LeBron in London

for more information.click following sitehttp://www.picknice.com/http://emsyou.blogspot.com/http://www.facebook.com/media/albums/?id=100000026070642james83 to james98We never thought something so brash could slow burn, but the Cannon 9's mix of colours that don't necessarily mix gives the shoe extra character. Just as the South Beach edition of the 8 took us a little while to climatise too, the shinier take on a militaristic combo of green and orange with some subtle speckles could be the shoe that converts non-believers to the cause. We're not trying to draw up heretic comparisons like Scottie Pippen, but just as the Grapes appeared for MJ's 2006 NikeTown appearance, this drop seemed to come out of nowhere. We can't testify as to whether they're still in stock or whether they vanished like the Miami Nights Lows a few months back, but if you're interested we suggest acting fast. House of Hoops gets that hype — it's frequently forgotten in favour of other stores that shout louder online despite delivering if you're a fiend for some recent retros you might have written off as US-only. Plus they have Foams on the shelves while our Yankee brethren are sleeping on Harlem streets to grab a pair.
Yesterday, it was a surprise appearance at the London School of Basketball in Crystal Palace, before LeBron left with his crew for a Rihanna concert. We've got some more content on the way, including a brief chat with the man himself about matters of footwear, plus a lengthy conversation with Nike Basketball designer Jason Petrie about the genesis of the shoe.

Nike MAG 2011 Man

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The Michael J Fox Foundation For Parkinsons Research - Nike Mag 2011The Nike Mag 2011s were certainly a huge celebrity draw, and the sneakerheads in that category definitely put up the dollars to guarantee themselves their Nike Mags. Kid Cudi claimed to have won four (yes, four) pairs of the Nike Mag 2011, and he recently broke out pair numero uno at a party thrown by Complex and Bacardi, during which he was the guest of honor (he graced the cover of Complex’s The Music Issue). Cudi was spotted with Mags on stage, lounging around, enjoying his drinks, and partying it up with his How To Make It In America co-stars, so check out the Mags in on-feet action below and stick with Sneaker News for more Nike Mag 2011 sightings!

Nike Sportswear Air Max 90 VT Premium QS Haystack

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Nike Sportswear Air Max 90 VT Premium QS HaystackWe actually covered these a few weeks back, but the images were stock ones that were pretty and all but never offered any clues as to how premium these Nike Sportswear Air Max 90 VT Quickstrikes actually are. If there had been a standard Air Max 90 in this makeup we would have become ill with excitement, but in Vac Tech form they've still got us bugging. Why? Because that silhouette isn't compromised by the nubuck application's uninterrupted flow, but the designers still knew to keep the familiar sewn-on ribbed Nike Air patched on the heel. Timberland season officially starts in the early hours of this coming Sunday when the clocks go forward, so all well-executed tributes are welcome.
Nike say "Haystack" but we say Wheat and it's one of our favourite colour and material combinations. That added white midsole is the perfect contrast to the upper and gum outsole while the brown leather lining maintains the theme inside as well as out. These drop alongside the Dunk (which is a lot better in the flesh than we anticipated) today and will be joined by the matching Air Force 1 Hi VT early next week. "Beefy" Botham promoted it and many argue its health benefits, but Wheat will always stay winning.

