Stories In Everything

There are things people don’t know about me.

The fact that I love Jemima Puddle Duck.

My appreciation for funky and cool socks.

One thing, however, that is pretty obvious is my near on obsession with Ray Ban sunglasses.

It’s a family thing. My nana wore a pair of black Ray Ban Wayfarers, which my dad ‘borrowed’ from her when he was a teenager. Then my dad wore black Ray Ban Wayfarers which I ‘borrowed’ when I was about seventeen.

To me, Ray Bans are an iconic thing. They represent something in my mind. A link to a greater idea. My nana wore them, my dad wore them, Audrey Hepburn didn’t wear them but wore something similar to them. They are icons.

Here’s a confession. I have like… nine pairs now.

Now any regular person would be like, ‘Okay, Jess. The fact of the matter is you only have one set of eyes, how the hell will you ever be in a situation where you would ever need ten pairs of Ray Bans?’

I was explaining this last night, as I purchase my 9th pair (Black leather in case you’re wondering)

To me, each one has a specific story. Not just a story of how I got them (which are often strange stories…) but the sort of story I am telling about myself when I wear them.

I have a pair of Catseye Clubmasters (from the late 80s early 90s) they are gold rimmed, which is unusual for Clubmasters. To me they are vintage, and by far my most hipster glasses. When I wear them, I am telling the story of hipster/arty Jess.

Or my light blue gradient lense Wayfarers, (Purchased at a steal 60$ second hand, just saying) They are beachy and carefree, not to mention when I first started Gideon I saw them online and swore I’d buy them one day since the blue is like the blue in the Gideon logo.

Or my red fronted Wayfarers. They were a birthday present from my mum and dad given to me on the way down to Wellington to see Josh the first time. They are so intense and poppy because of the dramatic red they are ‘Making a statement’ Jess glasses. There are some days even I don’t feel up to the Red Wayfarers.

Each pair to me carries a story, it embodies a story of who and what I want to tell people about myself today.

It’s weird, because no one else but me probably notices, but I think it’s just a cool thing to stop and take a look at yourself and your life and see the stories in things.

I watched this documentary once where they were saying that the secret to big brand clothing is the story you tell people when you wear it. People want to tell the story of their pre-torn jeans showing how ‘hard and edgy’ they are. Reality is that they didn’t make the holes in those jeans it’s just embodying something of our story we want to tell people that day.

I just think it’s cool that we as people invest stories in things. And it’s a cool reminder to see the story in everything.