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Sarah Palin’s Glasses
Sarah Palin’s Glasses
Rochelle Eisenberg
Editor
Celebrities and public figures often set the styles in this country — who can forget Dorothy Hamill’s wedge, Farrah Fawcett’s feathered look or Jennifer Anniston’s “Rachel” layered style. Subsequently, it should come as no surprise that the distinctive eyeglasses of the Republican vice presidential nominee are catching the fancy of this country.
So, have local eyeglass retailers been hearing from customers wanting to purchase the Palin look?
First, the facts: The famous eyeglasses that Palin is wearing are Kawasaki series 704, designed by Japanese industrial artist Kazuo Kawasaki. These are rimless frames, made of titanium.
Since Palin emerged on the national scene, eyeglass retailers have been barraged by requests for these particular frames. Neil Rothstein, president of Optical Images, says he received calls as soon as he saw the eyeglasses on television. When the actual eyeglass brand name was mentioned in a magazine, the phone calls became more specific.
“It’s rare to get a phone call asking for a brand,” he says. “When they asked, ‘Do you carry Kawasaki?,’ I knew where they were going.”
Rothstein finds the craze fun and likes to rib those customers who might be Democrats. “I never get into politics,” he says, but when he sees a person he thinks is a Democrat, “I might ask them, ‘Would you like to try on Sarah Palin glasses?’”
Once, he recalls, that he had a woman who came in from the Homeland neighborhood, and when he joked with her about trying on Palin’s glasses, she warned him, “Don’t you go there.”
When asked how the Jewish community votes on the frames, Rothstein says he doesn’t get too many requests from residents of this area.
Style-wise, not everyone can wear the rimless design. Rothstein says that women with a full face and good cheekbones wear the frames best, because the style is so geometric. Eileen Shear of Bernard Shear in Owings Mills adds that rimless glasses can make “you look great or make you look old.” She doesn’t recommend them for individuals who need a strong prescription or are hard on their glasses.
After all, rimless glasses are expensive, she says, and can range in price from $300 to $1,500. The Kawasaki frames retail close to $400.