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The current vogue for big-arsed high tops is a young person's game. On our industry travels, we've seen
those old enough to know better crash and burn with a mix of skinny fit and premium moonboots in the
shape of Ato Matsumoto or Lanvin Super His. Kanye opened the floodgates. He pulled it off. Most can't.
Fans of the man's work from 'Harlem World - The Movement' and it's sole highlights to the current robo
-self indulgence, we've seen pics of his Nike creations drifting around for over 12 months, and opinion
seems to have been polarized. Having seen a style evolution from the pre-'College Dropout' Supreme
sweat shoot for Vibe to the current couture junkiedom, Mr West's wardrobe moves so quick, and the
stylists work so well that the drawn-out developmental stage couldn't possibly keep up, meaning Lynch's
Dune-inspired LVMH hookups nearly stole some footwear shine.
Friendly ghostbloggers have made following his output an online obsession, and while we thought this
project might have lost momentum prior to release, whether you really, really hate them or found them
oddly alluring, the hype express got back on track. Big time. Then pics of Sir Bun B performing at SXSW
having ditched the Greedy Genius to sport a pair made them look genuinely good - this, we attribute to
baggy denim as opposed to the now obligatory APC New Cures - slimline kecks will multiply the dreaded
'golf club effect' that only benefits you if you're female or Dave Mustaine. Just for the record, in
case this opening ramble leaves any ambiguity, some CT crew members quite like the Nike Air Yeezy.
Anyone could've slapped fashion features together with hardcourt looks, and then maybe vulcanized it
for good measure. Taking Jordan DNA by the ton and adding a sole unit we're particularly familiar with
is another way of handling the brief.
Tracing the Yeezy's referential lineage, the Alien Fighter/Stomper, Air Trainer Huarache, Air Mag,
Jordan V and more high-end cues for the upper, are some interesting nods, and as midsoles go, the
Jordan III style one is a favourite in the office. It's also based on the Revolution and Ace to some
degree too, but the official press release points directly to the Assault, another late 80s favourite,
which seems a little odd, seeing as this is the sole added to the Fat Boys' favourite just a couple of
years ago. The sole shares some Flight 89 elements too - Nike have definitely been getting their
money's worth. The padding around the collar and tongue is Jordan-esque, and we kind of anticipated
more VIII touches than V ones, with Kanye wearing his Aquas to the death like M.O.P. Huarachesque (a
word custom-made for this News piece) neoprene lining keeps it comfortable, while the excess of
perforation on the upper recalls the Delta Force. The materials at work are of a high quality, and the
glow-in-the-dark outsole is pure gimmickry that pointed to someone living out their school exercise
book biro scrawls depicting wild Swooshed creations they'd like to see.
As colours go, the grey and orange is reliable, but the blast of hot pink behind the supersize tongue
is pretty disorientating. The towering height shifts out the ankle-high comfort zone, but the Velcro
strap, looking a little like an emulsion paint job is plain odd. The pattern, like the elephant print
style forefoot panel includes a recurring 'Y' in the mix too. We'd prefer it without it in all honesty
- we pictured it with the strap folded down just to show what could've been - a sci-fi Air Revolution
redux, but we can understand these are built to the artist's personal tastes. A nylon 'YEEZY'
embroidered heel tab recalls the Raid II, which looks like a Tennis Classic in monotone beige suede by
comparison, and the 'Y' shaped lace lock finishes a crazy, crazy creation.
Some wearers will make this debut colourway, the first chapter in 3 monthly makeups, set for release in
April at a 150gbp pricetag, look fresh. Others will look like they're in the midst of a mid-life
crisis, but everyone's got an opinion on it, and it certainly offers a challenge for the wearer. It's a
marked improvement on the horrors of the RBK G-Unit range. Even Lloyd, Buck and Yayo weren't wearing
those things. For better or for worse this is a pretty significant release.

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Once upon a time, the Nike Air Max 1 was the shoe of our dreams. The Air Max Light was the stuff of
boyhood aspirations too. The notion of working with them when we were "grown up" was almost
unthinkable. Well here we are working with the damned things, and we have to concede that we've been
suffering from Air Max fatigue lately. Bar the occasional, truly inspired makeup, there's a good reason
that most flock for those frequent reissues of the original makeups. Too many recent versions have felt
like they were made of Fuzzy-Felt rather than synthetic suede, like some of the iD variations we've
gathered over the years.
It's a shame, because it's a model that never dates and just keeps amassing a fanbase. In fact, while
we Euro folk were covering the shoe, it always seemed that team U.S.A. were busy fiending over Forces
and Dunks...then we saw the mania over the Parra Air Max 1s on Nike Talk and realised that we'd been a
pretty narrow-minded in our assumption that this was a localised phenomenon. The Max is global. But the
majority of 2010 colourways have been dull—failing to capitalise on that fever for this silhouette.
If the opening salvo is anything to judge from, 2011 is shaping up to be a little better. The ACG
versions didn't make an awful lot of sense, but they look great. This duo of makeups deliver too - blue
and sail is a good combo, but red and teal is the killer here. Minty freshness with that accent colour
application works for us. The shape has changed over the years, the materials have been altered and
we've been victims of overkill, but when it's executed correctly, we're still suckers for Air Max 1s.
These drop in 2011...

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These shouldn't hold any appeal whatsoever. We may have been desensitized by recent Franken-Jordan
experiments that have thrown 1s, 2s, 5s and 7s and lord-knows-what into the blender, as well as being
influenced by recent slushy NYC jaunts where ontime monstrosities like the Foamdome made sense in the
shadow of that skyline. Those shoes in particular just look a bit special for all the wrong reasons out
that context, when transported to our nation's capital. Spizikes however, bar certain office factions
who detest them for their mix and match treatment of some undisputed classics. Then there's those of us
who don't mind them at all in the right colours. Spike's put his name to 'em, and that 40 Acres and a
Mule logo is intact, taking us back to a time of imported African American College League hoodies and
Crooklyn promo hats (word to Buckshot, Ed and Ace) - some might argue that with the likes 'Girl 6',
'She Hate Me' and 'Miracle At St. Anna' under his Yankees cap, he's prone to a clanger or two, but
these are a 'Summer Of Sam' to us - faintly flawed yet oddly accomplished. Anyhow, enough of the Spike
dickriding for a second.
Big-ass boots are an acquired taste - dayglo Baltoros, Superdomes, Goadomes, Tarns and even the
forthcoming Kaiju and Ashiko, and we won't lie - there's been some nauseating spinoffs stomping on the
Jordan legacy lately, but after our hearts were warmed by the late '07 cement Spizike variations, these
winterised numbers take the blend of 3, 4, 5, with this, the most dynamic of some muted colourways,
carrying shades of the 7's bordeaux in the mix too. Premium leather and nubuck, winter-protected
textiles,and speckled high grip rubber on the outsole are apprpriately rugged, as if Mr. T was set
loose on a 6 during a toolshed siege. Some sample shots showed a version sans midsole sheen, which was
actually preferable. the gloss seems unnecessary. But the yellow in that visible Air, waterproofed
upper and heavyweight feel makes them work. A quintessentially love or hate affair.

