US VP hope Palin wins fans for her glasses

US vice presidential hopeful Sarah Palin's fashion sense is winning applause in an unexpected quarter -- in Japan, where the maker of her rimless glasses is enjoying a sudden boost in business.

The Alaska governor's designer specs have become a hot topic on the US campaign trail, with some speculating that the 44-year-old former beauty queen is trying to show her seriousness.

But whatever her reason, Masunaga Optical Manufacturing Co. Ltd. is pleased with the media interest. The company makes Palin's MP-704 glasses, designed out of titanium by Kazuo Kawasaki.

"Few politicians, especially women, go out with glasses. We're happy to see her wear the glasses," a company spokeswoman said.

"We have already seen a positive effect," she added, saying orders and inquiries from retailers and customers were increasing.

Masunaga Optical sells 6,000 to 7,000 frames of the MP-704 model globally a year, she said, while declining to say how many orders it received since Palin was picked by Republican White House candidate John McCain.

The frames sell for 33,600 yen (310 dollars) in Japan. Lens prices vary greatly, depending on the user's needs and preferences.

"The brand's concept is 'smart and high technology,' removing any unnecessary decoration with the sides of the glasses directly jointed into the lens," the spokeswoman said.

Masunaga Optical was established in 1905 in the central prefecture of Fukui, some 300 kilometres west of Tokyo.

Palin's glasses may fuel a rivalry in the US presidential race in Fukui, home to the city of Obama, where residents have started a campaign to support accidental namesake Barack Obama.

美国副总统候选人莎拉•佩林的时尚品味出人意料地在日本受到追捧。她所佩戴的无框眼镜就产自那里，现如今这款眼镜在日本迅速流行，销量大增。

这位阿拉斯加州州长鼻梁上的那副名牌眼镜成为美国总统大选中的一个热门话题，一些人认为这位44岁的前“选美大赛皇后”戴上眼镜是为了让自己显得严肃庄重。

不过无论是什么原因，媒体的关注可是让日本增永眼镜公司尝到了甜头。该公司生产的佩林所戴的那款MP-704钛材眼镜是由（日本著名工业设计师）川崎和男设计的。

增永眼镜公司的一位女发言人说：“很少有政界人士在公共场合戴眼镜，尤其是女性。很高兴看到佩林戴上我们生产的眼镜。”

“我们已经看到‘佩林效应’。”她说，最近公司接到的这款眼镜的订单和顾客的问询都在增加。

据这位发言人介绍，增永眼镜公司的MP-704镜框每年在全球的销量为六千至七千副。不过她拒绝透露公司在佩林被麦凯恩选为竞选副手后接到的订单数目。

这款镜框在日本的售价为33600（310美元）日元。眼镜的价格会随着顾客的需求和喜好出现较大波动。

这位发言人说：“这个品牌的镜框讲究‘时尚和高科技’，镜片两侧直接固定在镜架上，没有任何多余的装饰。”

增永眼镜公司于1905年在日本中部的福井县成立，福井县地处东京以西约300公里。

佩林的眼镜可能会在福井引发一场“美国总统选举大战”，地处福井辖区的Obama（小滨）小城恰好与（美国总统民主党候选人）奥巴马同名，这里的人们已开始为奥巴马加油助阵。

Vocabulary:

specs:眼镜