When it comes to sunglasses, we first and foremost think of style. Sunglasses are cool. Don Draper wears sunglasses. Neo wore sunglasses. Maverick wore them too, as did just about any badass who wanted to look even more badass. Hell, songs have been written about how cool sunglasses make you look and feel. So, when we pick our sunglasses, we pick them based on looks. Check.
More importantly than looks, in terms of eye health and comfort though, should be protection. Sunglasses indeed look cool, but they also protect our eyes from the damaging rays of the sun and help us see clearly even harsh conditions – whether that's ripping down the highway at 85mph or shredding down the slope at breakneck speeds. Luckily, one doesn't have to choose between style or protection – plenty of glasses do both.
For example, these Arnette Polarized Dibs, which are full of style, comfort, and protection. The style is obvious – they look cool. But it's also two-fold, in that you can easily swap out the arms to any color offered by Arnette. If you want to play it classic with black, cool with clear, or rad with orange, you've effectively got three different looks for three different occasions, all built around the same cool frames and the same awesome protection.
If you've never worn polarized sunglasses, you're missing out. I'm a fan of cheap, dark, black as night sunglasses because I tend to lose them (and want to look cool), so I don't always put on a pair of polarized lenses, but when I do, the difference is night and day. Polarized glasses dramatically cut down on glare by eliminating horizontal or direct light – light that isn't scattered around, but being reflected more or less right into your eyes, causing painful and potentially dangerous situations. So whether you're cutting down on road glare, water reflection, or light bouncing off crisp white snow, a polarized lens is an excellent choice if you're going to be outdoors in glare intensive areas.
Then again, maybe you're not much of an outdoor warrior and polarized lenses aren't high on your list – it's cool, the same awesome frames and switchable arms are available in a non-polarized lens as well. These Dibs from Arnette hit all the criteria of a great pair of sunglasses – protection and style, while adding in a third you didn't know you needed: customization and versatility.
Polarized Arnette Dibs with swappable arms, $89.95 on Zappos.
