SolePrint

Supra Skytop II - Max 95 inspired

So, is this a homage to the beloved Air Max '95 or a shot at Nike's continual usage of classic colorways to increase sales? Who knows? Supra not only uses the iconic '95 color scheme, but also uses a mesh like material on the collar that also obviously ties back to the old school performance running shoe. There is no doubt that the color blocking inspiration for this shoe comes from the classic '95. But, the question is why did Supra blatantly take inspiration from a shoe that has been done in countless color ways? In my opinion, changing the color blocking of a silhouette can completely alter the appearance of a pair of kicks. For instance, the last part of this shoe you notice is the massive tongue and neck, which is normally the first things noticed on a Skytop. But, by utilizing the grey gradient and volt yellow towards the sole of the shoe, it draws the eye away from the massive tongue and stresses the lower parts of the shoe. In the world of sneakers, there are countless silhouettes that tie back to original old school design lines. Repetition is everywhere, but creating a new colorway that tricks the eye to think it's an entirely different shoe is an art within designing sneakers. For you art fans out there, it's basically the "Mark Rothko approach" to shoes.

Air Max 95 - Reversed Grey

Who is not a fan of the classic Air Max '95s? This classic style that has design elements influenced by the human rib cage has design lines that flow like no other Air Max (well.....except for the '97s). This basic gradient color scheme appears simple at first glance, but a closer look reveals a newer trend for this classic Air Max style. The lightest colors of the gradient scheme start on the sole/outsole and darken as the pattern pieces of the upper reach the tongue. This approach is the opposite of the traditional dark sole to lighter upper approach on most '95 colorways. In layman's terms, it's basically a traditional Air Max '95 turned upside down, and in my opinion, completely alters the visual impact of the shoe. I totally dig these, but if I could change one thing, there should be a more gradual gradient color scheme. Look closely at the lace loops and the laces themselves which bring an "ACG" aspect to these kicks. Nike has utilized an iconic classic silhouette and colorway to bring us a freakin' sick pair of kicks. Let's just hope that they have several Air Max '97s in the works!

Air Jordan Six Rings - 25th Anniversary Edition

The newest installation of the 25th Silver Anniversary Air Jordan Collection is not an original Jordan, but instead Jordan Brand went with the 6 Rings. This mash up of several retro Jordan (XI, XIII, VIII, VII..) elements has seen several recent releases to the masses. All of the 25th anniversay releases utilize silver in their own way. This model takes it a bit further with the use of a reflective 3M material (see image below). A nice approach to a new anniversary model, but who wouldn't rather of had this material on a true retro style? Is a Spizike anniversary edition to follow? Wait and see.

Air Jordan 1 - Armored Posite

This newest installment of the "Foamposite Family" uses the classic silhouette of the Jordan Alpha I. The all black posite upper looks like patent leather at first glance but lacks the over the top shiny visual that an all patent upper would display. In my opinion, these are *&^$#@#$$%^ SICK!!! I'm not sure what the intention of the blue "ice" outsole, but it's not too bad at all. A closer look at the upper reveals a change in eyelets from the typical Jordan Alpha 1. The metal eyelets used...of course also all black...toughen up the overall look. As long as these have the ridiculously comfortable zoom insole, I'm all in! How can you not dig the "seamless" look of the posite upper?

Nike SB X Street Fighter Pack

This new quickstrike pack from Nike SB is inspired by two of the classic Street Fighter characters, Ryu and Chun-Li. The Ryu inspired Dunk Mid sports a worn and weathered swoosh that reflects Ryu's headband. These look pretty sick at first glance but they have the new unpopular SB Dunk Mid characteristics. The heel/collar lining is clearly not as stuffed full of padding like the older Dunk Mids....and the obvious change is the missing strap....what's next?...removing the zoom in the sole? On the other hand, the Chun Li Dunk Lows seem to have dropped the recent SB Dunk Low changes (no fat tongue and only 1 pair of laces). The detailed pictures that have leaked reveal a set of white and blue laces and a fat tongue...so, maybe Nike is listening to all of the complaints. Overall, a decent quickstrike pack, but nothing overly exciting.

