I would like to apologize for the light neglect washed over this blog. I have just relocated to a different country and my affairs have been in the air for a little bit. I just unpacked my own computer yesterday and after a day on the phone with Time-Warner, we are back in business.  

I  figured I’d start off this new phase with a representative sneaker, the Air Max 97 Gold/Red. Impact wise this is the best shoe Nike has made in fifteen years and taste-wise, it might be the best they’ve ever made. I was never a big fan of 95s, at least on my feet, but the 97 is a subtler, matte, flattened take on that admittedly revolutionary shoe. Yes, the 95 was designed after a skeleton and the 97 was designed after a shoe; yes, Eric Clapton owns a jet painted like a 95 but no one owns any conveyance resembling a 97*. Compton rapper The Game gave a shout-out to the 95s back when he was good (or back when his beats were, anyways), and the only musicians I have seen affiliated with 97s have been that band Red Snapper, of which the less said about them, the better.

But I still maintain the 97 is a better shoe. The 95 has a wide, wide last and is fatter than most air maxes and some air forces. It looks very strange with slim fitting, or at least modestly fitting jeans - If you’re wearing skinny Nudies or what have you, you might be more interested in beatle boots. It is also a tall shoe, with an almost exaggerated midsole and is only nomenclaturally a low-top.

The 97, on the other hand, is short enough that it might be the most low-profile Nike produced outside the odd tennis model. The colorways, while not as exciting as the 95’s, have more staying power**. They didn’t try to do anything too outrageous, color wise, because the design was already so out there. All those little lines, the infinite air all around the bottom, but still not much of it, why would they need a turquoise or teal? White and silver, gold and white, both with some red, do the job and match your jeans, khakis, or even your suit pants (if you’re bold). A caveat on this shoe: it is extremely narrow, with a low toebox. If you have a wide or high foot, don’t order these off eBay, or conversely, take out the insole.

*besides the shoes, duh.
**to be sure, the neon 95 is pretty untouchable from a design and color-wheel standpoint.