Shade from the Sun

Welcome back!

There are some things that can be skimped on or found for an amazing deal here and there. There are things that can be thrifted and tailored and still look like they were made just for you.

Today, in fact, I am wearing a brand new cashmere sportcoat that could have only been mixed in with somebody's thrift-store offering by accident. I don't know how it got given away, but I found the same jacket online- with a retail price in excess of $700, the five bucks I paid for it seems a drop in the bucket! We get lucky like that every once in a while.

One thing that definitely falls into another category all together are your sunglasses. You'll never find a handmade pair of Italian sunglasses at a thrift store. Shades that have been made with such high-quality crystal and polarized to protect and assist one's vision are an indispensible accessory that one literally wears across one's face.

Someone can tell almost as much about you by the lenses that reflect his face back to him when he talks to you as he can by reading your soul through your bare eyeballs. Your choice in shades says a lot about who you are.

I don't care who wants to argue with me, but the best sunglasses are made in Italy. Italian-made Ray Ban sunglasses have been iconic eyewear for years. As for me, I love my Persols (pictured), which literally means "for the sun" in Italian. Steve McQueen wore Persols. Jack Nicholson wears Persols. They work for me. The frames are crafted by hand in Italy and every edge that comes into contact with one's skin has been rounded to feel smoother than a bar of soap. It's like wearing a work of art on one's face. And I think we all deserve that luxury!

I'm not saying to go out and rack up a couple hundred bucks on a credit card to get some svelte shades today. But save up for a good pair. Do some research into the brands and styles that you like. Try on a bunch of frames at a Sunglass Hut and see what looks best on your face. Your eyes will thank you, and you'll feel better all over.

Just remember: the Italians do it best.

Cheers!

Paul