You can tell I'm stuck in a several hour class once I start these types of threads. I will record these someday, but may as well make use of my time, since scripting does chew up time I otherwise wouldn't have.
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Oakley's eyewear history has comprised two distinct categories: sport specific and lifestyle. During the early years there was no official designation, as the Frogskins were the only lifestyle pair amidst the Eyeshade, Blade system, and M Frame. Sub Zero's and Zero's would be considered Lifestyle glasses upon their release, but in 1994 Oakley devised two separate lineups, each named for their flagship product. These would form the future of Oakley's 3D fully sculptured glasses, since prior to this point, most models were created from bent relatively flat shapes.
The sport specific pairs would be the Jackets, glasses that fit your face like apparel fits your body. The debut pair was called the Eye Jacket which strengthened this naming convention. While not all-encompassing, most models in this category would play off the namesake to some degree. The following year produced the Trenchcoat, which was an over-sized Eye Jacket, and then there was a brief lull in new sport products until the Lifestyle line could catch up.
1996 was a big year for Oakley, and many products met an end. Glasses in the Blades system were discontinued, and the classic Frogskins were also removed, but not before changing to a fully sculptured model dubbed the New Frogskin. Since this new model would kick off the new Lifestyle category, the entire group was called Frogskins.
Having now formally established the two main categories for O Matter, each following year would typically produce a model for both. The same year the New Frogskin was released, the sport line received the Straight Jacket. In 1997, another 'coat' was released in the form of the Topcoat, and the first of the numerically named glasses in the Frogskin lineup was produced in the form of the Fives. The following year would only offer one new Lifestyle model with the Tens, but three sports specific glasses. These were the extreme Racing Jacket, the more casual Minute, and the Moon, which was an O Matter counterpart to the X-Metal Mars. Each retained a likeness of the X-Metal temple, and were styled with intake ports rather than icons. This would be the last time any model would use this styling choice however, since 1999 would bring changes to almost all of Oakley's products.
Just prior to the turn of the Millennium, several key features changed on all glasses. The first was the O Matter formula. This new consistency allowed for greater flexibility, which was needed since older O Matter models were prone to breaking if stressed. The other feature was the transition to True Metal icons, which was an additional step towards making counterfeit products harder to produce. Products at this stage were affected in one of three ways. They were either eliminated, updated to the new technology without changing much else, or they were updated and branded as a 'New' model or a 2.0. O Matter was alone in this change, as Wires and the long standing O Frame Goggle also underwent similar transformations. The Racing Jacket only updated the O Mater formula, while the Minute updated O Matter and swapped out the intake port for a Metal Icon. Both retained their original names, and in most cases even their SKU numbers. The Eye and Straight Jackets however appended 'New' to their names, and updated product numbers.
Up until this point, it was easy to discern Jackets and Frogskins. Jackets typically had unobtanium earsocks and often nose pieces as well. Frogskins had pitted or channeled ear stems to help with grip, but were more or less in once piece. Due to this distinction, Jackets would often end up around $20-30 more than Frogskins. However in 2000, the XX was released as a Frogskin in the lifestyle range, but had both nose pieces and ear socks. Price was also in the Jacket range, and aside from the name being the Roman numeral for 20, there was nothing other than Oakley's word that it wasn't a Jacket. However it was very similar to the Minute, almost making that model more out of place in its own category than the XX, since both were more oriented for dual purpose wearing.
That same year, a more traditional lifestyle piece, the Four, was released, along with two Jackets, both bearing their group's name in their title. The Water Jacket was a re-purposed Racing Jacket, and even used the same mold but with a larger nosepiece, vented lenses, and a strap kit. The Eye Jacket received a sequel in name only, with the Eye Jacket 2.0, but shared no similar features. The ear stems were styled after the Time Bomb, and the original continued to be produced.
In 2001, there were two additions to the Frogskins, a smaller version of the Four, and an update to the Fives, with the Fives 2.0. This time, the original was no longer produced, and the 2.0 was a true replacement. Adding to the feature confusion of the two lines, the Scar was released and had no ear socks. However the style was aggressive and due to X-Metal lugs on the temples, the price point was much higher than any O Matter to date, so it was placed in the Jackets category.
2002 brought two more deliberate entries to the Jacket lineup, with the Eye Jacket 3.0 and Half Jacket, as well as a third dubbed the Half Pint, which was a child sized pair of glasses sharing similar design cues. The Splice was released and despite no naming convention providing clues to its categorization, it had all the traditional features of a sports model. The only lifestyle pair that year was the Fate, which also doubles as a pseudo-female specific pair, as some colorways were released with Script logos, rather than the hollow icon. And lastly, while not part of the two categories discussed here, Oakley was experimenting with a Magnesium range of glasses, and borrowed elements from the Four, for the lifestyle model, Splice for the sport model, and the M Frame for the non-Jacket related active wear.
In 2003 to 2004, there began a slow decay in the use of Jacket vs. Frogskin designations. Confusion between the two had started year's prior, but eventually the website would no longer list the two, and would instead prioritize classification based on frame material. This became most evident with the release of the Halo in 2003, which used an Acetate frame material. It was primarily designed to be a female specific pair, and a corresponding O Matter release accompanied it with the Pocket. Lifestyle frames also included the basic and low priced Monster Dog, as well as the XS Fives. With the discontinuation of the Scar, two models were created in its wake. Both the Valve and Plate retained the Scar's lack of ear socks, and both were considered Jackets.
The following year made classification even worse. The release of the Dartboard coincided with the long awaited return of the Zero line, and due to the frameless design, the Dartboard would also make a proper addition. However on the website, it was briefly listed as a Frogskin, but on the box, it was listed as a Jacket. It did have unobtainium inserts on the ear stems, but the nose pieces were ones used on wires. Based on your definition, it could fit almost any non-metal category that you wanted. Making matters worse, a model intended to compete and possibly replace the Minute was released with the Unknown. However despite possessing ear socks, and being the spiritual successor to a Jacket, the Unknown was classified as a Frogskin. This fit the pattern if you consider the Minute a lifestyle piece, and perhaps much confusion could have been avoided had it been classified as such from the start. Also that year, Stretchline models debuted, and the FatCat was an obvious choice as a Frogskin, but the Thump despite being a Half Jacket styled model, was placed in Electronics, and not with the typical categories.
2005 was the year a stake was driven into the two categories...at least as far as we thought. Square O debuted with the Gascan, and the many models that followed has similar designs. A few other lifestyle models appeared, and it was a guessing game at this point, as how to categorize them. A source from within the company was able to clear up the designation of certain models like the Bottlecap, Riddle and Montefrio, during this time, and that Jacket and Frogskin classifications were still being used behind the scenes. It soon became clear that all Square O branded glasses were going to be lifestyle models, and those retaining the Icon would typically be sport specific. Exceptions were made for derivative models like the Monster Pup and Fives 3.0 since they were directly related to existing Frogskin releases.
Confusion soon became less of an issue, as most sport models would specifically include 'Jacket' in their name as they historically had. Releases like the Flack Jacket, Straight Jacket II, Split Jacket, and Fast Jacket were obvious Sports models, and non-Square O glasses like the Fives 4.0 retained older namesakes. Other models converted to the Square O to help with consistency. Active vs Lifestyle became the official designation of the two categories, but the Jacket name still is used frequently, and with the resurrection of the Classic Frogskin design, many other models were based on that design, helping to return the Lifestyle line back to its Frogskin roots.
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