That headline isn’t quite true. With me it’s nearly ALWAYS personal. Blessed with a gig from God granting my wish to be a writer guarantees that there is no fine line between my life and my work. NO line AT all. Guess that makes me… a Progressive. So let’s get personal with this 20/20.

• I hate the word “fashion.” Odd?  Nah. Style’s the thing. With “style” you get quality and attention to details and the product’s relationship to both the retailer AND the consumer. And when that product is eyewear, you get trendsetting leadership as perfectly portrayed in this month’s “IdolEYEzing Sun” and “Idol Eyes.” It doesn’t get any better than this because the shoots are spectacular, but more so the eyewear dominates with a sense of confident trending leadership that rightfully pomps and pumps all players in the optical arena.
• I’m totally a fan of that Santinelli family out on my home turf of “lawnguyland” (you might know it as Long Island, New York.) It’s not just because of our shared Italian heritage (yeah… right) but mainly because of the brew of artistry they deliver via their special concoction of machines, technology, hands-on personal (that word!) service and engaging presence in optical. Machinery? Art? Damned right. Have you noticed that a Ferrari is a machine? Never negate the complex artistry of a unity of parts delivering amazing results. L&T Editor Andy Karp actually delivers stellar results in his chat with a favorite artist from that aforementioned favorite family… Gerard Santinelli in this month’s Artist of the Lens.
• Sometimes it takes a new generation to articulate the impact of an older generation on a new generation. Opti-upstart Preston Fassel does just that with his “The Brows Are Back in Town” feature, setting the SEEN perfectly for all the clubmaster and clubmen-styled eyewear in this issue starting with the Robert Graham sunwear on our cover. Yipes Preston, I can see my pasture just up ahead.
• And now that I’ve mentioned Robert Graham and the hot new men’s eyewear collection, it might be a nice time to note that Revolution’s Gary Martin is … crazy… and… I love crazy. In slightly more dignified words, designer Robert Stock noted that edge in Gary when it came time to choosing an eyewear licensing partner for this new Robert Graham collection. Good choice, as was my choice to have Associate Editor Breanna Benz (who is also our star socialEYEzer on all of the 2020mag online formats) deal with versing the conversation feature on Stock and Graham Eyewear. Personally, I adore the story she delivered.
• Finally, I adore 20/20 and particularly this issue. Why? Because it’s personal.