My craze for Oakleys started a couple of years ago, when I started wearing contact lenses. Being a short-sighted person, wearing spectacles all this while has kind of put me off wearing sunglasses because firstly, it was quite costly getting prescription sunglass lenses and clip-ons or magnet-ons (or whatever you call those) didn't really appeal to me.
So, there I was at an eyeware shop, looking at what options that I had for sunglasses, which I found that that there were just endless possibilities and choices and at that moment I had to admit, I had almost zero knowledge for all the relevant nomenclature. That somewhat made me a little reserved while making enquiries, while at the same time trying to get as much information as possible.
I could somewhat remember trying out a models from different brands which included RudyProject, Adidas, Nike and of course Oakley. Somehow, the Oakleys left a lasting impression on me from then on. Must have been their more radical/loud and industrial design, coupled with their many frame options and colours and most importantly, their iridium-coated lenses which I think are just a class above the rest in terms of their colour and build. Drop by any outlet with Oakleys and I bet it's the lenses that would get your attention first ;-)
I ended up spending most of my time trying out as many Oakley designs as possible, and getting confused in the end because there were just so many models to choose from. Being a first timer, I had no idea there were just so many to choose from. I only vaguely remember trying out some Minutes, Romeos, Juliets, Splices, XXs, Half-Jackets and some other models which I cannot recall. What stuck in me the most was the astronomical price tag which they carried which commanded a minimum figure of RM600 for the lower-end o-matter frames (high-grade plastic) to maybe around RM1,500 or MORE for the higher-end x-metal (titanium alloy) frames.
I did not buy anything on that visit, there were just too many to choose from and to me at that time, RM600 for a pair of sunglasses was just outrageous. Furthermore, I dislike making puchases on someting which I have very little knowledge about without having done some research on the internet to get some opinions and views.
On and off, I would drop by selected eyeware shops (not every eyeware shop has the priviledge or afford to carry Oakleys in their shelves) just to gaze at their models, and to make some general enquiries; mainly just to check the prices and to see how low could the seller go down to for a particular model. Thru this, I've managed to put together a better idea of what Oakley has on the shelves and also their price points, and at the same time able to recognize and identify at a glance, some of their more famous models like the Juliets, Half-Jackets and Romeos etc.
Up till that point, I had yet to find a particular model that would be suitable for me, partly causing me unable to actually make a purchase. Given the very radical design for Oakley models, it was quite a task to find the right pair, sometimes the frame would fit, but the colour was not that suitable or vice-versa, and most of the time it would not fit at all. Having to cost so much, I had better make sure that they fit me perfectly before I actually buy them. But many would agree with me that most of the time it is the price tag that would put many people off, no matter how good the sunnies look on them.
Somehow that perception changed.
Comments
Hee.