Palin sparks fashion frenzy: Women rush to buy rimless glasses(Sept. 12. 2008)

created At: 2/12/2025

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Fact

Sarah Palin’s rimless Kawasaki glasses have sparked a national fashion trend, similar to Jennifer Aniston’s 1990s hairstyle. Demand for the glasses has surged, leading to sellouts in stores, including Hampton Vision Center. Trendhunter.com labeled it a "designer-eyeglasses frenzy." The glasses cost between $300 and $500, excluding lenses. Shop owner William Sullivan notes renewed interest in rimless glasses, crediting Palin’s influence. Similar hype was last seen with MSNBC’s Ashleigh Banfield’s square-rimmed Lafont frames. While rimless glasses are lightweight and stylish, not all face shapes suit them.

Opinion

This trend highlights how easily hype drives consumer spending, often with little regard for practicality or long-term value. The fact that a political figure’s eyewear choice can trigger a nationwide buying frenzy is a reminder of how consumer markets are often driven by fleeting trends rather than substance. Retailers will profit in the short term, but once the hype fades, demand will dry up, leaving businesses with unsold stock and customers with overpriced, trend-driven purchase

Core Sell Point

Hype-driven consumer trends are lucrative but short-lived—don’t mistake fads for sustainable growth.

Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin is doing for glasses what “Friends” star Jennifer Aniston did for hair in the early 1990s.

The rimless glasses that Palin wore during her acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention are flying off the shelves nationwide, including in Hampton.

The fashionable frames, made by the Japanese company Kawasaki, have even caught the notice of Trendhunter.com, a Web site that prides itself on tracking the hottest trends across the globe.

The site announced that Palin has fueled what they call “a designer-eyeglasses frenzy.”

William “Sully” Sullivan, who owns Hampton Vision Center in downtown Hampton, agreed.

“She is bringing life again to the rimless drill-mount fashion,” said Sullivan. “We have been selling the rimless glasses for a while, but sales have slowed down a bit. Now that she is wearing it, it’s become very popular again.”

The shop, located at 28 Depot Square, is currently sold out of the Kawasaki frames, but they should be back in stock within the next week or so.

Sullivan said a lot of people came into his shop in the last few weeks asking specifically about the "Sarah Palin glasses.”

The attraction, he says, is that she looks good in eyewear.

“It’s kind of the rage right now,” he said. “People are seeing it on her and they are curious about what she is wearing. They see how good it looks on her and wonder what it would look like on them.”

He doesn’t remember this much hoopla over a frame since former MSNBC anchor Ashleigh Banfield caused a stir with her square-rimmed Lafont eyeglasses.

The newly dubbed Palin frames, not including lenses, sell in the range of $300 to $500.

Rimless glasses are available for both men and women and the vision center has several different types of frames at varying prices.

“When they first came out, they became popular because they were different and they were lightweight,” Sullivan said. “It also gives the appearance with anti-reflective coating that you’re not wearing glasses at all.”

But the store owner warned that not everyone may want to jump on the Sarah Palin eyeglass bandwagon.

“Not everyone’s face shape can wear what she is wearing,” he said. “But if not, we can put them in something similar that suits their face shape in style.”

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