- Sunglasses are the signature accessory for men this year, more so for fashion than sun protection.
- Translucent frame designs with tinted lenses are especially popular.
- Men told Business Insider that some of their favorite shades are from Cartier and other luxe brands.
Sunglasses instantly make you look cooler.
It's just a fact. Look at Tom Cruise in the "Top Gun" films, or even Snoopy as Joe Cool. Shades are the staple piece of their looks.
Tinted eyewear has also become the signature accessory for men this year, more so for fashion than sun protection.
Celebrities like Andrew Garfield and Robert Downey Jr. have been wearing them on red carpets, and businessmen told Business Insider that shades have become the key to getting compliments.
Here's a look at what the latter group is wearing this summer, from affordable Gen Z designs to designer pairs.
An investor working in venture capital said Cartier glasses are a staple of his city and wardrobe.
Bradford Jones, 28, works at SignalFire, where he invests in startup tech companies. He told Business Insider that his favorite sunglasses are Cartier buffs.
The nickname refers to Cartier frames made with buffalo horn. The designer brand sells four variations of the style, ranging between $3,645 and $3,895 per pair.
"A lot of hip-hop artists who are local to Detroit started wearing them, and it's proliferated throughout the whole culture," Jones said. "They're very classy glasses, but they also have a stunning sharpness."
Ferragamo is the go-to brand for one equity research analyst.
Bobby Mollins, 35, was named a BI rising star for his work at research firm Gordon Haskett. He said he regularly alternates between sunglasses from two brands.
When aiming to make business and smart-casual looks more polished, he opts for Ferragamo aviators. They retail between $415 and $480 per pair.
Then there are his running sunglasses, which come from Roka. Priced between $145 and $315 each, he has basic pairs that he can wear when taking his dog out for a walk, and wide-lens options that block wind from his eyes when running.
A pricey pair of sunglasses gets this advertising CEO tons of compliments.
Brent Comstock, the 29-year-old founder and CEO of the media agency BCom, told BI that he's tried sunglasses from just about every midlevel brand-name on the market.
The $870 Zephirin glasses from Jacques Marie Mage stand out.
"I have never gotten more compliments on sunglasses in my life," Comstock said. "People just point them out on the plane and at meetings, like, 'Oh, these are cool.'"
The CEO of a growing drink brand is loyal to a Gen Z-favorite company.
Victor Guardiola, 27, founded Bawi Agua Fresca to share "better for you" drinks with the world.
Whether he's on the go for work or fun, he's usually wearing Crap Eyewear sunglasses, like the $99 Void Pixies. The brand sells unisex shades in five shapes for $89 to $129 each.
"They're a cool, Gen Z-forward eyewear company," he said. "My fashion taste skews slightly Gen Z, and slightly Texan."
An engineer and content creator orders his favorite glasses from Japan.
Jodi Go, a 27-year-old software engineer and lifestyle content creator, said his entire wardrobe is "highly influenced by Japanese culture."
That includes sunglasses. He usually wears Gentle Monster shades, which cost between $250 and $540 each, and Jins glasses, which are priced between $90 and $290 each.
"I don't like fashion that's too loud," he said. "I prefer good quality and good design."
One fashion influencer said that tinted and translucent sunglasses are the way to go, no matter the brand.
Alex Nicoll, 29, previously worked for Fortune 500 companies and is now a full-time content creator who makes videos about men's fashion.
He told BI that Meller is one of this year's most popular sunglasses brands, and that he's on board with the translucent trend.
"Translucent sunglasses are a really cool look," he said, adding that he gets "so many compliments" on his Meller sunglasses.
He specifically has the Cumbi glasses, which retail for $65 per pair.
A venture capitalist told BI that he'll never splurge on expensive shades.
Bryce Johnson, 25, invests in early-stage software companies at Primary. He doesn't, however, personally invest in expensive sunglasses.
"That's the one thing I won't do — at least for now," he said. "I don't like buying expensive sunglasses. I always lose them."
He also prefers to own nearly a dozen pairs at a time.
"They're all for different occasions and from random brands that I'll get off the street of New York or wherever I'm traveling. I'll buy them for $10 or $15 cash," he said.
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