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PENNY: Local shop raises glasses to Palin-inspired frenzy

The Rocky

Published September 13, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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You could say that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's VP nomination has been an eye-popping experience for Bev Rouleau, owner of International Optique in Tamarac Square.

The only other time a pair of glasses caused such an uproar was in 1997, when Men in Black hit the big screen and caused an outcry for Rayban sunglasses.

"Since (Palin) spoke, we've logged around 60 calls," Rouleau said of people asking about the stylish frameless rectangles that Palin wears. The modern model is by Kazuo Kawasaki, a brand under the umbrella company Italee, an L.A. firm that has logged more than 800 phone calls since Palin's speech.

"People come in the store and say, 'Oh my God, you have her frames!'" said Rouleau, who's been in the glasses biz for 37 years. "Everybody comes in just to try the frames."

Palin's specs are custom-made and retail between $359 to $389 - not counting the lenses. The temples (the two arms that wrap behind the ears) on Palin's are gray, but they come in several colors.

"The minute I saw her frame, I knew it would be a maniac issue," Rouleau said. "The next morning we called a Denmark company first, but they said it was an Italee." The store owner said she has nine pairs like Palin's on order but expects to "see" a lot more.

"Men come in and say, 'Let me just try them.' It's a hoot. It's just a hoot."

STACEY'S SPECS: CBS4 News meteorologist Stacey Donaldson, Denver's own "gal with the glasses," has been wearing her signature specs since she arrived here from Washington, D.C., seven years ago.

"I've always worn reading glasses, and quite a few years ago, people started to say, 'You ought to wear those on the air,' " Donaldson said. "When I did, people started to say, 'You're the girl with the glasses.' By the time I got to Denver, I was already the girl with the glasses."

Unlike Palin's customized eyeglasses, Donaldson's are an off-the-shelf discontinued Ralph Lauren cat-eye style with tortoise-shell frames. "If these break, I'm done for," said Donaldson, who says she has eight other pairs at home, but just the one she wears on TV. "I stick with the one pair or I might end up just confusing myself."

UNIQUE LIVES: The 11th season of the Unique Lives & Experiences lectures offer up movie stars, TV journalists, authors and a Kennedy or two. Here's the lineup for the series with each lecture at 7:30 p.m. Mondays at the Buell Theatre.

Feb. 9: Ernest Hemingway's secretary Valerie Hemingway; March 2: Lipstick Jihad author Azadeh Moaveni; March 31: Oscar-winner Diane Keaton; April 20: Oscar-winner Marlee Matlin; May 18: CNN correspondent Christiane Amanpour and TV news journalist husband, Jamie Rubin; June 1: Kerry and Robert Kennedy Jr. Subscription info: 877-872-8124. More info: uniquelives.com.

DANKESHANE: Mr. Las Vegas Wayne Newton has been tapped to host the Patriot Award Gala, part of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society's annual convention Sept. 19 at the Sheraton Denver. The gala will honor folks (including Clint Eastwood, Ben Stein and our own Bill Daniels) for their contributions in humanitarianism, citizenship, journalism and entertainment. Some tix still available: blacktie-colorado.com.

EAVESDROPPING on a man talking about Palin: "So what do you think of Evita from Alaska?"

Penny Parker's column appears Tuesday through Saturday. Listen to her on the Caplis and Silverman radio show between 4 and 5 p.m. Fridays on KHOW-AM (630). Call her at 303-954-5224 or e-mail parkerp@RockyMoun tainNews.com.