Browline Sunglasses

The browline silhouette was invented by Jack Rohrbach for Shuron in 1947 — a frame where the top half (the "brow") is made of acetate or plastic, sitting over a wire metal lower rim. It became the most ubiquitous American eyewear shape of the 1950s and 1960s before falling out of fashion, then returning in the 2010s as a quiet luxury reference.

What is a browline sunglass?

Three traits define the silhouette:

Thick acetate brow. The upper portion of the frame is solid acetate (typically tortoise, black, or amber), giving the frame visual weight at eye-level.
Metal lower rim. The lower half is thin wire metal, sometimes only partial (semi-rimless).
Horizontal emphasis. The shape reads horizontal — wider than tall — which suits angular and oval faces particularly well.

What face shapes suit browline sunglasses?

Round faces. The horizontal emphasis adds definition.
Oval faces. Works with most browline proportions.
Heart-shaped faces. The brow weight balances a wider forehead.

Browline frames can overwhelm very small faces. Look for proportions matched to your face width at the temples.

Why browline returned in the 2010s

Two reasons. First, the quiet luxury reset pushed buyers toward heritage shapes that don't expire — browline reads as deliberate without being loud. Second, architects and designers wore it during its 1950s peak (Le Corbusier, Curzio Malaparte on the cliffside Casa Malaparte he built in 1942) which gave the silhouette a quiet intellectual association that survives.

HARO browline sunglasses in the line

HARO Eyewear has one browline sunglass and one browline blue light glass, both deliberately positioned as the architectural references in the collection.

Capri Malaparte — browline silhouette in acetate brow with metal lower bridge. Named after Curzio Malaparte's cliffside house above the Tyrrhenian Sea (built 1942). The most architecturally distinctive sunglass in our line. USD 59.
Gstaad Palace — browline blue light glasses in acetate. Named after the Gstaad Palace Hotel (opened 1913) on the hillside above the Alpine village. The dressed-up option for office or video calls. USD 55.

Materials and construction

Both HARO browline frames use:

Hand-finished Italian block acetate for the brow.
Polished metal for the lower rim and bridge.
Polarized polycarbonate UV400 lenses (Capri Malaparte) or blue light filter lenses (Gstaad Palace).
Reinforced metal-core hinges, adjustable by any optician.

Single transparent pricing: USD 59 for the sunglass, USD 55 for the blue light glass. Free worldwide shipping in 12 markets. 60-day warranty.

Where to read more

For the Italian coast aesthetic context (Casa Malaparte, the modernist house above Capri), read: Italian Coast Sunglasses Guide.

For the blue light context (when you actually need them, how to choose), read: Blue Light Glasses Guide.