Re-Spec

Cab drivers in my new part-time home have taken sadistic pleasure in telling me that the city of Adelaide is renowned for its dark winters. Sunrise is at 6:30 in summer alone, so I can barely fathom what time the sun bothers making an appearance in winter. Worse, and goaded by my squeals of horror from the back seat, the drivers malevolently inform me that the sun is gone by 4:30pm. 4:30pm! This all seems positively Northern Hemisphere and impossibly bleak to me. Not only will I lose the daily joy of basking in the pleasant tingle of sun on my skin, I will also suffer the loss of legitimately hiding behind sunglasses for huge chunks of the day, unless I want to become a wannabe Anna Wintour. Frankly, she is inimitable, so I'll have to leave that fantasy aside.

But I love sunglasses!

Looking on the bright side (badoom ching!), this darkness and lack of sunglass-wearing weather opens another avenue for me to shop - for glasses! (oh and for adorable jackets and gorgeous leather boots, but we'll save that for another day).

I have been a glasses-wearer since that fateful day in grade 3 when I had my eyes tested and discovered to my horror that I was so dreadfully blind that I needed triple-coated Coke bottle lensed glasses. Naturally, I didn't wear them, preferring to squint and read off other kids' work than to suffer the indignity of Steve Urkel glasses. It wasn't until I began playing tennis that I had to give up the pretence. If I wanted to win a game, I really needed to be able to see the ball before it was literally in my face. By then, the optical gods had smiled upon me, and contact lenses were readily available, meaning no one had to know my dirty secret.

Advances in glasses technology also meant that I could hide the truth of my crappy eyesight behind streamlined lenses shaved to tenths of their original widths. But still, I rarely wear glasses. I blame this in part on childhood trauma, a small part on vanity, and a large part on the sunny climate of Brisbane. Should I wear glasses every day, I then need prescription sunglasses. This just seems a further descent into ageing and general bodily decrepitude for me, so I simply refuse. Also, it is impossible to fit a set of glasses (for when you step indoors) in adorable clutch bags when flitting out for weekend excursions.

Figure that one out, optical gods!

Now that I am well-informed by the cab driving public of Adelaide that there is no need for sunglasses for a solid 5 months of the year, I now have a chance  to incorporate glasses into my daily wardrobe. Naturally, I need new glasses.

My current frames are of the solid black, square-shaped Roy Orbison variety of specs. My husband likes them far more than I do. I actually find them a little clunky, but he has good taste (biased wife) so I am prepared to just accept his input.

I've decided the winds of change have blown through the glasses world, however. As I hunt down the perfect frames, I feel that bone or ivory are the latest colour for specs. That, and purple or light candy-tones of pink.

 Also of interest is what I call the upside down Top Deck (losing interest now, thinking about chocolate...). Dark on top, light or bare on the bottom.

Then again, what am I thinking? Who relies on cab drivers for their information? Maybe I'll get a second opinion...