Half frame sunglasses: The ultimate retro style

You’ve seen these bad boys before. Whether in vintage photos from the 50s and 60s during their all-time popularity, or on Bruce Willis in Moonlighting, half frame sunglasses are as classic as they get. Our single, unisex style in this shape needs no peers: the Avila can do it all, and then some. Featuring metal detailing with colored lens options, the Avila elevates the category of half frame sunglasses as an eye-catching look for women and men (and those above the binary).

The Avila: Sunski's classic half frame sunglasses

Despite their menswear connotations, the Avila is a unisex silhouette that looks dapper on both guys and gals. Its medium-sized frame with moderate coverage works well for small to medium sized faces especially, and is a great lightweight everyday style for a lowkey sophisticated look. The unique monobrowline design looks particularly striking in daylight, especially compared to the traditional metal bridges of half frames of yore. Like all of our SuperLight frames, the Avila is built with 100% recycled plastic, and is backed by a lifetime warranty. It ships without any plastic packaging, and goes towards a great cause—1% For the Planet. Sunski is also going fully carbon neutral in 2020, so you can look ahead in superb style. We think that’s a pretty rad take on the classic. (No offense to grandpa).

On second thought, if half frame sunglasses really aren’t your thing, check out our round sunglasses, polarized aviator sunglasses, or wayfarer sunglasses. We’ve got a rad collection of retro sunglasses too. Was the metal detailing what caught your great taste? Check out the Vacanza. We got your eyes covered. P.S. — if choice is overwhelming you, we think it’s worth mentioning that pairs of two sunglasses or more ship free. Whew!

Browline half frame sunglasses

While frameless styles have always been explored in eyewear, half frame sunglasses are credited with being first invented in 1947 by Jack Rohrbach. Part of their nascent popularity originated in their illuminating open eyewires and their ability to customize the fit of individual lenses (speaking of which, we sell an Avila lens kit too). Not surprisingly, their nickname “browline glasses” came from the added visual weight and resemblance to—you guessed it—eyebrows. With a top-heavy appearance, they became an instant menswear classic. With plastics just coming onto the scene, and their associations with grandfathers and four-eyes everywhere, they took a brief hiatus during the cultural revolution of the 70s (a time us San Franciscans know all too well). It wasn’t until the late 90s and early 2000s, à la Mad Men, that their recent return to popular culture was credited to the resurgence of traditional men’s style and (dare we say it) ‘hipster’ culture. Regardless, we think they’re pretty spiffy, and we were happy to oblige in updating this timeless style with an eco twist.