Nike Black Perf Pack - AF1, Dunk High AC, Toki ND

This all black perforated leather pack shows that fact that a simple, or lack of color blocking, can create great looking kicks. I think that the use of one color can trick the eye and make you focus on the overall silhouette of a shoe. Not to mention that these all blacks will hide the wear and tear and make your shoes look fresh for much longer. The perforations are a great touch and my only complaint for this pack is that the Dunk AC should be just a regular dunk without the vulcanized west coast style outsole.

Air Jordan IX - Charcoal

Word is starting to spread about the first ever retro release of these Air Jordan IX Charcoals. Nike seems to be releasing more and more black/charcoal colorways and I can't be the only one that loves it. The Jordan IX has seen a lot of releases in the past year (Citrus, 25th anniversary etc.) but in my opinion, this is the highlight. With a release date of sometime in September, what kind of excitement will this draw? It will be the start of this fall's Jordan buzz followed by the XI -Cool Grey and the XIII Flint.

DC Cadett Chukka X Sector 7

DC continues to step up there game in the lifestyle area with this stone blue pack. This new Chukka silhouette is one of the hottest Chukka styles I've seen in a long time. The two toned grey looks amazing on these and there are a few great details. The eye plackets covering the eyelets give these a sleak look that is complemented by the one pieced toe box. If you look closely on the toe box there is a "DC" inspired print, nice touch. The other pair in this pack is the Sector 7 TXSE lowtops. Not as appealing as the Chukka, but slick and simple nonetheless. These pairs will surely help turn some non DC fans into believers.

Vans Sk8 High - Medallion Pack

This new pack of two Sk8 Highs from Vans looks great, but unfortunately both pairs are Japan exclusives. These look to have premium leather with some dress wingtip flair on the toebox. Great touch if you ask me. The two toned brown pair have gold eyelets and an off white vulcanized sole. It's nice to see a pair of Vans that don't have solid white soles and the matching topstitching really sets them off. As far as the black pair I'm glad they didn't put the typical white sole on them, but some gold eyelets to match the tongue logo would look great.

Clae Russell - Black

This Clae Russell reeks simplicity and style as most Clae styles do. The almost completely black upper of what appears to be premium leather (based on a photo only) looks great with the off white cupsole. They continue to use contrasting eyelets on the three highest eyelets on this silhouette. In this case Clae uses gold that matches the brand flap, which brings just a bit more style to these. Once again, Clae has created a simple yet stylish pair of sneakers that tend not to get the respect they deserve. Does anyone agree? Simply sick!

Sperry Topsider X Band of Outsiders Chukka Nylon

As I'm sure all of you know, Sperry has made a monstrous comeback in the past few years and they continue to try and grow their customer base with this new collaboration with Band of Outsiders. Sperry has traditionally been a brand for the preppier / fashion forward crowd, but has also seen a small growth with some urban consumers. This new style definitely blends the two customer bases together. The use of wrinkled nylon on the upper (urban trend seen on recent Dunk Highs) and what appears to be a seersucker lining (classic preppy fabric) represents a great blend of their clientele. Although they will probably always be the quintessential boat shoe focused on the "Americana" crowd, I give them props for trying to expand their consumer base. I'm sure Timberland is beginning to get nervous that Sperry will begin to take away some Cruisemaster business.

Vans Crayola Collection

Although this collection looks pretty cool, there is once again a lack of originality in the sneaker world. This Crayola Crayon Collection immediately reminded me of toned downed versions of Nike's Back To School Dunk from 2008. Vans usually strays away from previously used concepts, but not in this case. They did execute it pretty well though and I'm sure there will be several fans of this collection out there. Me on the other hand, will definitely pass on these and stick with their classic color ways of the half cab.

