Saucy Shades

A saucy glance, a glimpse, or a wink from beneath a pair of spectacles can be magnificent. Imagine the energy of such a glance behind a pair of really saucy shades? It's extremely hard to find such shades in the states.

Forgive yet another "in-love-with-Europe" post, but honestly, in a land of all things expansive, customized happy meals and massive wealth, some of our choices are so limited, its painful. Namely, truly unique fashion (exception NYC and LA), damn good coffee, homogeneous housing, television news, sitcoms, pharmacies, bakeries, and furniture.

Eyeglasses fall within the fashion category -- or should -- but we don't think of spectacles as items worthy of sauce and great design. Just take a browse through any Lenscrafters or its equivalent. The boutiques are not that much bolder.

I personally have been looking for some saucy shades for over a year now, and have actively sought advice from various sources on where to look. This advice has led me to smaller and more unique eyeglass stores in New York, Chicago, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Las Vegas.

While all of these stores carry top Italian, French, Japanese and Spanish designers, they're not importing the brave, the courageous, the colorful, the energetic, the bold, the savvy.

It is in Europe that I ultimately find my saucy shades. And from beneath these frames, winks and glances can now deliver 5-Star Sauce.