Unlike Paul Shaffer, the Imelda Marcos of high-end eyewear, I don’t own a stable of dozens of frames. I have three (well, if you don’t count my Ryan Gosling–inspired shades, which I blogged about here. The first two, a pair of tortoise Armanis and a sleek pair of black Fendis—both chunky plastic frames—have occasioned a smattering of compliments, which is the best I thought I could hope for. For some reason, glasses on me have never garnered a boffo reaction. Then I found this pair of matte spotted tortoise frames by Polo Ralph Lauren. Thick, fire-orange and chocolate brown, they have transformed my look and my wardrobe, and upped my urban nerd quotient (in a great way) by multitudes. Want to be a writer? Just look like one? Slip on a pair of these bad boys, and then gaze thoughtfully off in the distance, as if groping for the opening line to your Great American Novel. I guarantee people will gaze back.

$240 at Accuvision, 321 N. Michigan Avenue, 312-641-2020; or eyegoodies.com