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The Nike Air 180 got some extensive hype when it was reissued five years ago and the iD options remain overlooked all these years later. So what if it came back a little "geniefied" compared to the original? We remained fans. Whereas by that point the AM90 and BW had been given a plethora of treatments, the 180 runner's lifespan (in fact, the whole 180 system was never fully exploited in its day) was relatively short with a frugal amount of makeups. When it returned, they got a little wilder. The Metropop options meant beautiful brown and baby blue variations, and it's funny how the OG colours create hype now, whereas we were stocking up on the retros for peanuts. In the iD spot near Mayfair we created some formidable 180s that weren't dissimilar to pieces like this.
While we're at a loss as to where the time went, half a decade has passed in a blur and the 180 has had a tasteful presence in the last couple of seasons. It's a shame that new 180 models to tie with the reintroduction were nipped in the bud at sample stage, but the Opium variations were—in retrospect—pretty serious. The lack of release for the Paris deadstock overlords' Spiridon was a tragedy too. A lot of the best mid '00s releases never made it out. This makeup goes for a more muted look and plays it safe with an air of Viotech—the colour that made IIIs, Blazers, Dunks and Air Maxs so memorable—to the detailing. It's an alright colourway, but they do the job for the colder months. These are up for pre-order now, and seeing as we've joined the 21st century with regards to video embedding, it's a good time to take a trip down memory lane for some of the very best W+K Nike commercials.

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Sometimes there's projects that don't make an awful lot of sense, but we give them the benefit of the doubt, just because they look so good. Theoretically, the son of All Conditions Gear and the Air Max line would look like 1995's awesome Air Mad Max. But this is late 2010 and the world of sports footwear is more retrospective and a great deal more baffling to decipher. The ACG Air Max 1s are just nice Max makeups with the ACG triangle that still induces a certain endorphin release each time we see it, rendered reflectively here. But an Air Max in that vein should still look like its been hastily reworked by BA, Hannibal and the A-Team crew while under siege in a fully equipped garage. These don't. We even wondered if there'd been an error during sampling and we'd get an irate phone call to take them down, but they're getting the cross-branding.
All these colourways feel like they've been slightly treated `to stop them being quite as sensitive as the synthetic suede on this model often is and the materials feel slightly more resilient, but it's not one for the trails. This whole trio might fall short of capturing the madcap spirit of innovation that the branding represents (in fact, the Storm AM1 is more ACG than these). But after this model got rinsed to the point where a revolutionary shoe left us cold, we're going to be receptive to any great colours, no matter how baffling their concept is.
The black/greens might offer solace to anyone who missed out on the ballistic nylon/canvas Pattas a year ago, if that's been playing on your mind. When we heard this collection was dropping, we feared the worst. The samples elicited a Dame Dash style, "Oh shit! It's not even wack!" backhanded complement from this camp. Grey and varsity purple is downright fresh. But an ACG pack should look like the one from 2002 with the killer Footscape in that reminds us of Footpatrol's early days. Still, that branding looks great. We'd just rename 'em the "Particularly decent AM1 Pack" and be done with it.

More Jordan Spiz'ikes in store www.picknice.com

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3.5jordan44
After clocking these in the Nike showroom last year, our next exposure was through one of those strange
YouTube videos where someone gets an early pair in the unlabeled box and then tries to fill four
minutes talking about them. We salute those dudes, because we have issues trying to shoehorn
information into paragraphs, let alone flash video. But the Spiz'ike gives you a hell of a lot to talk
about. You could talk about the mix of III, IV and VI, or the colourway cues and all - in fact we know
a fair few people who could probably dedicate video the length of Ken Burns's 'JAZZ' to tell you how
much they loathe this model, welding together all their favourites in a big blob of classic Hatfield
design. We used to be on the fence until we saw New Yawkers pulling this shoe off in spectacular
fashion, and on a visit to the P-Town Nike employee store in late '07 on the day the cement makeup hit,
and we witnessed some mild pandemonium. That was refreshing to see, and it was the closest we've seen
to getting the cement IV retroed again, regardless of recent rumours. That was the point when we
decided this shoe wasn't the antichrist and was actually pretty wearable. The subsequent wave of
hybrids like that Air Tech Challenge mashup seemed less well thought-out. Even the Winter Boot was
sick.
If you wanted the actual IV in this makeup, stop crying - you had your chance in '08, even though you
were obliged to take some XIXs too. It'd be nice to get the option to pick that up on its own without
the doublepack obligation, but it's an all-time great Nike colourway. As with the VI retro with the
varsity red, for some reason, durabuck's been kiboshed again here in favour of suede. We're not used to
materials getting better on shoes - it's a reverse of the usual build quality devolution that retros
seem to carry. And how can we be puritanical when we're talking about a shoe that looks this crazy?
We're also pleased that something bearing Spike's name is actually good at the moment, because 'Miracle
at St. Anna' let us down, and 'Kobe Doin' Work' lacked 'Zidane's magnetic intensity, and that haunting
Mogwai score.

