Sarah Palin Glasses
Identifying the Eyeglasses of Former Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin
Even though Sarah Palin’s 2008 vice-presidential campaign ended in disappointment the former Alaskan governor is still a large figure in the American political sphere. It’s a surprising request, but we often get people looking for more information on a common pair of eyeglasses worn by Sarah Palin. These frames grew in popularity around the time Palin was running for the vice presential candidacy and she wore them regularly when she worked as a correspondent on Fox News. She was also featured wearing the frames on the cover of Time Magazine and in a series of book covers including ‘America by Heart’ and ‘Going Rogue’.
It’s fair to say these glasses have become quite popular but while I write this I sat here and asked myself the question – why? To answer this question I needed to take a closer look at the frames in question, their design, and what makes them stand out so much that people are scrambling to discover their origins. The first distinctive aspect of the glasses is their completely rimless design. This gives them an almost invisible look suited best for people who want a design that makes them less notable on the face. The second most notable design feature of the glasses is the lenses’ square shape. It’s fair to say most lenses are oval or round in shape and this deviation from the norm is quite stark in appearance and makes them very notable in my opinion.
Sarah Palin Glasses: Identifying the Brand
At first, I thought it was going to be a challenge to identify but this ended up not being the case. It seems during the height of these glass’s popularity (2008) many different media outlets released news articles talking about the frames. The exact model of these frames is from designer and eyewear brand Masunaga Optical. In fact, an article from 2008 by Daily News managed to track down the designer himself who commented on this thankfulness to bringing attention to his brand and spectacles. He commented “She is very good-looking. She would look good in any glasses,”
The exact model of these frames is Kawasaki 704 glasses. Similar to what we talked about previously these glasses’ main selling point is down to their super-light and rimless design. They’re also made from titanium where super-light and non-allergenic properties make them perfect for eyewear. At the time, Palin’s airtime and profile of these glasses increased Kawaski’s of the glasses tenfold with over 9,000 additional orders in just 10 days – crazy stuff.
Looking at the current Masunaga website I managed to track down the 2023 collection of sunglasses designed by Kawasaki. It seems that the popularity of these eyeglasses didn’t last and they no longer sell the famed Palin’s 704 model of glasses. The closest I could find on their website dubbed the MP-705, is the closest I could find in resemblance and most likely the spiritual successor to Sarah Palin’s pair (based on the name anyways). These glasses are basically the same in material choice and also feature a rimless frame. The biggest difference is the MP-705 has oval lenses instead of square. You can view these on their official website here.
Sarah Palin Glasses: Other notable eyewear
Although it’s the Kawasaki 704 glasses that are most talked about when it comes to Palin’s eyewear, what about other glasses she’s worn over the years and since? I decided to do a quick deep dive into other frames of choice chosen by the ex-governor of Alaska and see if I can identify any other brands she has worn.
I couldn’t mention any potential sunglasses worn by Palin either. The only available images of her wearing sunglasses online are from as recent (a few years ago). She seems to rock a current unbranded pair of aviator sunglasses. For those who don’t know, Aviators are one of the most recognizable sunglasses styles in the world and are renowned as a classic. Due to the popularity of aviator sunglasses, it’s hard to say what the exact brand they could be as they’re produced by hundreds of different brands worldwide. View the image here.
