Glasses for a long face: how to choose, and 8 frames that work
A long face wants width and tall lenses: oversize, big squares, full pantos, a low bridge. The three rules, what to avoid and eight frames from independent designers, optical and sun, chosen by OCCHIO!.
A long face wants width.
A high forehead, a long chin, more height than width: it is the face that looks best in big glasses, and the one small frames penalise most. There is one rule: the frame must add width and cover part of the face vertically. Here is how that translates into lens width, lens height and bridge, and the eight frames from the OCCHIO! selection that do it best.
mm of lens width: the breadth a long face does not have
mm of lens height, to cover the face and shorten it
frames chosen for a long face, optical and sun, available now
Three rules, in order
1. Width. The frame should be as wide as the face or wider: a lens width of 52 and up, temples that start at the outer corner, details or colour on the temples that pull the eye sideways. A narrow frame in the middle of the face lengthens it.
2. Lens height. The measurement almost nobody checks, and the one that matters more than width on a long face. A tall lens (40–45 mm) covers cheeks and cheekbones and breaks the height of the face; a shallow horizontal lens leaves everything else exposed. Oversize frames, full pantos and big squares all have tall lenses.
3. A low bridge. A low bridge sits the frame lower and shortens the distance between eyes and chin. The high keyhole bridge, perfect for a prominent nose, works on a long face only if the frame is very tall, as on thick-acetate crown pantos.
Optical and sun: what changes
For optical frames, oversize is the natural choice and currently the most fashionable one: AKONI's Argo, Kazoku's Renaissance, Cubitts' Panton XL. With sunglasses you can go bigger still: an oversize sunglass with a dark or coloured lens covers a third of the face and reproportions it in a second. The long face is the only one on which a wraparound mask looks good without looking sporty.
What to avoid
Small, narrow, shallow frames; horizontal lenses of 32–35 mm; thin little rounds; high bridges on shallow frames; thin, invisible temples. And the most frequent advice, «something light and discreet»: on a long face the discreet frame is the one that covers nothing, and lengthens it.
The eight frames
AKONI Argo Tortoise/Gold
55 mm wide, a tall lens, titanium temple with a gold detail: the optical oversize that fills a long face in width and in height.
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Kazoku Renaissance Optical
A wide, tall front in solid acetate: a frame that occupies the centre of the face and visually shortens it.
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Kuboraum K30 BM KM
Wide, with a marked top line and a low bridge: the Kuboraum Maske that adds width where a long face has none.
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Cubitts Panton Stone Blue XL
Cubitts' square in size XL, stone blue: a tall, wide lens and a colour that pulls the eye sideways. The lowest price on the list.
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Kuboraum L12 BS Sole
Lens width 61 and a 13 mm bridge: the widest front on this list. Kuboraum’s glossy black Mask covers the face horizontally and brings it back into proportion.
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Lesca Lunetier Ogre XL
Big, soft, with a green lens: the oversize that covers cheeks and cheekbones and shortens any long face. Lesca's best-selling sunglass.
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Kuboraum P73 LGM
Lens width 52 and an 18 mm bridge: Kuboraum’s round in acetate and metal, large enough to fill the upper face without lengthening it.
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Lesca Lunetier Klar col.5
From the Lesca archive of the Seventies: rectangular, thick, green lens. Width and thickness together, exactly what a long face asks for.
See the productThe other face shapes
If width and height are similar: glasses for a round face if the jaw is soft, glasses for a square face if it is sharp. The face shape guide compares them all, and the sizing guide explains how to read lens width, bridge and temple. To see the whole selection: oversize glasses, big sunglasses for women and square optical frames.
What glasses suit a long face?
Wide frames with a tall lens: oversize, big squares, pantos with a full front. The frame should add width and cover part of the face vertically; decorated or coloured temples pull the eye outwards. Avoid small, narrow, shallow frames, which leave the face exposed and lengthen it.
Long face: high or low bridge?
Low. A low bridge sits the frame lower on the face and shortens the distance between eyes and chin. A high bridge, as on crown pantos, does the opposite: it works only if the frame is very tall.
Which lens width and lens height?
Lens width from 52 mm up and a lens height of at least 40–42 mm. Width adds breadth, lens height covers the face: a long face needs both. Shallow horizontal lenses, 32–35 mm tall, are the worst.
Does colour matter?
Yes: colour and details on the temples or outer corners widen the face. A dark, thick frame shortens it more than a thin light one. Translucents work only if the shape is big.
How do I know if my face is long?
Clearly taller than it is wide, a high forehead, a long chin, cheekbones that barely stand out. If the jaw is sharp and wide, the face is rectangular: the same rules apply, with a preference for softened corners.
Shapes are tried on, not guessed
In our boutique in Crema, Italy, we put the shapes side by side on your face in ten minutes. Online, send us a front-facing photo on WhatsApp and we will tell you which of the frames on this page suit you best. Worldwide shipping from Italy.