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We don't get particularly excited about Nike Air Max 1s any more, and this "Omega" variation is some more acceptable blowback from last year's Rivals collection. Is there any more to say about the first Air Max? Weird that a shoe so powerful and revolutionary on its debut could become so ubiquitous, but it's pretty understandable. Light and comfortable enough to defy any attempts at an official update, it's still seemingly altered in one way or another year-after-year like some aged playboy racking up the facelifts. Still, we think the essence is there, even if a side-by-side comparison with the 23 year old source material is like a remedial class spot-the-difference.
Check nylon mesh, matching grey synthetic suede, blue and a blast of lime feels like the byproduct of every AM1 from the last few years. It's okay, but we know, courtesy of Patta, that the Air Max can still be rendered essential with the right level of knowledge and restraint. we see the Omega Athletics West references, but truth be told, we're still holding out for a Vintage Omega Flame reissue. That still seems like a no-show, but if the focus on the old styles has got you running for the wingtips, and you think they're still a little bland on the run, we guarantee that the progressive brilliance Nike Running has in the pipeline from winter well into 2011 will restore that chipped and tattered faith in sports footwear. In the meantime, these, and their moodier-looking theme pack sibling are available to pre-order from the Crooked Tongues store now...

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Jordan Brand’s been spoiling us lately - especially when it comes to the franchise’s thirteenth chapter. Flints were bananas — one of the best Jordan colourways ever, but it would be foolish to ignore this one too. In the UK, post chapter VI (with some stragglers keeping the faith up to VIII), the Jordan line seemed to be more of a cult line rather than a commonplace sneaker to envy. Rap fans, players and sneaker fanboys picked up on some further pieces, but it never seemed to boom beyond London.
Still, the innovation of the XIII is undeniable — it embodies the 1998 spirit of innovation and a certain air of reinvention that the Nike campus was pumping out, and it had a vast product plug in ‘He Got Game’ with that sports shop scene steeped in Spike’s usual cinematic subtlety. It also represents the point where the Jordan line really split off as a brand in itself, as well as the last great Jordan model pre (second) retirement. This is a significant shoe, and a comfortable one too, though we still think it works better with tracksuit or shorts rather than swathes of denim, unless you’re Rick Ross in courtside mode.
We’re still stinging from the lack of Scotchlite on the Flints, but the ‘Playoffs’ (which have been subject to month-long delays, possibly due to the overkill of desirable Jordan retros lately) feel pretty damned accurate in terms of some materials, including leather that won’t crease after one wear and the shape changes are subtle, as with every other colourway in this retro incarnation. We’ve long assumed that the lasts, moulds and tolling for this model must be in pretty tip-top shape, whereas some of the materials to remake earlier chapters required a little reinvention.
But while most of its fellow makeups have had a retro (some have had a couple) since their shelf and court debut, this colourway has never been reissued…maybe it was deemed too similar to the ‘Breds’…we’re not even going to try and work out why.

CT Nike Sportswear Air Max 90 Hyperfuse Infrared '2-A-Day' Giveaway on site www.picknice.com

the Nike Air Max 90 has been around over two decades and has enjoyed a variety of updates in recent years. We've seen Free-soled and Flywire-equipped upgrades, not to mention the crazy AM90 Moire plus the ruggedized boot version. But with the Air Max 00 Hyperfuse, Nike Sportswear may have gone furthest in refreshing this classic runner, bringing a featherweight breathable material to its upper just in time for summer.
We know everybody couldn't make the CT NSW BBQ the other week, because of various responsibilities or global location. Here's some good news — for whatever reason, we've got ten remaining pairs of the very, very limited Infrared Nike Sportswear Infrared Air Max 90 Hyperfuse to give away to those who deserve it. This shoe is promo-only and not for sale. We won't be selling it either. People have tried to bribe us over the last ten days or so, but we're the Eliot Ness and Frank Serpicos of this game, yo. You can't corrupt us. After all, it's not like we're asking you to perform twelve tasks and solve a code. Just upload your feet.
The size break runs as follows: (UK sizes) 1 x 6, 2 x 7, 1 x 8, 1 x 8.5, 1 x 9, 1 x 9.5, 2 x 11 and 1 x 11.5.
We're giving away two-a-day next week from Monday 19th September to Friday 23rd September. To enter, dust off your best Nikes, photograph them ON YOUR FEET and tweet (with the #ctnswbbq2011 hashtag), Facebook (via our Facebook group wall) or add them to our legendary Today I'm Wearing site section alongside your UK shoe size. We'll showcase the finest entries on the site and a future mailout and announce winners at lunchtime from Tuesday to Saturday (to ensure no entrants late in the day miss out). You can enter now though, and it's still valid. After all, who are we to discourage the showcasing of fine footwear?
Go get lacing and uploading — extra points will be added for style, composition and imagination. We don't care which part of the world you're entering from. It's not about how much you spent on them, how hype they are or anything like that. It's about how you're wearing them — but break out something offbeat, and you'll increase your chances. Once these colourways are gone, they're gone. Good luck...

