For a house as old as Chanel, eyewear came late. Its first collection launched in 1999, made with Luxottica, and the two renewed their exclusive licence early in 2019, running from 2020 to the end of 2024 with an option to extend to 2027. So every pair of Chanel sunglasses you can buy, new or old, comes from the last 25 years or so.

 

I want to be plain about what is on this page. We could not find new Chanel sunglasses at the shops we link to, so the first grid is 28 pre-owned Chanel pairs, and more secondhand Chanel frames sit in the logo and detail grid further down. The grids in between are frames from other houses that give you a similar feeling. That is often how the Chanel sunglasses women hunt for are found anyway, one vintage pair at a time.

 

In this grid, the black acetate 5555 is the classic, the pair I would look at first. The purple acetate 5293-B is the fun one, and the brown acetate 1579 is warm and easy. Three are metal: the gold 4230, the brown 4244 and the grey metal aviator 4235-H. There is also a gold frame with black tiered lenses, and a grey oversized pair that hides half the face.

 

The rest of the first grid widens the shapes. There is an ivory cat-eye, a tortoise cat-eye with chain temples, a red oversize gradient pair, a pink shield and a pink and silver pilot, round metal frames with chain-wrapped rims, square frames with chain temples, and a vintage black pair with a gold chain running across the brow. The pearl cat-eye 5481-H and the gold chain pantos 4242 are the two that feel most like the house to me.

 

Tip: the model number is printed on the inside of the arm. Match it to the listing before you buy, and ask for a photo if it is not shown.

Chanel has a new artistic director now. Matthieu Blazy was appointed in December 2024 and showed his first collection at the Grand Palais in October 2025. Before that he ran Bottega Veneta, so it feels fair to put a Bottega frame in this grid.

 

A cat-eye is the frame that feels most like old Chanel to me. Saint Laurent's SL 567 PLUMP is round and thick, very easy to wear. Gucci's Hailey has the interlocking G on the temple, and Dior's Pop B1I is a clean black cat-eye with a sharp lift. Valentino's black acetate cat-eye is the most classic of the group.

 

Celine's Triomphe cat-eye has the arch logo on the side, and Miu Miu's Glimpse is the slightly playful one. Bottega Veneta's New Knot is a gold cat-eye with a knot at the hinge. Then Jacques Marie Mage's Perreti is a butterfly frame in yellow acetate, the boldest pair on this page.

 

A cat-eye flatters most faces when the top line follows your brow. If the frame sits above your eyebrows, it is too big.

 

What I would skip: a sharp cat-eye with a very pointed haircut. Two sharp lines compete. Pick one.

Black square sunglasses are the quietest frame there is, and the closest cousin to Chanel's black acetate pairs. This grid is for anyone who wants one pair that goes with everything.

 

Celine's Triomphe square frame is the cleanest, thick and polished. Saint Laurent's SL M182 JAZZ adds the Cassandre logo at the temple, a small gold detail that feels very Paris. Jacques Marie Mage's Chelsea square frame looks substantial even in plain black.

 

The D-frames are flatter on top and rounder below. Lié Studio's Matteo is the simple one, and Oliver Peoples' 1974C, made with Khaite, is the one I would pick, slightly retro with a soft top line. Loewe's D-frame with Paula's Ibiza is the holiday pair.

 

Then the rectangles. DiorOmbre S1I has leather trim along the top, and Bottega Veneta's Knot rectangular frame adds a gold-tone knot at the hinge.

 

A good fit test: you should see a little of your cheeks below the frame, and the arms should not leave red marks after an hour.

 

What I would skip: a square black frame that is wider than your face. It makes you look tired, not mysterious.

Chanel makes metal frames too, and the grey 4235-H in the first grid is an aviator. If you love that shape but want something new, this grid is the place to look. Aviators have been around for a long time, and a gold one makes a plain outfit look finished.

 

Saint Laurent's SL 864 is the classic gold aviator. Celine's aviator has a metal frame with a tortoiseshell finish, and Loewe's aviator mixes gold-tone metal with tortoiseshell acetate, which I find very easy to wear. Thistles' Malone is the light, everyday one.

 

Barton Perreira's Bhanot is in rose gold, which looks lovely on warm skin. Bottega Veneta's New Knot aviator mixes metal with black injected frames, and Brunello Cucinelli's titanium aviator is the lightest, made for long days. Jacques Marie Mage's Jagger has a double bridge, the most dramatic of the lot.

 

Aviators sit low on the face. Make sure the bottom of the lens does not rest on your cheeks when you smile.

 

Titanium is lighter than steel, so a titanium frame is a good pick if heavy metal frames usually slip down your nose.

 

What I would skip: a gold aviator with gold earrings, a gold chain and a gold watch. One gold accent near the face is enough.

Chanel's double C goes back to the 1920s, and its origin is still debated. On eyewear the house loves a detail. For spring 2023 it hung pearl strands from four styles, each ending in a gold double C, and from spring 2022 it wrapped temples in its quilting. This grid gathers frames from other houses with that same love of a little decoration.

 

Dior has two bows here. The Dior Bow R2I is a black oval frame with a gold bow, and the Bow R1U is a gold round frame, the softest pair. Valentino's VLogo square frame in tortoiseshell has the V on the temple, and its crystal-embellished round frame in brown is the one for evenings.

 

Gucci's Horsebit round frame in bronze tortoiseshell borrows the house's riding hardware, and its Double G round frame in black is bolder. Saint Laurent's SL M182 JAZZ comes in tortoiseshell here with the Cassandre detail. Loewe's embellished round frame with Paula's Ibiza is turquoise and gold, very summery.

 

With a logo frame, keep the rest of the outfit quiet. A plain tee or a white shirt lets the detail do its job.

 

What I would skip: logo sunglasses with a logo bag from a different house. The two names cancel each other out.

If you have your heart set on Chanel, start with a pre-owned black acetate pair like the 5555 and check the model number before you buy. If you just love the feeling of Chanel sunglasses, a black cat-eye from Celine or Saint Laurent, or a gold Dior Bow frame, will give you most of it.

 

I would own one black frame and one gold one, and wear them until the hinges loosen. Everything else is a mood, and the vintage hunt is half the fun. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Miu Miu Sunglasses Dupe and Miu Miu Sunglasses in Every Shape, From Oval to Mask.