Men's glasses 2026-2027: trending frames, 5 directions and 8 design models
Men's glasses trends 2026 seen by OCCHIO!, an independent designer eyewear boutique in Crema: thick Fifties acetate, Japanese titanium, titanium rimless, oversize and masks, metal with character, numbered series. Eight frames chosen in the boutique.
Glasses are no longer an accessory. They are the face.
For years men's glasses were supposed to disappear: thin and black. In 2026 they go the opposite way: thick, present, with an idea inside. Here are the five directions of the year, seen from a boutique that sells only independent designers, and the eight frames that represent them best. They are the ones we see in the boutique, more than in advertising campaigns.
the directions that count: thick acetate, titanium, rimless, oversize, metal with character
frames chosen, available now
the year KameManNen started making glasses: the newest trend is the oldest
1. Thick acetate, Fifties style
The dominant trend, and not since yesterday. Crown pantos with a keyhole bridge, full rounds, 6 to 8 millimetre acetate polished by hand. Black, tortoise, honey. Lesca Lunetier in France and Julius Tart Optical and TVR in Japan are the three names that brought it back: all three work from archive shapes. It suits soft features and anyone who wants the glasses to be seen.
2. Thin Japanese titanium
The other side of the same coin. For anyone who prefers lightness to thickness, the answer today is titanium worked in Sabae: KameManNen, Eyevan, AKONI. Twenty grams, no pressure on the nose, temples that do not deform. It is the frame for anyone who wears glasses twelve hours a day and for strong features that need no frame.
3. Rimless, but in titanium
Rimless is back, with a different design from the 2000s. Today the lens is shaped precisely, bridge and temples are titanium and the effect is that of a designed object. Eyevan Orbit is the reference. The guide to rimless glasses has everything you need to know, lenses included.
4. Oversize and square masks
55 mm widths, tall lenses, fronts that occupy the face: AKONI Argo gives the elegant version, Kuboraum's square Maske the radical one. It is the most visible trend and the one that demands the most attention to proportion: it works on a long or large face, less on a small one.
5. Metal with character
AKONI, AHLEM and Leisure Society work here, with real gold plating: double rims, double bridges, optical aviators, brushed finishes. It is the alternative to black for a strong face looking for a metal that shows itself, far from office glasses.
And a trend that is not a shape
Numbered series, microproductions, models that do not come back. T HENRI makes series of 65 to 199 pieces per colour; Lesca and Kuboraum make limited editions. It is a way of buying: few numbered pieces, produced only once. It is the reason a boutique like OCCHIO! exists.
What is not on trend
The thin black acetate rectangle, the same for everyone, with spring hinges: the glasses «nobody notices». The problem is that they say nothing. If you want discreet glasses, get them in titanium or rimless, in a considered shape: today discretion comes through the material.
The eight frames
Lesca Lunetier Pica Black
The number one trend in a single frame: 8 mm acetate, keyhole bridge, a clean top line. It is among the best-selling pantos in the boutique over the last two years.
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Lesca Lunetier Toro 5 Noir
Lesca's full round in black: for anyone who wants Fifties thickness but in a softer shape than the panto.
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KameManNen KMN 122 MBK/GD
Pure titanium, matte black with a gold inner rim: the office frame you don't feel and that doesn't break. KameManNen has made glasses since 1917.
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Eyevan Orbit AG
Rimless is back, but in titanium and with a shaped lens: Eyevan's Orbit is among the lightest, most discreet ways to wear glasses.
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AKONI Argo Tortoise/Gold
A 55 mm width and a titanium temple with a gold detail: the men's oversize that occupies the face without weighing it down. Among the most sought-after AKONI optical frames.
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Kuboraum L12 BS
Kuboraum's most geometric Maske: shiny black, full thickness, a wide rectangle. For anyone who wants the glasses to be the first thing people see.
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AKONI Mercury AKX-301A
Round lenses and an aviator-inspired double bridge, titanium temples with a machined cylindrical element, ceramic nose pads, handmade in Japan: metal with character, the alternative to black for strong features.
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T HENRI Gemera Port RX
T HENRI's optical microproduction: Gemera in the Port colour, in hand-carved Japanese acetate, with the serial number on every piece. The numbered-series way of buying, in a piece that will not be made again.
View the productBefore the trend, the face
The wrong trend for your face is a pair of glasses that stays in the drawer. The face-shape guides say which direction to take: round face, square face, long face, big nose. For the material: titanium or acetate. To see everything: men's glasses, crown panto, titanium. For women there is the guide to women's glasses trends 2026; for sunglasses, the men's sunglasses trends 2026. The overall picture of the year, optical and sun, is in the guide to eyewear trends 2026.
Which men's glasses are on trend in 2026?
Five directions: thick Fifties acetate (crown pantos and full rounds), thin Japanese titanium, rimless in titanium, oversize and square masks, metal with character (double rims, optical aviators). Alongside them, demand for numbered series and small productions is growing. All five coexist: the choice depends on your face and your work, more than on fashion.
Men's glasses: acetate or titanium?
Acetate if you want presence, colour and thickness: it is the most current choice and suits soft features best. Titanium if you want lightness, to wear them twelve hours and forget them: it is the choice for strong features or a delicate nose. The guide titanium or acetate goes into detail.
Which glasses shape suits a man?
It depends on the face: angles on a round face, curves on a square face, wide tall frames on a long face. The panto (straight on top, round below) is the shape that suits the most men overall. The face-shape guides cover each case.
Are rimless glasses back in fashion?
Yes, in a different version from twenty years ago. Today's rimless are titanium, with the lens shaped precisely (elongated oval, hexagon, round) and thin temples: more a piece of jewellery than an invisible frame. Eyevan and AKONI are the references.
How much does a good pair of men's glasses cost?
It depends on the material and the making: acetate handmade in France or Japan (Cubitts, Lesca) is the entry point; Japanese titanium is a step up; numbered series and signature masks go above 800 €. Lenses are extra and depend on the prescription.
Trends are tried on, not followed
In our boutique in Crema you have the five directions side by side, and an honest opinion on which suits you best. Online, write to us on WhatsApp with a front-facing photo: we will tell you which of these eight frames are for you.
The brands in this guide: AKONI glasses · Kuboraum glasses · Lesca Lunetier glasses · Eyevan 7285 glasses · T HENRI glasses · KameManNen glasses.