Purchase #1 has been made!

And it's not what you think it is

Hello dear TIBTW readers, I have two questions for you today: how is it Monday again? And secondly, can you believe that I sneakily bought something already?! Well it’s very much Monday and here I am, with a confession to you: purchase #1 has been made without your knowledge around 4-5 weeks ago. The reason why I kept it to myself? I had to make up my mind about it. It’s not the newest impossibly cute ALAÏA bag, nor have I given in on the Tabi fandom. It’s nothing flashy, there’s no fireworks, but it’s still something essential and outstanding and mostly - dare I say - practical?

I bought glasses.

Dieter Rams capturing the essence of this year, plus very good glasses. Source: noenmoen.tumblr.com

Do you identify as glasswearing person?

I read somewhere that your eyesight improves during pregnancy and I can absolutely not confirm. That, and my tendency to misplace my already existing glasses did leave me at a bit of a blind spot on some occasions last year. I like to refer to this state of sight as romanticising the world and, to this day, I hate moving through masses of people with glasses on. Too much too close. My inner conflict is that I simply don’t identify as someone wearing glasses and would never really feel like myself. How can you break down your style to one exact frame?

But as it is refreshing to actually see in 3D and further than the odd 4 meters, it’s worth a try. And so my desperation for inspiration first sent me across google search where there seems to be correlation between VIPs that are around 1,73m and glasses – which might help my case, being around 1,70 m myself.

Somehow Dieter Rams is missing in this. Maybe too tall?

Up next I find myself back at the VIU store in Berlin Mitte, following the call of an aviator shaped version of what could be my glasses-self, spotted back in last August. Originally I was here to try on the ALPHA glasses, made of transparent acetate:

The ALPHA by VIU

At the appointment, which was probably the shortest visit to buy a new pair of glasses in history, I was told they were too big to me. I find trying on glasses more intimidating than any other fashion trial, so I quickly opted for the second, slightly smaller version, donned in pale yellow shiny (which is how I like to refer to my life now). In what felt like ten minutes max, I agreed to thinner glasses (“if you care at all about your appearance, you go for these” – I mean, what am I supposed to do!?) and a blue light filter (think phone and laptop screens, right now) and found myself at 300 Euros. This was somewhat more than I had expected, being an emotional glasses newbie and all, but still felt like a good deal. Because who wants to be stingy when it comes to a set of healthy eyes:

So a week later I walked out with my new CHARLIE and the way I’m looking at you here is not in misery but sharp, it’s just the slight discomfort of someone whose creative concept relies on covering half their face, call me the Victoria Beckham of elevator selfies:

If we break down the CHARLIE, learn that other than the ALPHA (of course), it is made from the brand’s own acetate renew, as the website states:

I honestly read this after I had bought them, but that’s how easily VIU serves me all the reasons to feel good about this first purchase. form ✓ function ✓ footprint ✓ And the echo? Well first of all I think nobody noticed, they are transparent after all. But then I took them out as my Fashion Week daytime alter ego (didn’t wear them for the dinner, ha), and the comments came in. Mostly surprised, but overall very kind and nobody seemed too irritated by my choice of face wear. Although aviators apparently usually come in metal frames, so here we are are, feeling special, in an understated way.

A different kind of love

So how do I feel after my first purchase? Honestly, pleasant, but it’s not the thrill of a stupidly purchased vintage bag. I love these glasses, but it’s just a different kind of love. As Florence Welch put it in No Choir:

And there will be no grand choirs to sing
No chorus will come in
No ballad will be written
It will be entirely forgotten
And if tomorrow it's all over
At least we had it for a moment
Oh, darling, things seem so unstable
But for a moment we were able to be still

When the times we are in, ask us to buy less, one out of five things will be something you actually NEED. The reward? The stillness that follows, when the crave stops (or never starts kicking in). And no, I still don’t see myself wearing glasses all the time. Take for example dresses. Me in a dress wearing glasses. Not that I wear dresses that often, but there’s just… Maybe PRADA would work. Yes, somehow I feel like a PRADA dress totally works with CHARLIE.

PRADA SS24, Photo by Estrop/Getty Images via wmagazine

So much for what’s next on my hunt..

To close this edit, the above, my friends, I can not answer to you today, but maybe in the near future. Have a great week! Xoxo

PS: Wait, there will be a GENTLEMONSTER x MAISON MARGIELA edition!!? It just never ends

Maison Margiela - MM113 01 via gentlemonster.com

Things I DID buy: 1

VIU CHARLIE GLASSES: 300,00 €