Air Jordan XIV Light Graphite

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We find the Jordan XV, ummm...difficult, but we can get on with the Jordan chapter that preceded it. 1998's XIV wasn't as good as the XIII — especially for us conservative Brits. The Lows were ugly compared to the mids and we still (controversially) don't think the leather and Durabuck mixes worked as well as the solitary material upper on the 1999 White/Varsity Red editions and some of the 2005 retros benefited from a simplicity that let the rest of the shoe's lunacy sink in a little.
It's a known fact that if you're going to make a Jordan that deviates from the original colourway, you should go grey, and these Light Graphites (with some subtle navy hits to make it a little bit Hoyas too) make the shoe look as appealing as its going to get if you're approaching from a more conservative, non-performance standpoint. Still, we respect how these retained the lineage from the prior chapter but took a completely different tact, with a car rather than feline on the mood board this time,
With Jordan zipping around in a Ferrari during the fourteenth Jordan's early design stage, that became the inspiration for the XIII, from the shield Jumpman branding to the aerodynamic aesthetic. The extended medial height for ankle support even nodded to part V but it was the little touches like the visible lightweight plastic shank plate, hidden Zoom Air and metal mesh vent that pushed this one forward, with the claw-like midsole's grasping shape at the forefoot stopping things from getting too Euro on us. Even compared to everything that followed, the Jordan XIV is incredibly comfortable and the lack of grams remains notable. This model is still extremely unorthodox, but fans won't be disappointed when these arrive in the Crooked Tongues store this coming Saturday...

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Jordan XIIIs represent the point when a fair few of the Jordan fans amassed over thirteen years either chose to keep on riding the franchise or quietly hop off. In our eyes it's a masterful piece of design that continued the line's then-habit of building on an element of a prior installment. The 'He Got Game' sports store scene put the hard sell on us cinematically, but then Spike had us under that spell since Mars Blackmon's blue and black Jordan Is in 'She's Gotta Have It.' The XIII might have been the most overt endorsement since Buggin' Out reacted badly to a scuff. While the sneakersphere's attention has been heisted by the Cool Grey XI's early European release, this perenially futuristic gem deserves shine too. This is a pretty definitive version harking back to 1998, and while the colour on the box has changed, we're not mad.
We're not sure which we love more, these or the Flints (a definitive accompaniment to a grey sweat—and we're not talking smedium Japanese repros here) which flew out last month, but for our money, these are the better retro of the two. They still fit half a size big, but that tumbled leather feels better in quality than the blue and grey resurrections. There's minor differences in those overlaid panels and the shade of red—bear in mind this onetime 'True Red' is now a marginally darker Varsity Red—but it's not lost any of the power that they carried on MJ's feet back in the day.
If you're a XIII fan, you've been spoilt lately but the retro of the pretty damned recent Altitude Greens threw us this month. We knew they were scarce when they dropped, but it doesn't feel like any amount of time since they debuted. We'd like to have seen the Black/True Reds retroed again...or better still, a release of the Black/True Red prototypes with the white pods on the sole. We can only daydream about what the vaults could spit out in future seasons, but for the time being, these will do just fine. A good shoe for Christmas wear, the True/Varsity Reds are getting some serious wear in the office and they're on sale now...

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It's interesting to see the reactions to the Jordan line in the UK. It seems that chapter V seems to be the preferred model, alongside parts III and IV, with a gradual tail off in interest from parts VI to VIII. Stateside, the XI creates a level of desire that's pretty much unmatched by any other shoe - people lose their minds over it. It's a masterpiece, but it just doesn't have that mass appeal in a place where basketball isn't as widely played and a certain conservatism is prevalent. The XIII is, in our eyes,the last great Jordan before the XXIII gradually won us over. Obviously that's open to heated debate.
Even the XII's innovative sunset design never gelled with us like the shoes that bookended it. The joy of shoes like the XIII is that they were deeply challenging in the direction Tinker took them - how did we go from a conventional hi-top in controversial colours to a shoe themed on a panther, down to the "whisker" holes in that ballistic nylon collar and paw-like outsole? Because there was a determination to be different with each installment and the line evolved at a rapid rate. Part of the next wave of design—dropping at a time when Zoom rewrote design and Alpha was set to be unleashed - predators and goat alike (as referenced on the massively underrated Terra Goatek) existed in a certain harmony during Nike's late '90s rollout.
Denzil made this model look very good indeed in the Nike-heavy 'He Got Game' but despite the comfort and lightweight feel, it's not as passive a wear as the line's early days output - it was deliberately weird and all the better for it. That peculiar feline look means it hasn't aged a day since it dropped in late 1997, whether you like them or not. Out and out oddity is the key to timelessness. When we first saw this colourway in early 1998 it seemed like the safe bet in the range, mixing Flint Grey with navy and Carolina Blue, both of which got a slight name change for the March 2005 retro. The reissue's frequent glue leak elicited some grumbles—as did the quality of leather.
This time around, the tumbled leather feels superior, but as with a few recent retros, there's a key alteration that we're assuming was a method of appeasing collectors distressed to see their treasure roll around again before they'd had time to break out the last issue. These Flints lack the hugely effective Scotchlite blast under the mesh. That mesh might feel a little better than before, but just don't expect that dazzle when the headlights shine. Despite that major omission, it's nice to see these back, with more makeups set for coming months. This is the part where we should probably make a reference to the superstition that surrounds this model number, but we've exhausted that elsewhere. These are on sale in the Crooked store right now—those who love them will probably lose their mind and those who were baffled by the unorthodox looks all those years ago will stay scowling. Polarising footwear is the best kind of footwear.

