Glasses Trends You'll See Everywhere in 2023 (and Bold Makeup Looks to Match)

Fellow glasses-wearers, does this feel familiar? Each morning, you style your hair, do your makeup, and painstakingly pick out earrings — only to cover half your face with the same old frames you’ve been wearing for years, outdated prescription included.

For such an important accessory — one that helps us see, but also impacts the way we see ourselves — glasses have been relegated to an afterthought for too long. But for 2023, optical eyewear deserves an update, and many top fashion brands seem to agree. Ahead, see the new shapes and colors that are currently trending, along with bold makeup looks (such as reverse winged liner and color-washed shadow) to try with your fancy new frames.

Wire Glasses

If you haven’t been thinking about getting wire-framed glasses ever since Zendaya and Tom Holland were spotted at a New York Rangers game wearing matching jerseys, well, we are not the same. But there’s still time! Kendall Jenner and Jennifer Aniston are also fans of this minimalist look. Think beyond teeny tiny, rectangle options and refresh this classic style by going slightly larger in size.

This Pair: Burberry BE1371 Angelica ($321). COS sweater.

The Makeup Look: Switch up your everyday look by opting for an exaggerated, graphic reverse wing. With an angled brush, line under the eye instead of the lid, then extend out toward the inner and outer corners.

Round Frames

Circular shapes have come a long way since John Lennon’s itty-bitty round pair (though several models were spotted wearing ones just like those throughout 2022). Now, it’s a new way to contrast your face shape, call attention to your brows, or give extra breathing room to an under-eye makeup look.

This Pair: Krewe Hurst in Sorbetto ($315). Find Me Now sweater. 

The Makeup Look: Ensure your reverse cat-eye really pops underneath your glasses by reaching for bold-colored liner instead of basic black. Feeling a bit daring? Color coordinate with your frames!

Clear

It’s no coincidence that the clear frame trend took hold right around the time makeup went maximalist. All the better to see the rest of your look. Noted gorgeous-face-haver Emily Ratajkowski has been known to sport see-throughs, too. Get yours from brands like Warby Parker and Michael Kors.

This Pair: Westward Leaning Claremont Optical 06 ($195). Eileen Fisher Cashmere Silk Bliss Turtleneck Box-Top in Seaglass.

The Makeup Look: Clear frames are the perfect opportunity to try elaborate eye makeup, such as color-washed shadow, which covers the lid as well as the lower lash line.

The New Cat-Eye

Leave it to a classic label like Tory Burch to ever-so-slightly upgrade a frame shape that’s been gracing faces for nearly a century. The upturned-corner look first launched in the ‘30s and is fresh this year with a shorter shape (shown) or taking on new colors. Dan Levy’s brand, DL Eyewear, offers a few, including a clear-beige pair we’re eyeing for spring. 

This Pair: Tory Burch Tokyo Tortoise ($205). LESET polo. 

The Makeup Look: If you really want to take this classic look to the next level, skip the neutral shades and go with a splash of bright, pigmented eyeshadow instead.

Bold Frames

Keke Palmer can always be counted on to boast a bold-framed pair. Why not follow in her fashionable footsteps? Celebrities from Bella Hadid (red, rectangular Chanel specs) to Sebastian Stan (and his purple pair) have tried this trend. The best part is they can be the statement piece against an all-black outfit or merely one wash of tone to complement a full-color clothes-and-makeup look.

This Pair: Giorgio Armani Women’s Cat-Eye Eyeglasses ($405). LESET polo.

The Makeup Look: Color-blocking isn't just for your outfits — try the trend with your makeup, too. Line your eye with a complementary shade to the one on your lid, then smudge it out with a brush for an edgier, undone effect.

Main photo: Krewe Sadie Glasses ($315). F+H Studio Mini Hardcore Love Heart Earrings.