How to Find Your Sunglasses (Again and Again)

A Nashville boutique founder's guide to picking pairs you'll actually want to replace — because if you're like me, you'll need to.

By Brittany Hartwell, co-founder of Molly Green

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My keys, my husband’s keys,  my phone, my water bottle, my debit card…I tend to misplace everyday essentials. Also, I lose sunglasses. At the pool, in my purse, in the car between the seats, at restaurants I left in a hurry. I once put a pair on top of my head, walked to the car, drove home, and never saw them again. Did they fall off in the parking lot? In the driver's seat? Into a parallel universe? No idea. But, they're gone.

I tell you this because if you're anything like me, you've already accepted that sunglasses are a recurring purchase in your life. They are not a forever item. They are a season at best, a weekend at worst. So the trick isn't to stop losing them — that ship has sailed. The trick is to pick the kind of pair that doesn't hurt to replace.

That's part of the logic behind how we do sunglasses at Molly Green. Quality you can feel, frames you actually want to wear, priced at $24 — so when they inevitably end up at the bottom of a lake, you're sad for about ten seconds and then you grab another. Or two.

Here's how to pick well, so you actually love what's in your bag — right up until it isn't.

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Know your face shape (without being weird about it)

You don't need to memorize a chart. You don't need to take a quiz. You just need a basic sense of your face shape so you can stop trying on pairs that don't suit you and start trying on the ones that will. Here's the friend-tells-you-what-looks-good version.

Oval. Most things work. Your face is balanced in proportion, so frames don't have a hard job correcting anything. The world is your oyster — pick the silhouette you want to be seen in, not the one you're trying to neutralize. Lean dramatic if you want drama. Lean classic if you want classic. You can pull off both.

Round. Angular frames balance softer features. Look for cat-eye shapes, geometric edges, or anything with a clear square or rectangular silhouette. The contrast does the work — sharp frames make round features look more defined. If round frames have always felt like they swallow your face, this is why. Try angular and watch the difference.

Square. Softer, rounder frames balance a strong jaw. Look for round, oval, or classic aviator shapes — anything that introduces a curve to soften the lines of your face. If you've been buying square frames because they feel structural and aren't loving how it looks, swap the geometry. The softness reads as polished, not weak.

Heart. Wider at the top, narrower at the bottom — aviators were essentially invented for you. Frames with weight up top balance the narrower chin. Lean into bottom-heavy shapes too. Avoid frames that taper down sharply, which echo the natural narrowing of your face rather than balancing it.

Long / oblong. You want frames with depth — taller, oversized, more substantial. They break up the vertical length of your face and add proportion. Avoid tiny, low-profile frames — they make your face look longer, not balanced. If you've been buying small frames and feeling like they shrink your features, switch sizes.

The two silhouettes worth knowing

Setting aside face shape for a second, here's how we think about sunglasses at Molly Green — two basic silhouettes, two different jobs.

Oversized. Your statement pair. Stadium nights, festivals, the photo, the outfit moment. The ones people will ask you about. Oversized frames anchor a look — they don't disappear into the outfit, they become part of it. If you're going somewhere and want to feel a little more, this is your reach.

Petite. Your everyday pair. Errands, light outfits, walking the dog, dropping the kids at school, that quick run for iced coffee. Smaller silhouettes that don't compete — they just do the job. Quietly polished. The pair you keep in your everyday bag because they go with everything.

The case for owning both: you need a pair for the moment and a pair for the day. They do different work. Owning one of each means you're never reaching for the wrong sunglasses for the situation — which is also, conveniently, how you make sure that when you lose one (you will), you still have the other.

This is also why our sunglasses are currently buy-one-get-one free. Two pairs is the move. Don't overthink it.

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The honest closer

Pick a pair you actually love, at a price that doesn't sting, and stop treating the loss like a tragedy. It's a Tuesday. It's a feature of the system. The whole point is that you get to grab another one and keep going.

If you're due for a replacement — or your first proper pair from MG— our edit is here. Buy one, get one free on all sunglasses. Because two pairs really is the move.

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Molly Green is a Nashville-based women's boutique founded in 2011 by sisters Brittany Hartwell and Anna Spainhour. We dress women for real life — work, weddings, weekends, and yes, the sunglasses you may lose by the end of the month.