We've talked before about the importance of sunglasses in the extremely limited world of men's fashion accessories. During the summer, sunglasses become part of your everyday outfit. While we'd usually recommend investing in the coolest pair of shades you can find, we know what life is like for men's sunglasses -- and rarely do they last long enough to get your $200 worth.

Cheap sunglasses are an absolute must for summer. Bend em, break em, scratch the lenses, drop them in the lake -- who cares? They only set you back a few bucks. Even if you do want to spend the big money on a pair of designer shades, it's always good to have backups to take to the beach. Whether you're looking for aviators, wayfarers, or wrap-arounds, there are plenty of good-looking frames for under $20.

Aviator sunglasses are so hot this season, but that in itself sometimes creates a problem -- everybody's wearing them. We always like to take a trend and find a slightly different way to rock it out, and that's why we're loving these.

It's so money it doesn't even know it. Claw Money to be exact. Claw is the handle, so to speak, of an ex-graffiti artist named Claudia. She was the queen of NYC before moving to L.A. and going legit with a career in styling and costume design for music videos. Her clients included KORN, Brian McKnight, GNR and Ice Cube.

She returned to New York and did some television and print ad styling work for Nike, Guinness, and Footlocker, to name a few.

Now she writing books and designing all kinds of stuff, some of which we may show you in the future, but for now you'll have to be content with these sweet shades, the Nuggets ($300), Gazelles ($250), and Aviators ($230). Sweet shades, indeed . You know your future is so bright that you want to wear them.



[via Thrillist]

Some guys don't really accessorize -- baseball caps don't count. They don't have the necklace, earring, scarf, and handbag options that women have. Probably most of them are pretty happy about that. However, when it comes to sunglasses, guys are right in the with the gals -- there are plenty of choices to keep you looking fashion forward.

The best thing is, you can wear them, like, every day! Without washing them! And nobody will make fun of you! I know that's not how all guys feel about fashion, but for those of you who want your style to be easy and painless, sunglasses are a great way to amp up your style without putting in too much effort.

Two of the big trends for guys this season are the continuation of the aviator and the shield as well as some funkier plastic frames, like the Rayban Wayfarer we saw popping up last summer (and in Risky Business). And, as with the ladies' sunglasses, tortoise shell is poised to step up as a big trend for the guys.

Ladies, when it comes to sunglasses, we have it good this year. Some of the trends from the last year or so have continued to be shown by the major fashion houses, and the trends that are coming into fashion this year will be easy for most of us to transition into -- it's not like we're going from bootcut to skinny jeans here.

So what's hot for this spring? We'll continue to see oversized glasses, aviators (and variations on the aviator), and tortoise shell will continue creeping in as a major player. Additionally, watch for more '70s inspired frames, with muted tones and rounded lenses. Also, keep an eye out for gradient lenses -- dark on the top half and light on the bottom. The more pronounced gradient makes a much more dramatic statement, but you can opt for a subtle change if you prefer it and still be in fashion.

Invest in a pair of classic aviator shades and you will not have to worry about your protective eyewear going out of style. I remember a few years ago during the most recent surge in aviator popularity, I found a pair of my father's old aviators from the early '80s and I marveled at how the glasses still looked like they came straight from the latest fashion magazines. It's true: For the past three decades or so, aviator shades have happily coasted alongside the more fickle eye candy trends, from Tom Cruise's Risky Business Ray-Ban Wayfarers to Nicole Richie's bug-eyed super-shades.

The glasses were originally made by Ray-Ban for military pilots back in the 1930s. The style has since been a staple to the military and law enforcement wardrobe, but has also found wide popularity in the civilian public's everyday wear, most recently during the 2000s' retro obsession.

Honestly, one can never go wrong with these glasses. Hipster holy land Urban Outfitters carries plenty and, if you're willing to pay more, labels like Dior carry aviators too.

Sunglasses can be a very easy way to add some style to your normal get-up, or even to hide those bags under your eyes. Luckily for us guys, the popular "bigger is better" trend that goes for women's sunglasses certainly does not apply to us.

AskMen.com has a few examples of what good-looking, stylish sunglasses look like. First, a couple pairs of modernized aviators -- a pair from Fossil and a pair from Fendi.

These aviators are A-okay, but beware -- trying to look like Maverick from Top Gun is NOT permitted. The original gold-framed, black-lensed sunglasses should never be worn (except for, maybe, a costume party where the Tom Cruise look is required).

If you're not into the aviator look, you can always throw-down with a classic pair of Oakleys. But you have to be careful here though, too. Oakley has gotten way experimental with its frame designs, and has come up with such disasters as the "Oil Drum" frame.