Back in 1995, I went to Berlin and saw a man who stopped me in my tracks. He wore the craziest pair of glasses and I immediately assumed he was as interesting as his glasses. Unfortunately, after talking to him for about 3 minutes I realized he was just a douche bag and nothing special. But I learned something that day and that is the power of a funky pair of glasses.

A few months later, back in the US, I bought my first pair of insane glasses: LaFont’s Prima Donna cat eyes. They were gorgeous! I wore them proudly despite the fact most people snickered and asked if I was wearing my mom’s glasses.

My regular pair (not the LaFonts) recently snapped and I realized I needed a new pair. Here’s what they look like:

My father picked these glasses for me. I remember putting on pair after pair and then turning to him to see his reaction. When I put on the ProDesigns and turned to him, he smiled and I knew they were my mine. I wore them for years and my father always complemented them. It was just a couple weeks ago that the right arm snapped clean off. I went back to wearing the LaFont glasses but as I said, people snicker and ask if they are my mom’s glasses. It became clear, I needed a new pair.

When it’s time for glasses, there is only one place to go and that is Steve Robbins Eyewear. Steve NEVER disappoints when it comes to unique glasses. And it didn’t take long to find my new specs. I think it was after the 2nd or 3rd ones I tried on, Lisa told me to close my eyes. She placed a pair of glasses on my nose, turned me to a mirror and said, “Open your eyes!” (Yes, I am pretty sure she put on a Penelope Cruz-accent when she said it)

“SOLD!” I shouted.

Aren’t they perfect?! I love them! So retro! So unique! If these don’t impart personality to me…. NOTHING WILL!

I also bought a pair of sunglasses. It was quite a splurge for me but I have never seen a pair of sunglasses like these PLUS I’ve been through a ton of crap the last few months, I figured a splurge was in order.

Okay, okay… The real justification is that when I put these sunglasses on, I feel like a 50’s starlet and Superhero hybrid. And honestly, isn’t that self-actualization at it’s best?