2015 Running Gear Guide: Women’s Sunglasses
$119, Zealoptics.com
Highlight: Killer lenses, lightweight frame.
For shades that have the oversize, retro styling of old-school Ray-Bans, the Idyllwild is performance-ready. They’re lightweight, stay put despite sweat, and their polarized lenses provide optical clarity and significantly cut down glare. And the styling means you don’t have to change glasses after your run to meet up with non-running friends.
$159, smithoptics.com
Highlight: Performance-ready with three easy-to-swap-out lenses
The minimalist frame feels light and airy, and an adjustable nose bridge lets you decide how close or far you want them in relation to your face. Three one-piece lenses come with these shades—one for sunny days, one for overcast conditions and one clear lens, perhaps for windy runs in low light. Lenses swap out easily.
$100-$179, julbousa.com
Highlight: Major eye protection.
This single lens, wraparound design provides good peripheral vision and grippy arms keep theses shades from budging, without pulling and snagging hair. An adjustable nose clip offers fit options, as do the two different lens/frame combinations. Spectron 3 mirrored lens (pictured) reflects sunlight and is best on bright days.
$69.95-$99.95, tifosioptics.com
Highlight: Well-venting, easy on the pocketbook.
This small-framed, lightweight sunglass fits small faces best, and comes with three different lenses so you can customize before each run depending on the conditions. Vents on the actual lenses help eliminate any chance of fogging up. The best part of these minimal-frills glasses? The price.
$200, Oakley.com
Highlight: Ready to log miles and run errands.
The sleek frame and single-lens design falls somewhere in between the look of a full-on performance sunglass and a pair of casual shades. The one-piece polarized lenses perform, as does the lightweight frame that sits as comfortably on your nose. But the semi-rimless (instead of fully rimless) design keeps these from screaming: “I’m a runner and I just went running!”