If you only know two things about Kat Von D, it's that she loves red lipstick and she LOVES dramatic sunglasses.
And Kat's favorite brand of sunglasses? Valley Eyewear.
It's easy to see why she loves Valley so much — since 2011, Valley has created the most amazing, architectural sunglasses around. They're truly unique, almost like sculptures for your face (that also protect your eyes from the sun, and the glare of the paparazzi, naturally).
And if Kat likes them, I need to put them on my face. So I had five pairs of Kat's favorite Valley sunglasses sent to the Revelist offices to test them out.
Would these glasses transform me into Alle Von D? There was only one way to find out.
The first pair I tried were the dramatic cat-eye sunglasses that Kat loves above all else.
Kat has these glasses in literally every color Valley has made, and even a few they haven't: black and rose gold, matte black (above), shiny black with silver lenses, and pearl white. She even had the brand create custom red versions for her KVD Artistry Collective (above).
This style is called Wolves, and I loved them the second I saw them.
These glasses come in eight colors, but I chose the pair with rose gold lenses. Because of course I did. ($240, Valley Eyewear)
First, let's talk about those mirrored lenses because they are incredible.
Too often, brands say its sunglasses have mirrored lenses, and then they're just shiny. These are the real deal; you cannot see through them to your eyes one bit. They're nice and dark, so they're comfortable to wear even on the sunniest days. And according to the brand, they're Zeiss lenses, which means they're the best quality.
This style even has 24-karat rose gold trim around the frame. Because are you really a luxurybitch if your glasses aren't covered in gold?
The frames themselves are acetate (that's fancy plastic), and they're nice and dense without feeling heavy on your face.
I put them on, and *instantly* felt 75% more like Kat Von D.
I have a twice-broken nose, so these glasses sat a little crookedly on me. They were a great size, though — oversized without looking overdone — and were comfortable to wear.
And when those dreamy rose gold lenses caught the light? OH, HELL YES. I can definitely see why Kat is obsessed with these glasses.
I felt like the chicest witch on the block casting ~actual spells~ from behind her shades.
The next style I tried was a little outside my comfort zone, but is a Kat classic.
Kat has at least two pairs of these glasses — come for the big, round lenses, stay for the upside-down crosses at the corners.
This style is called A Dead Coffin Club (amazing name) — which again, I got to try in the black/rose gold colorway.
These glasses are absolutely massive, with that very round shape that's popular right now ($240, Valley Eyewear).
The rose gold colorway has mirrored lenses. And again, a straight-on shot doesn't do them justice — they're privacy screens for your face!
Plus, they're rose gold. Who doesn't love rose gold?
You can actually do your makeup in them, that's how shiny they are.
Photographing these glasses was actually kind of a problem because you can see Brittany and I in the lenses perfectly. Eventually, we just leaned into it.
These glasses also come with 24K rose gold trim and faceted arms.
These were the heaviest glasses of the bunch — they feel incredibly substantial when you pick them up, and they won't go flying off your face. The Zeiss lenses are really scratch-resistant — my dog routinely tries to eat mine — and the pyramid-esque arms are a super cute touch.
I was a *little* worried about how big these glasses looked — but they turned out to be phenomenal.
Again: These do sit a little awkwardly on my nose, but for such heavy frames, they weren't uncomfortable at all. They come up nice and high on my face, covering my eyebrows, so no sunlight gets in over the top. They're so dark, it's like you're walking around at twilight even in the middle of the day. I love them.
These are BIG glasses, and they look especially large on my small head (that's not a self-burn, btw, that's just a fact). At first, this made me nervous, but I got into it.
The dark, mirrored lenses and exaggerated shape made me embrace my inner Von D in the most magical way.
I turned right around and bought myself a pair of these. That's how amazing they are.
Lately, Kat's been really into square-framed sunglasses — so I decided to try Valley's sleek DB style. They're definitely dramatic enough to be right up her alley.
