Gigi Asked for "Just a Little"

I want to tell you about the sunglasses we call Gigi and the woman who commissioned me to create this style for her.

Gigi. It's a name that whispers Parisian glamour, made iconic by the 1958 film of the same name. These glasses deliver on that promise. But for the woman behind them, Gigi is simply what her grandkids call her.

And when I think of these glasses, I think of her. And when I think of her, I think of what it looks like when a woman is ready.

Ready for what? Ready for the next thing. The next chapter. The part of life where the kids are grown and the house is quiet and you finally have a moment to ask yourself: What do I want?

Gigi is a nurse. A wife. A mother. A grandmother. A friend. She's the kind of woman who shows up for everyone else first. You know the type. Maybe you are the type. She's got a giving heart and a full calendar and a husband she still rides motorcycles with on sunny weekends.

Her style? Classic. Great jeans. Fun tops. Timeless jewelry. She's not a big bling person. She's got that fun personality that likes a little sparkle every now and then, but she doesn't overdo it. Unlike me. (If you've seen my collection, you know I never met a crystal I didn't love.)

So when she first reached out to me, her request was simple: Take my favorite pair of sunglasses and add just a little sparkle. Not too much. Just enough.

I understood the assignment. Some women want full coverage crystal from temple to temple. Others want a whisper. Gigi wanted a whisper.

I took her gold glitter cat eye frames and placed Metallic Sunshine and Citrine AB Austrian Crystals along the brow line. Warm tones. Golden glow. The kind of shimmer that catches the light but doesn't announce itself from across the room. I kept it minimal, just like she asked. I packaged them up and waited for her review.

Gigi knew the minute she saw them it wasn't quite enough. She wanted more.

"I love them. But I think I want a little extra. Can you add a few more and some to the sides?"

So back they came. It secretly delights me to add more! I added crystals along the top, filled in the gaps, let them breathe, but gave them more presence. Then I added that quarter bling down the temples.

And there it was.

This is what I see happen with women who aren't "bling people." They dip a toe in. They try a little. And then something shifts. They realize that sparkle doesn't have to mean loud. It can mean joyful. It can mean I'm here. It can mean I'm not done yet.

Gigi didn't become a different person. She became more of who she already was.

A woman who loves the beach. Who rides on the back of a motorcycle with the wind in her hair. Who spent decades caring for others and is now stepping into a season that's a little more hers.

The glasses didn't change her. They just reflected what was already happening inside.

That's what I love about this work. I'm not convincing anyone to be something they're not. I'm just here when they're ready. And when they are, I get to watch them come alive.

Gigi is already designing her next pair.

Of course she is.

Because once you let yourself shine, you realize you were made for it all along.

Gigi sunglasses feature a gold glitter cat eye frame with Metallic Sunshine and Citrine AB Austrian crystals and UV400 lens protection. Click here to take a look at GIGI

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