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The best Ray-Ban sunglasses to stay stylish in the sun

These great Ray-Ban sunglasses come jam-packed with style...

The best Ray-Ban sunglasses to stay stylish in the sun
Marc Chacksfield
02 October 2023

If you want to look cool in the sun, one brand has long dominated: Ray-Ban. But with so pairs out there, which frame do you go for? We're happy to say that we've come to the rescue, collating a list of the best Ray-Ban sunglasses around.

Most famous for its iconic Wayfarer and Aviator lines, the company has made stylish eyewear since the 1930s and is practically the byword for great looking sunglasses - but the big question is: which are the best Ray-Ban styles for you?

There’s plenty to discover beyond the big names – and we’ve got the scoop. Here’s our pick of the best Ray-Ban sunglasses for you to buy this summer.

Upvote the pair you'd most like to wear, and suggest which frames you think we should add to this shortlist.

Best Ray-Ban sunglasses

Best Ray-Ban sunglasses

1. Ray-Ban Original Wayfarer Colour Mix

View now at Ray-Ban

You can’t beat the original Wayfarer, can you? Effortlessly cool, they go with pretty much any outfit. These are an update on the classic, allowing you to mix and match various colourways to create your perfect pair.

The Red Havana frames with pinky brown lenses are our fave, but you can also go for a light blue colour, a brown variant and a grey, so there’s plenty to choose from.

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2. Ray-Ban RB3689 Aviators

View now at Ray-Ban

A twist on an old classic, these Aviators have been relaunched in a wider colour range and with flatter temples – meaning you can put your prescription lenses in if you need glasses.

The glasses also come in eleven colours – you can pick from light blue, light brown, purple, brown, various greens and oranges, red, blue and yellow.

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3. Ray-Ban Mirrored Aviators

View now at Ray-Ban

Like the Wayfarer, Aviators are a cornerstone of Ray-Ban’s offerings – and you can see why. They’ve looked cool since they first launched several decades ago, and they still look cool now.

Again, the line comes with several lens options – silver, purple, blue and goldy yellow. You’d be hard pressed to pick.

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4. Ray-Ban RB3796

View now at Ray-Ban

We are huge fans of this new-look frame from Ray-Ban. The bar at the top offers up a retro feel while the combination of the green lenses and gold frame is just sublime. Full disclosure: we bought a pair of these ourselves and are now our go-to shades for this summer. It is a bit of a shock to the system when you do wear them as they actually make things look brighter. This might sound counter intuitive but it is all to do with the Chromance technology that's powering the lenses, which offers up better visual clarity.

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5. Ray-Ban Stories

View now at Ray-Ban

The most contentious pick on our list, but also perhaps the most important recent addition to the Ray-Ban line-up. Ray-Ban's Stories are smart sunglasses made in association with Meta. And, well, they don't look bad either. These glasses have dual 5MP cameras, letting you capture pictures and video as you go about your day.

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6. Ray-Ban State Street

View now at Sunglass Hut

Ray-Ban has created fantastic sunglasses for years, but many of the designs look functional rather than stylish – or at least in our opinion they do. That's why we love the latest style: State Street. These sunglasses have the same square frame we're used to seeing from Ray-Ban glasses, but they have a chunky, retro look that brings a bit of old school glamour to Ray-Ban's functional brand. This style is available in a range of colours, including tortoiseshell, black and grey.

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7. Ray-Ban Square Evolve

View now at Ray-Ban

If you’re after a cool 70s style, you don’t need to look much further than the Square Evolve. It's a remake of an actual line created by the brand in the 1970s themselves. Authentic stuff.

Oversized metal frames are fitted with a variety of lens choices: there’s the classic green lens, and a number of other variants. They all look great, but we particularly like the gold and orange combo.

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8. Ray-Ban Double Round Bridge

View now at Amazon

Another 70s look, these oval sunglasses are perfect for a festival. Much like the Square Evolve, the Round Bridge sunnies are based on an original 1970s design.

There’s a number of combinations available, with all lenses featuring a matte finish and mirror look. Our favourite combo is the black top with yellow lens, but for a true 70s cool you might be best with the gold and blue gradient option.

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9. Ray-Ban Wings II

View now at Ray-Ban

Alright, we admit it: these aren’t going to look good on everyone. The glasses’ hefty frame makes for a statement look – but they do look great if you think you can pull them off.

Available in seven colours, these are 100% statement glasses – all you need is a bit of confidence.

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10. Ray-Ban RB4304 Round Frames

View now at Ray-Ban

A retro-looking pair, these oversized round frames look like they’ve been plucked straight from the 1960s.

A more traditional tortoise design has a subtler look, but you can also choose from seven other colours if you want something a bit more eye catching. The pink design is particularly striking.



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Our pick for a Ray-Ban alternative

The best Ray-Ban sunglasses to stay stylish in the sun
Image Credit: FINLAY

If you are looking for a pair of sunglasses and want to veer away from Ray-Ban, then we thoroughly recommend a pair from FINLAY. Handmade in Italy (and designed in London), with a line-up full of innovative frames and colours, they really are a stylish brand.

Our pick are the Hamilton frames. They were worn by Liam Gallagher during his Glastonbury sets and we love the unique lens shape.


Author Bio

Marc Chacksfield
Marc Chacksfield
As EIC of Shortlist, Marc likes nothing more than to compile endless lists of an evening by candlelight. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.

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