Who knows, maybe Kat will see this review and find herself some new favorite frames. Stranger things have happened ($200, Valley Eyewear).
I was sent the black and white faux-tortoiseshell frames — but the print, oddly, is only on the outside of the glasses themselves.
That's not a dealbreaker or anything; I've just never seen it in high-end sunglasses before.
I didn't initially LOVE the super-flat, square shape — but they felt like they were MADE for my face!
The nose-notch on these glasses wasn't as narrow at the top as some of the other pairs I'd tried, which meant that they fit my face absolutely perfectly. The squared-off lenses came down to the ideal spot on my cheeks, and the dark-tinted lenses blocked out JUST enough sun for my sensitive angel eyeballs.
Though I'd probably prefer these sunglasses in all-black, I can't deny it: These frames make me look COOL.
They're almost an update on the Wayfarer shape, but way, way more badass. I feel like Kat would definitely approve.
Kat, you should *definitely* get a pair of these on your face.
And so should you, if you like things that are awesome. If you have a high-bridged nose and have issues finding glasses — these are for you. Trust.
Speaking of Kat, she's all about predicting sunglasses trends. She was wearing Valley's big, totally circular frames *before* round sunnies were cool again.
She's also making me think I should dye my hair red, but that's a story for another time.
These are Valley's Scapula sunglasses — the chunkiest circle frames in the game.
They come in eight colors, and you don't even want to *know* how hard I would have begged my mother for these glasses when I was in high school. ($200, Valley Eyewear)
I haven't worn perfectly round glasses since 1998, but these immediately made me wonder what I'd been missing out on.
Back to that narrow nose section again — that means these sat a little unevenly on my face. But I kinda didn't care — because these are BOMB. These seemed to be lighter weight than the other frames I'd tried, and the black lenses were definitely darker.
Am I me, or am I a secret agent with a really developed sense of aesthetics? THE WORLD MAY NEVER KNOW.
Maybe I'm a really space-age bug. We might not ever know if that's true, either, because I'm NOT letting you count how many body segments I have.
Weirdly, I think I would have liked to go Kat's route and wear these in WHITE instead of black.
I know, who even am I? That's the spell really good sunglasses can put you under.
To close it out, I decided to try the pair of Valley sunglasses that *I personally* covet the most: the Depotism.
Along with shapeless black dresses, I have never met a pair of really angular cat eye sunglasses I didn't immediately need in my life ($200, Valley Eyewear).
Shockingly, the photos online do NOT do these glasses justice — they are full of the most unique little details.
The top section of the frames and a small portion of the arms on both sides are made of matte acetate, which contrasts beautifully with the shiny black plastic everywhere else. The top and sides are also slightly recessed, with the Valley logo popping up on the arms, which is also really cute. Details like this are why brands like Valley are so special.
And as predicted, they made me look like a luxurious witch.
These are perfection — they combine the slightly wider nose-notch of the DB style with the drama of the Wolves lenses. They fit me perfectly, they blocked out all the sun, they made me want go out and cat-burgle some dudes. 10/10 would murder people for.
These were definitely my favorite shades from Valley, but not because they made me look or feel like Kat Von D. I liked them because they made me feel the most like ME.
It's all well and good to look to your favorite ~influencers~ to see what kinds of things they're buying or wearing, but at the end of the day, the most important thing is what YOU like. These glasses might not be Kat's style, but they're MY style. They made me feel so confident and awesome.
And that's the most important thing.
So what did I take away from this entire try-on?
I learned that you don't have to spend $700 on designer sunglasses to get something amazing. Indie eyewear brands like Valley make amazing stuff that's really unique.
I learned that taking a risk and trying new shapes, styles, and colors of glasses is a blessing. You literally never know what you're going to fall in love with — they might even be rose gold.
I learned that looking to others for style inspo is good, but listening to your own fashion-heart is ALWAYS better.
And I learned, of course, that Kat Von D has awesome taste in sunglasses.
