this look very attractive!

G-15 – these are the classic lenses that come in one-tone colours (black, green, blue, pink).They promise to block out 85% of light, provise a sharp contrast and boost a more ‘natural’ vision.

You can grab great bargains on Raybans from online sites, but before you do so, I would recommend you do your homework and try some on at your local stores to see what sizes and styles suit your face.

So there you go, a wee summary on how to buy Aviators! Yes you also get many wannabe fakes in the market that look almost as good as the real thing, but they cannot guarantee you the comfort and longevity of a real pair. Go splurge and enjoy the sunshine!

xoxox Big Sis.