Smaggle shows us how to shop for sunglasses online

I have never owned a pair of sunglasses that cost over $70. Why? Because I lose them, sit on them, scratch them, throw them in my bag sans case and basically just destroy them. However I recently discovered that my current pair of Witchery sunglasses have remained in my possession and are (relatively) unharmed after a full year of use. I have decided to buy a grown up pair of sunglasses to celebrate my new found responsible behaviour. Perhaps a price upgrade will inspire me to be even kinder to my sunglasses. But where to start?

One of my friends once told me that you should match sunglasses to your colouring and not your wardrobe. Which is why gold and nude shades look great on blondes and gunmetal and silver shades look fabulous on brunettes. It’s a good little tip to keep in mind so you don’t get distracted and end up buying blinging sunglasses that Kanye West would fight you for.

I’m a little obsessed with this nude/blush/cream movement that’s happening right now and I’m in the market for sunglasses of this persuasion. I found a beautiful pair of Oroton sunglasses for $350 in the store and found them online at JustSunnies for $265 with free shipping. Not too shabby if I do say so myself but honestly you need to do your research. Some stores overcharge for certain brands so I would recommend deciding on a particular model and then searching online for the best price, otherwise you may get ripped off. General browsing is next to impossible because the sheer volume of eyewear stores online is terrifying. It’s best to have a plan before you start.

My man is also in dire need of new eyewear and offered to do a man shop for the sake of this article. How generous of him. Where did he start? Tom Ford of course. Ever the bargain hunter, my frugal sweetie took his task very seriously. The best Australia had to offer was Sunglass Hut selling his coveted Daniel glasses for $625. The best of rest? Amazon selling the same pair for $278 with inconsequential shipping of $20. Note to self – Amazon sells more than books. Light bulb moment!

Let’s do another lil’ comparison for fun! Naughty Sunglasses Portal is charging $283 for these Alexander McQueen aviators (delicious, yes?) and Amazon has the same pair for $146.99.  Man, I could do this all day.

What about you? Do you have a phobia of dishing out the big bucks on designer eyewear? Where do you shop for sunglasses? What great sunglass bargains have you found online?

Wish me luck keeping my new Orotons in pristine condition… I’ll let you know how it goes.