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Wow. Retro Jordan XIs have become a Christmas tradition like vicious hangovers, Jimmy Stewart merrily sprinting through Bedford Falls or Bill Murray being stalked by a shotgun-wielding Bobcat Goldthwait. Even though the Cool Grey Jordan XI only dates back to 2001 as a Retro+ colourway, it's one of the rare occasions where the newer makeup matches the originals. We've long been of the opinion that makeups from a time when footwear designers had a heavy say in colourways, before folk were hired specifically to apply shades were the best shoes, yet the Cool Grey is genuinely one of the best shoes ever. One colour on the upper and nubuck over nylon worked very well indeed.
This might be the best all-rounder of the XI collection and while there's been a few monotone rarities as part of charity and promo pieces, this model seems to be being kept special at a time when your favourite shoes are destined to hit saleracks on their return. We like that. But boy does it lead to pandemonium when they're brought back. Space Jams were a roadblock on the 23rd of December last year, with some spectacular levels of dedication on display in pursuit of a pair and thus far, these have poured out the store even faster than those intergalactic fan favourites.
As ever, the packaging is immaculate, with a grey version of last year's immaculate black and blue housing and there's been the usual modification too—that outsole's changed colour. Normally alterations are something to bemoan, but we think that icy light blue is an improvement on the transparent original—it works perfectly with the grey and shouldn't turn urine yellow if they're left unattended for a year or so. As mentioned, these are shooting out the store faster than any shoe we've ever had in stock. Act fast if you're interested, but these are the best entry into the world of patent leather Hatfield creations.

Air Jordan Winterized 6 Rings Boots in-store site: www.picknice.com

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The Jordan Spiz'ike boot stays underrated. Sure, it's a calculated attempt to dent that Timbo market, but then so was the ACG Goadome —and you won't catch us talking shit about that shoe. Mixing and matching Hatfield-design DNA is always bound to cause some considerable grumbles, but the 6 Rings model is one of the better models—the Concord version filled a relatively affordable gap when newer retros weren't forthcoming. But with an upcoming XI and XIIIs for days, what do you do with the blend of VI, VII, VIII, XI, XII, XIII and XIV looks you've created? You make a big-arse boot out of it.
Just like the Spiz'ike version, once you've started the waterproofing and roughneck material applications, you can start forgetting the OG inspirations talk and just appreciate the shoe for what it is—the antithesis of the new wave of old that's arrived in the shape of brown boots with J. Peterman style tales of Maine craftsmen stitching them by hand near rivers and suchlike. These make a pleasant change from all that—they're not fancy, a century old or steeped in anything more than court tradition but they're comfortable as hell and the leather on them—particularly on the chocolate versions—is outstanding.
Harking back to a pre-1998 time when Nike and Jordan shared plenty of design cues (even though no one's ever been able to tell us what the I.E. in the XI Low name stood for), seemingly trading them back and forth, this silhouette in these muddy shades ends up looking more ACG than ACG often does. It looks like some kind of Kibo or Rhyolite sibling and it feels equally well-built. The glossy lacing details, metal eyelets and lasered branding are well-handled...even the use of the elephant print as an outsole pattern works. The 6 Rings looks better without the unnecessary straps. Watershield lining works too, should you be unlucky enough to find yourself stomping through two inches of water.

Air Jordan V 'Quai 54' in-store site: www.picknice.com

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Remember when we used to laugh at hype and queuing and all that stuff? We kind of yearn for those days. People only get partially interested in 2011. So when we noticed that there was a Euro Jordan release out on monday, we literally ran out the door, and we haven't done that in a few years. Paris's Jordan Brand sponsored Quai 54 streetball tournament (taking place on the 30th of June and 1st of July this year) is a big deal and last year's Jordan IX colourway was pretty cool, arriving alongside a Jordan 2010, but this year it gets an ISO 2 colourway and the Jordan V too — we're guessing you're not going to sprint for the ISO, but these Jordan Vs are tremendous.
Normally Retro+ colourways aren't our thing, but the V gets a fairly good treatment — the T23s are amazing and these are a worthy supplement. The whole '23' on the side of a shoe was quite exciting back in 2006, but it's been on a few releases since — the exotic 'QUAI 54' stitched on these gives them an extra aura. By leaving the colour to pop on the fluoro accents and outsole, they're ultra effective, even if the colourway is more in line with tennis and training circa 1990 than the Jordan line. These also evoke the player colourways that we saw in 'Sole Collector' magazine a few years back that got thrown onto the 60+ hybrid.
These are like some madcap sequel to the original Grapes — green grapes with a genetically modified glow. That's not to all tastes, but even some of our most puritanical associates have been picking up a couple of pairs this week. Tumbled leather instead of the plasticky strangeness of the old Grape retro — plus a Scotchlite embroidered tongue that comes correct — is a winning addition too. We assumed we'd never get near these and that they were destined for Paris's House of Hoops only, but they're in stores around Europe right now. The UK seems to have been given a decent allocation nationwide across multiple locations and we're loving them.
There's little of the atrocious quality displayed on the Green Beans here — good luck (in our best 'Taken' kidnapper phone voice) to our US buddies awaiting their House of Hoops drop on the 2nd of July too. No sour grapes intended (but that pun was intentional), but those black limited-to-54 versions aren't up to the level of the whites. Hype. Hype. Hype. It's a beautiful thing. We never thought a new makeup would be one of our favourite Jordans of the year, but that appears to be the case. These are available (in dwindling quantities) at House of Hoops concessions in selected Foot Locker stores now.

