I love sunglasses. Not love like “I have 50 pairs of cheap, plastic pairs from the dollar rack.” I love sunglasses like Elton John, who has more than 1000 pairs, loves sunglasses. Love like “I closely follow new developments in sunglass style and don’t own a single pair under $200.” I don’t say that to sound snobby. I say that to give a little weight to what I’m going to recommend here.

First things first. Sunglasses are really important. I don’t just love them because they look amazing. I love them because the look amazing and they’re functional. The skin around your eye is very thin, and UV rays make it very susceptible to cancer. Most sunglasses block 99% of both UVA and UVB rays, so they’re definitely worth investing in. I get that sunglasses are important, and I’m not trying to take away from that by emphasizing style.

With that said, let’s talk style. Ray-Ban came out with two incredible new products this holiday season, and I have to admit that I bought one of them. I am a proud owner of the new Wayfarer Leather in brown. They have the classic Wayfarer shape that’s been around since 1953 and earned the title of “best selling style ever,” but with brown leather frames. Hot. The second new product is so far out of my price range that I’ll probably never get a hand on them, but a girl can dream. The Aviator Solid Golds run at a cool $3,200, which makes sense because the frames are genuinely made from solid gold.

Now, I’ve been a sunglass enthusiast for a while, and I think I know the devastation that comes with a scratched or cracked lens better than almost anybody. So, if you’re rocking new Ray Bans this holiday, never fear. Here are my tips for Ray Ban sunglasses repair.

Ray Ban Wayfarer Replacement Lenses

I’m going to get this one out of the way early, because Wayfarers are an absolute bear to repair. I long ago stopped buying Ray Ban replacement lenses straight from the manufacturer, and I now get them from an aftermarket supplier that makes really high quality lenses. They recommend soaking frames like Wayfarers in hot, soapy water to loosen up the frames when it’s time to remove damaged lenses, but I wouldn’t do that with the Leathers. I would actually use a small mallet to break the original lenses enough that they can be extricated. It’s painful, but not as painful as accidentally snapping the frames. The replacement lenses will be a little troublesome to insert this way, but you might have some luck if you use a hair dryer on the frames. As long as you keep them dry, you’ll be fine. Of course, if your frames are plastic, soak all you want. But not leather. Never leather.

Ray Ban Aviator Replacement Lenses

Heaven forbid you should ever need Ray Ban sunglasses repair for the Aviator Solid Golds, because at $3,200, they should stay intact for millenia. But, just in case you run over them with your Lamborghini or drop them out of your private jet or something, I guess this would be good to know. Just loosen the screw holding the frames together, pop out the old lenses, pop in the new ones, tighten the screw, and go donate the money you saved on new lenses to a children’s hospital, or maybe go celebrate on your yacht. I don’t know your life.

Even having the need for Ray Ban sunglasses repair is a moderate tragedy, but it’s not worse than having to buy a whole new pair, especially if you’ve spent three months of a normal person’s rent on them. Yes, I’m looking at you, Solid Gold wearers.

So that’s it! If the holidays brought you fabulous Ray Bans, I hope you never need to use these tips, but just in case, I’m glad you read this. Stay healthy, stay happy, and stay stylish, sunglass lovers! Get more on this here: www.thesunglassfix.com.au