Nike Air Max Courtballistec 3.3

Who would have thought of Nike obviously knocking off some Lacoste characteristics? It's nice to see it the other way around for once. The oversized hexagon / circle cut outs on the upper definitely derived from the Lacoste Repel series (see below). The Nike Air Max Courtballistic is Rafael Nadal's signature shoe as well as the most sophisticated tennis court shoe ever made by Nike. These technologically advanced kicks include Nike's Drag On 2X material as well as Lunarlon and Max Air for superior cushioning. I would have thought that Nike would have come out with a completely original look for a Rafael Nadal signature. There are way too many similarities to the Rebel in my opinion, especially on the outsole. Kind of a let down, huh?

Nike Air Max 24/7 Eggplant Colorway

This new color way couldn't be a shock to those of us who've been following Nikes for awhile now. The resurgence of the eggplant color, made infamous by the Air Foamposite One, continues to grow. This color way has recently seen on the Big Highs, the original Foamposite Ones, the Air 1/2 Cent and even on Blazers. I'm sure some of the purist are starting to think that Nike is overusing the eggplant, but they couldn't argue that these look great. I would have excluded the 3M reflective stripes on the eyelets because they take away from the toe to heel flow of the shoe, especially on such a monotone color way. Any thoughts?

Nike Air Force 1 High - Foamposite

Nike continues to bring together design concepts from past classics. This Air Force 1 High, arguably one of the most iconic silhouettes of all time, has an upper made from Foamposite. Nike continues with the resurrection of Foamposite that was initially made famous by the Penny Hardaway Foamposite One. This one will definitely be a home run with sneakerheads. The translucent sole reveals the air pocket and my only concern about these is that part of the sole appears to look blue. It definitely could just be the photography/sample, but I'm hoping that the only colors seen on the final product are black, graphite and clear. There are a few nice touches that obviously are inspired by the original Foamposites, such as the mesh tongue and large heel pull tab. For those of you who rock the Foamdome Boots in winter, these are definitely a great alternative when the weather is not so harsh.

Adidas Roundhouse Mid

Talk about a diamond in the rough! Probably not going to gain the respect and attention they deserve, but these are sick! The Adidas designers have utilized some old school traditional design elements and blended them with their own Originals' style. The heel counter of these obviously reflects the Nike 6.0 Encore Highs/ the Jordan 6's / or the Huraches(take your pick). Another Nike influenced element is the black part of the midsole. If you ask me, it reflects the Jordan 6's a little too much, especially with the 6.0 / Jordan 6 heel. But, Adidas really made these reflect their style through the oversized "Jeremy Scott" style tongue. I know, I know,.....the tongue is not nearly as big and gaudy as the Jeremy Scott editions, but you know what I mean. Another element that really reflects the old school Adidas style is the diamond pattern on the back heel midsole that is seen on tons of the ZX series. Lastly, the toe box is constructed of a simple suede structured design that reeks Puma's traditionally simplistic approach. My one suggestion is to widen the instep strap a bit. A mix of suede, leathers and faux carbon fiber really create a contrastingly complex shoe despite the fact that only two colors are used.

Lacoste Steel Raquets Collection

Lacoste's Stealth line has always drawn attention and the brand continues to turn heads with their newest collection, the "Steel Racquets." Inspiration drawn from the steel constructed tennis racquets invented by Rene Lacoste in the early 1960's can be seen throughout the line. The steel toned grays with brown accents, which are reminiscent of the leather grips on the old school racquets, create the base of an amazing color palate. This collection consists of the Rene, Broadwick, Europa and my personal favorite the Missouri 85. How can you not dig the lacing system on the 85s? The staggered eyelets allow for a flat and aesthetically pleasing overlapping of laces. All styles seem to have premium leathers with some infusion of a nylon based fabric (as seen on the toe box of the 85s). The minimal use of brown leather is the icing on the cake for this series. It's not a matter of whether you like this collection or not, but it's a matter of which pair you'd like to cop.