Shield Your Eyes!

Many people might not know this about me, but I am a "Trend Setter". I'm not exactly sure when this influential power was granted to me, but needless to say, I have it! Pin pointing the source of a particular trend is no easy task-- some claim it is nearly impossible. Now I'm not saying I am the source of every fad, that would be ludicrous-- I can honestly say I had nothing to do with Leg Warmers or Bomber Jackets. What I am saying however is that I've been at (or close to) the epicenter of a number of trends in the last 15 years or so.

In the early 1990's I began to swap in and out the laces on my Converse High tops to different colors-- depending on my mood or to match other wardrobe. Not long thereafter Doc Marten's became the shoe of choice in which to swap in and out your laces-- mood, other attire, or gang affiliation. I was and couldn't afford Doc Marten's but have always felt that I somehow started that trend. Now some will claim that it was the NBC's American sitcom character Punky Brewster that started the trend in 1984. While I don't deny that she likely played a part in the process-- if I'm not mistaken her shoelaces were different colors only because she was two different color shoes.

Since 1997 I've been wearing dress shirts with rolled sleeves. To that point the only sleeves being rolled were the lumberjack or cowboy's flannel shirts. At the time, you just didn't see it. It was like combining fire and ice-- mixing the rugged man's rolls with the formal white collar, it was in itself a contradiction of style and status but I was not fazed. See I've was the medical community refers to as "scrawny arms syndrome" and by rolling my sleeves I can deceive the eye-- like vertical stripes or wearing black. Regardless the trend has now taken off and is seen here being sported by almost the sexiest man alive.

In 2001 I found an old pair of Aviators (they're a style of sunglasses) in a storage unit, the kind not seen since Tom Cruise's Maverick in Top Gun more than a decade gone by. I began wearing them everyday and had them for nearly two years before they finally broke into a million pieces. I searched any and all stores trying to find an appropriate replacement-- to no avail. I finally settled on a non-Aviator pair; however no more than four months later the Aviator craze was on and turns out Mr. Brad Pitt was invited to the optical party.

Early in 2004 I was in an outlet mall in Vegas and found a belt-- no ordinary belt mind you. It had the most amazing belt buckle accompanying it. A simple steel oval with a rope-patterned border and a large cowboy hat protruding from the center. It was $7. How some Rodeo Superstar had not snatched this up, I will never know. Again I began wearing it everyday and soon thereafter the novelty of hip belt buckles moved from the ranches to mainstream. Coincidence?! I think not.

The reason I'm bringing all this up is because I'm at it again-- this time with goggles. See I've got sensitive eyes-- great for the ladies, not so nice when I'm out in the glaring sun, so I wear sunglasses pretty much all year round. The problem is when I'm indoors or don't need them on I've got nowhere to put them. Top of the head-- you lean back, they fall off, and get scratched. Hook em on your shirt or put 'em in your front pocket-- you lean over to pick something up, they fall out, and get scratched. Put them in a pant pocket-- you forget about them, sit down, and they get crushed. So you put them down somewhere "safe" and you forget about and they're lost forever. Big dilemma! I was replacing my sunglasses every couple months. So now I've finally decided to start wearing goggles instead. They're not swimming goggles-- I'm not sure what they were made for, although I found them in the paintball section it would seem you'd need a full mask to adequately protect your face. Regardless-- they completely eliminate the inconvenience of sunglasses.


(left) You can clearly see how these tinted goggle shield your eyes out enjoy the fresh air and sunshine.
(right) When you just need your hair out of your eyes the goggles double as a stylist headband.(right) Sunglasses falling off your face or out of your shirt pocket is a thing of the past with the goggle strap securing them in place.
(left) And for those time when you decide you don't want to wear eye protection-- the goggles drape conveniently around your neck.

I'm not necessarily trying to sell you on the idea of goggles over sunglasses. Frankly I don't really care either way. I'm just informing you that I am, as stated, a trend setter. Now not all of my adventurous fashion endevours have been successful. I am still human. Need proof? Some of my failed styles include:

• The casual, steppin' out on the town Bowling Shoe-- minimal traction, great for those difficult to perform Michael Jackson dance moves.
• Ratty, chaffing, wool coats the kind you'd see a homeless man curled up in sitting on the freezing cold steps of an inner-city YMCA.
• Overt, conversation-starting fake scars. Yes it's deciteful, but it's a great way to spice up your excitability especially if you're not really all that interesting.

Now I'm not going to guaranteeing that goggles will become part of mainstream fashion, but if they do, now you'll know where it came from.