Air Jordan V BlackSilver 2011 Reissue in-store site: www.picknice.com

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Ah, the Air Jordan V. Arguably the one that sent the franchise stratospheric in the UK and the shoe that'll still cause nostalgia attacks, the fifth Jordan's fighter plane influenced jagged details and menacing stance, reflective tongue, lacelocks and gloriously non-symmetrical collar heights stay classic. Some of you might remember the 2000 retro sitting around for a short while (We're pouring out a little Red Bull for Brixton's Foot Locker branch right now) and you don't have to be an old schooler to remember picking a pair up in 2006 with a '23' on the heel being the cause of much excitement. Then loads of Vs seemed to drop with the numbers on and people stopped caring so much. But with a slew of Retro+ makeups dropping, you knew the black/silvers were on the horizon somewhere. For some, this was their first true footwear love — this colourway even made it to provincial towns at an ￡89 price tag that had your earmarked as a victim if they were fresh on your feet.
Durabuck creased and those transparent outsoles ended up yellow like pissholes. It's not that easy to obtain Sea Glow in the UK either. Run to your shoebox stack and you'll note that your 2000s are looking a little jaundiced and the 2006s might be taking on some unwanted vintage effects. Whatever Wiz says, black and yellow isn't always a good thing. As with the XIs, Jordan Brand's yellowing solution is to imbue them with a blue hue. The spectral look makes them look more like the vengeful spirits of neglected OG pairs left to rot in their boxes, but it still keeps the original appeal (though we prefer the soles a little more subdued) and keeps a point-of-difference between reissues. Half a decade doesn't seem like a lot, but it's enough time for a new generation to discover one of Tinker's very best designs.

Air Jordan III WhiteCement in store www.picknice.com

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There's very little point pumping out more poorly spelt paragraphs on a shoe like this. It's the
undisputed king of sneakers. There's some office talk as to whether the III takes out the IV as the
greatest Jordan, but for that perfect balance of simplicity, Dapper Dan style pattern flossing and
premium feel and the way it captured a revolutionary moment for Nike, who's messing with this one?
We saw Eazy and Kane rocking this model, then found out we couldn't grab a pair at our small town
sports stores. By part IV, Jordan distribution was more extensive. That afforded the Jordan III near-
mythical status, as only the Londoners out there who knew the retail terrain seemed to score a pair.
We think the Jordan III in these shades might be the greatest sneaker of all time. Sat somewhere
between an easy wear and something significantly more audacious, the tumbled leather (the material of
champions) and the debut of the once-sacred elephant print altered sneaker design—actually, let's
rephrase that—the path of contemporary design, in a major way. No amount of homages, imitations or
new makeups can diminish the shoe's clout. If you missed out on 1994 or 2003's (watch the
'Sneakerheads' documentary to see the 2003 queues) retros, today's the day to pick up a fresh pair.
The pattern seems a little different, but of the Jordan reissue rollout, the III seems to have been
blessed with some good retros to date. This is no exception.
Extra points to Jordan Brand for the switch in boxes from a generic glossy one to an homage to the
original, hangtag and booklet—plus

Air Jordan III True Blue release in-store

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The Jordan III is rolling around with a curious level of ubiquity after several wilderness periods where prices shot through the roof. Everyone with a vague interest in the Jordan line seems to have a story about this shoe, whether it was spotting the True Blues on the 'Eazy-Duz-It' cover in early 1989 and finding out that they couldn't find them in their local sports shops on these shores (Jordan IVs later in the year was when Nike smelled the coffee and gave us plentiful supplies), sleeping on 1994 retros of the black/cements, marvelling at the lack of popularity the excellent Mochas received on their debut (people seem to respect that restrained makeup a little more now), the 2003 Cement causing some queues, getting Fire Reds again in 2007 and being baffled by the decision to drop lesser fake-looking colourways ('Do the Right Things' stay wack) in favour of the original batch or buying a double pack and literally binning the XX to get to the III.
Despite getting the True Blues in summer 2009 (and them sailing out), they were a European exclusive. January 2011's Cement reissue set off a year of reissues. You're never more than a mile from a cluster of pristine takes on that shoe being worn, but while they're not scarce, it's great to have multiple pairs as back up in the event of a disaster involving mud, oil or stray espresso. With these built like the release earlier in the year, with that slightly tweaked tongue, a leather that's years ahead of those plasticky black/cements and superior to the last True Blue, plus packaging that includes that modified chunky hangtag, it's a great shoe if you missed out in 1988, 2001 or 2009.
Yeah, these were once sacred shoes, but we're growing to accept them as a staple sneaker that warrant frequent backups in the stash. This is a design that can never look bad in the correct colourway and True Blue is always right. They make a return this Saturday at midnight, with an RRP of ￡105.

