YOU PAID $500 FOR SUNGLASSES?!
A girlfriend recently shared her excitement with the Facebook community regarding some Chanel sunglasses whose arrival she had anxiously awaited after losing an identical pair. In any case, her picture’s caption included what some might deem a hefty price tag:
Anyway, she asked me to chime in and give my opinion on the matter, which naturally meant I had to skim through the commentary on the thread prior to posting. A few friends agreed with her, some stated it was ridiculous to rid funds on such frivolous fluff.
Personally, I don’t like to post my monetary expenditures publicly, namely because of the judgment that comes with it. Some do, and I’m not knocking them; that’s their thing. Yet, I just have a strong belief that whatever you earn (or whatever your allotted inheritance is if you come from a “family of means”) should be distributed appropriately toward equal parts necessary evils and life-enjoyment.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
So… My thoughts? Well, let me put it this way: If you’ve ever bought anything from Chanel, you’ll know that any of their products that are only in the three-digit price range will yield the following face from perpetual patrons of the brand:
Now, have I personally ever spent $500 on sunnies? No. Have I ever gotten an equivalently lavish gift that was that expensive without insisting on it being returned? Probably.
And by probably, I mean yes. Yes I have.
But that’s neither here nor there. The bottom line comes down to quality. I remember heading to the beach or something in L.A. one day with my sister, and having to make a quick errand beforehand at some department store… When what to my wandering shade-less eyes did appear but some fabulous Oscar de la Renta sunnies at – not a three, but a two digit price.
It was a perfect fit for my oddly shaped head (and normally I have to try on more glasses than a bride does gowns before encountering something satisfactory); so when they got stolen years later, I was heartbroken (even though they were worn down by that juncture). But you know what? Seeing as I had gotten them discount, they were literally irreplaceable. Unlike Megan, here, I couldn’t just plug into Oscar’s site and ask for some more of those tortoiseshell beauties that made braving the day so much easier. And sexier.
QUALIT-EYE
A side note (for those of you eye-rolling at what you perceive to be some stereotypical label ho): On that fateful day I discovered my discount de la Renta, I didn’t even look to see “who” they were or the cost until after I tried them on and my face majestically morphed into the ethereal equivalent of Cinderella’s slipper laden foot.
So the question remains: Would I pay that much? Maybe! I don’t know. Good sunglasses (like clothes and jewelry and cars) are a lot like falling in love. You say you hate dating and loathe men until you find that one guy that makes sucking in your stomach, not being your usual bitch self, and getting out of a robe for the weekend worth being around him. (I haven’t yet, but I’m just sayin’.)
Anyway – as a final note – if you’re photosensitive like some of us girls, you treat your sunnies like any other piece of jewelry – jewelry that doesn’t have the chance to get hidden behind your hair (like earrings), unseen if you aren’t gesticulating (like bracelets and rings), or covered by a scarf or shirt collar (necklaces). Your glasses are on the first place people look when they see you: on your face; so doesn’t that adornment warrant the equivalent quality as the other body bits you bedazzle with bling?
Thus, when I tried on these gems that met my jewelry criteria, I realized it was love at first sight: Literally.
xoxo
<3~A