THE MEN: Ninoy Aquino

I saw Bam Aquino the other day in Greenbelt 5 and I couldn't help but stare at his sweet tortoise shell glasses. I must say, I was quite impressed. Not everyone can pull those off, but he did and it was a thing of beauty. It must run in the family, I suppose. All the Aquino men - well, most of them anyways (*cough* Noynoy *cough*) - wear statement glasses perfectly. They can thank Ninoy for that. Not only was he the best president we never had. He also made thick plastic frames look oh so damn cool.

Even with a blurry television, you could see how awesome his glasses were

Even in his younger days, his specs were already spot on

While it can be argued that a lot of people wore bold glasses back then, I believe that no one pulled it off better than Ninoy. It must have been that swagger about him, that confidence he had that could have brought a dictatorship down to its knees (and almost did). It was the perfect marriage: A charismatic man whom you can't help but listen to and a pair of plastic frames which you can't take your eyes off.

Suited up or dressed down, Ninoy's glasses just worked

The weight may come and go, but the fine taste in eyewear 

clearly does not

Often times, tinted frames would look tacky. 

This is not one of those times.

Pictures of Ninoy in his trademark specs look as awesome today as it did back then. To this very day, I still think no one does it better. Whether it be through commercials or clothing, seeing those bold frames could still only mean one person. And with the senatorial election coming up, how I wish we had a way to bring him back. We could be proud of in both style and substance.

Is that a Fred Perry Laurel peeking out? Oh, you continue to amaze, sir

Oh my, does Cory look like Kris here or what?

It's just not the same without the specs, is it? 

Oh, Cory mirrors Kris yet again!

Take a gander below to see my favorite Ninoy speech. It's about 10 minutes long, but be patient my young padawan, every second's well worth it.

xo,

Jack