Air Jordan 2011 in-store

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We're going to have to visit a hype shoe embassy of some kind to get our late passes stamped for this one. We should've covered the Jordan 2011 a couple of months ago, but the delivery got spectacularly delayed. So here they are. We weren't fans of the Jordan 2010. I fact, we haven't enthused about a Jordan instalment since part XXIII and that was years ago, but the 2011's reawakened a passion for this series round these parts. We're aware that it certainly isn't the shock of the new that the earlier models offered — there's more than a small amount of XI to the design and it looks like a better-handled spinoff under the Jordan Brand line than a contender for iconic status, but that doesn't stop it being an excellent representation of how sneakers can look when the right team's on board. Despite those comparisons, it looks like a shoe should look in 2011 — this is a defiantly sneaker sneaker rather than something self-consciously trying to conceal its sporting origins. That in itself is pretty damned refreshing.
Plus, we really love a tactile gimmick — didn't Hi-Tec have a removable capsule in a squash shoe years ago? Jordan really honed that kind of fanciness in the XXI and XXII, with the Independent Podular Suspension, but having interchangeable midsoles is something even more cool. We didn't find the act of replacement especially easy, but offering the softer EXPLOSIVE sole with full-length air and the harder QUICK sole with heel and forefoot Zoom is a smart touch. They even come in their own drawstring bags. We Euro heads don't react so well to graffiti-inspired attempts to be down etched into uppers. The best attempts to implement patterning — think elephant on the III, cement speckle on the IV or African art on the VII felt effortless, and the etchings in the leather this time link to some spaceage warrior talk, but it's not too overt and crucually, it gives the shoe that extra sense of flex and movement.
Wait a minute, did we just use the word leather? Yep. It smells right and it wears right — it's a good quality leather too. Will wonders ever cease? We'd become used to featherweight, stitch free synthetics, but that can't elicit an emotional reaction, and the Jordan line is all about provoking more than a shrug — even when it's really causing some vitriol to spill (as was the case with the XX and 2010). The 2011 is the right height for shorts wear and that outsole nod to Jordans of old and braille-style branding (as implemented on recent Kobes too) keeps it progressive with the right reference points to make it very relevant. Tinker setting it off on the sketchpad and Tom Luedecke on design duties makes for a killer combination, as Mr. Luedecke's knack for fluid footwear, twinned with Mr. Hatfield's expertise creates a near classic.

2010's Nike Infrared Air Max 90 on www.picknice.com

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Few shoes seem to hit home with a local audience like the Nike Air Max 90 in infrared, grey, black and white. Despite a semi-regular re-release program (is this Europe's equivalent of a crispy white-on-white Air Force 1?) it just hits fever pitch each and every time that mesh, faux-suede and nylon mesh reappears. We were pretty surprised to see it in the showroom again untampered with - we assumed it might be modified like 2008's premium accompaniment Air Max in matching colours, but nope - here it is, prepped for another drop. The Air Max 90 seemed to be blessed with some beautiful makeups on its release - Spruce Lime on a UMC tip, laser blue, and the women's colourways worth hobbling for, like fluorescent pink and crystal blue were great - but this was the one, bringing out the best in a pioneering design. It might well be Nike's definitive colourway.
Nobody does it like this any more. Ownership on its debut wasn't out the realms of possibility, but whereas the following year's Big Window Air Max seemed more commonplace, this one held a certain rudeboy mystique. If you ever saw some older kid pairing this shoe with Chipies, or clocked a pair on 'Dance Energy' as some kid pretended to be into Oceanic and had a minor epiphany that one day you were going to own that shoe, you weren't alone. It's a perfect shoe.
There must be something in the spirit of 1990, kids who weren't even born then are rocking black-on-black Air Max 90s with a vengeance - that and the era's other envy piece, the Fila F-13. But with the 90, what other shoe unites kids on the street in Mckenzie with pub everymen, students, sneaker hoarders and nostalgics? For added versatility, the look is unisex too. It's easily destroyed too - most shoes look better with a little wear. Not the 90. It needs to be kept pristine - dogged pairs are the footwear of choice for agency chaps called Giles who put them on with a Superdry jacket when they're meeting a "cool" client. Like we said, it's got versatility.
The MX oranges from 2002 had an Air of Infrared, but the 2003 and early 2006 HOA versions were hot property, even though we recall finding both on saleracks - changes in air bubble size, cracking paint and the altered swooshes are irrelevant, these are still double-up material, looking like the 2008 versions to us. Decent. These are set for a June release, we'll be selling 'em and we'll be giving you a heads up on any changes prior to their drop date.