BY DESIGN : Eye Cue

With summer here, nearly everyone will be hiding behind some style of dark shades. Finding specs that look, well, spectacular can prove daunting for even the most confident of folks. To find a style that can have you looking hot all year long, Gai Gherardi, co-founder of L.A. Eyeworks, with stores in South Coast Plaza and on Melrose in Los Angeles, offers suggestions based on face shape:

OVAL

* “Lucky dogs,” Gherardi says. You can get away with any frame type.

ROUND

* Forget the age-old notion that a round face should avoid a round frame. A small oval can work.

* Avoid cat eyes and opt for soft angles.

PEAR

* Fit size to the largest part of the lower facial area.

* Look at teardrop styles and stay away from horizontal shapes, such as big rectangles. A cat-eye frame works if it’s not too narrow.

* Lean toward darker colors.

OBLONG

* Pick a frame that rests below the brow line. Small oval or rectangle hapes work well.

* Wear a frame with a low temple attachment.

* Avoid a round frame; it will give you a perpetual look of surprise.

SQUARE

* Avoid anything too angular. Select a soft style instead.

* A teardrop or aviator shape looks good if you have a curvy brow line.

* Look for a high temple attachment.

HEART

* Choose an unobtrusive frame with angles at the cheekbone.

* Avoid the teardrop. It pulls down the face.

* Select rounded lenses and lighter colors.

What’s Hot

* Small frames fashioned out of a combination of metal and zyl (plastic), such as those found at L.A. Eyeworks, right. “We’re at a time of celebrating the face,” Gherardi says. “Cut off all that hair, shave off the sideburns and goatees and show your face off.”

Bodhi (with clip) $330

Sam (with clip) $315

Luck (with clip) $330

Corso $160

Specs

Frame Front

Temple

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Other Tips

* If your hairline is receding, select a frame with a heavier brow.

* De-emphasize a square jawline with a soft shape, such as an oval. Conversely, a soft, round face needs an angular frame.

* Hate your nose length? A double-bar bridge or a bridge mounted at the middle of the lenses makes the nose appear shorter. A bridge positioned at the top half of the lenses elongates the nose.

* Despite the popular belief that a big face needs a big frame, Gherardi says a big face needs a small frame.

* A face shape can be altered by a haircut or reshaped brow line.

* Above all, consider your personality, Gherardi says.

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Researched by Rose Apodaca Jones / For The Times