These Nike Air Mocs were one of the first shoes that got me into Nikes, go figure. I worked in a childrens’ shoe store the better part of three summers, with a sneakerhead owner. - He had one of the first Nike accounts in Ottawa, wore Jordans to his wedding, and was in such good standing with our fav company that they sent him grips of good sneakers in his size, for himself. I wore some III’s to work one day, and my boss mentioned how he had “every Jordan ever, including the metal ones”, but gave them all away to the guy who had my job before me. Cool. At least we were the same size. Cooler.

We were a children’s store, but we carried some bigger sizes - half the Ottawa Lynx’s roster, then the Orioles’ AAA affiliate, bought their VC3s from us - mostly in Mocs and Alpha Project shoes. Whatever Nike was pushing, they sent to us. I remember coming in to work one day and the whole floor was covered in boxes - it was a small store, but did a lot of business - mostly baby Terra’s (not the good kind), but with 3 pairs of Kukini’s in a size 10, in obese orange boxes, staring out at us, daring us to c0pe. None did. I bought a pair of Mocs that summer to add to my busted ass collection. I returned them a week later, not being leisure enough to pull off this look. I have since regretted it, but not in any real way.

2 pairs of Purple Nike Co.JP’s (here’s the second pair), from I think 2002. These were some of the hottest joints to drop that year - never mind co.jp’s - although looking at them now I’m not so sure they’d be able to go toe to toe with Hong Kongs or some of the city attacks. But there were some fine pairs of canvas vandals in those days: red and gold, black and gold, the berlin vandals (which TIGA reportedly owned), and later some Junya Watanabe canvas vandals (only avail. at his army store in Tokyo, for about a week at $500 or something stupid). It’s a gentleman’s call as to which is the best of the bunch.The red and golds were pretty ill at the time, and certainly get better with age. Although canvas Vandals, Berlins or otherwise, are ignorable shoes: they crease easy, white midsoles, you can never get the straps done up, they look like air forces but with a narrower toe. Vandals are a lot sleepier than the promotion behind them would garner. Not that they had any real promotion, besides that schizophrenic foray from england in 2004, t-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, all done up with bold helvetica caps lock (or was it aardvark bold?).

A worn vandal might as well be a terribly beaten up (shredded) air force.With these though, the purple might be the best purple on any Nike ever (in real life they look more like the first pair), and the silver swoosh calls up the stainless steel wash-basins in the Vatican. That said, it’s hard for a high-top, never mind a purple one, never mind a dogg with the biggest swoosh in the game* to be subtle or understated. But what are you going to do, cry about it? Yeah, it’s purple, yeah, it’s 2008, and everyone with a T1 line looks like an asshole from the ankles down. Yeah, God didn’t intend for good Nikes to be worn with Cheap Mondays. Yeah, if you were cool you’d stick to Jordans XV throug XVIII, go to the gym and not ask any questions. Yes, the wrong side is a skinhead band. Yes to all these things. But, really, when you buy a shoe of this caliber, you’re doing nothing if not trying.

*these vandals have bigger swooshes than anything besides those retro’d up Blazers

** At least the only games i get are Nets and Knicks games. COOL. Real fucking cool. Hope this entry wasn’t too incoherent..

Hey girls… Today is your day, at least as far as Nike is concerned. While your man may be planted in front of the tube watching LOST, or worse, the Miami Heat, someone out there hasn’t forgotten about you*. Ever since Brand Jordan started fucking mostly with black and whites, the best red nikes for the last few years have been the valentines, shoes in women’s sizes released a week before Himself’s birthday. Mostly air forces, mostly air force lows, with court forces as of late (I do not approve) and air max 95s and others hence**.Women’s nikes are generally better than men’s: they’re wider (I’m not sure why***), cheaper, and have flyer colors. More room for your dogs, $10 less, pastels on the 360s, blue swooshes on the 97s, and patent on the air forces. Thanks to our boy Rasheed, who I love, hasn’t dropped a dime on the game since the red patents in ‘04, these are the closest we’re going to get to good freaking patent air forces.

Let me break it down:

These came out in 2005. They are air forces, they are low, and they are nubuck. I am listening to Anthrax and I wish I had a pair of these - I do not. The heart on the heel is tiny, and the sole might have a bunch of candy hearts on the inside, etc. The seller is also selling a Sixers jersey for girls. I couldn’t be bothered to check, but I assume it’s a Kerry Kittles swingman.

These came out in 2006. They’re pretty similiar to the red pair in that they’re both low air forces that aren’t patent, but these ones have a weird back tab (like the Chinese New Year ones) and no little heart. If it makes you feel better though, the candy hearts remain to be trampled under foot. Yum.

These came out last year and are a hefty departure from the other valentine air forces, mainly because they are at this point adhering to other nikes, instead of circling in their own valentine heat orbit. These were real similar to those Japanese air forces that came out in early 04, they were japanese exclusives but I copped them at Clientele, they were yellow and black, and white. Every time I wore them I would get props, not sometimes, but every time I put them on my feet, I’d get a commendation by someone who also had their afternoons free. I’ve never to this day had a pair of shoes that’s given me that, or known anyone else who has, so go figure. I sold them shits. These are the exact same shoe, but with a heart outline on the corner. Kind of feels like a put-on to me, to be honest. It’s not like during the Clinton administration they stuck a rose on an air force and called them Valentine’s; they didn’t, they wouldn’t think to do it. These aren’t Valentines, they don’t even have a heart. They shouldn’t have done this transparent a Valentine’s day shoe.

These came out a long time ago and are great. They’re mids, which are harder to wear, but they’re definitely the better of the cretaceous period of valentine air forces.

Click there, take notes, and cop some similar, or better yet, relisted heat! Happy valentines day to all the girls and skinheads out there! Who loves you

*Phil Knight.

**As always, my favorites are what they were last year, the year before, before, etc.

*** Could be because the women who rock a 12 have some strong feet

I’m gonna let you in on a secret*. Adidas Torsions. Not much to say here: the shoe speaks for itself. Either you get it or you don’t, this is one of the only truly wearable Adidas with the Micropacer. Just chunky enough, just sleek enough that you can rock the hell out of this thing. Not especially wide, not so low profile that they’re a chucks replacement, but a runner that is the closest to Nike’s late 90’s models as is anything else. Makes the best use of the Adidas three stripes, by making them short and stocky, close together therefore strong. The long stripes are like Yorkies, they’re for girls***. I wonder sometimes, about my job, my old job, and new work, and chances are, as I’m not buying too many shoes as it is, but I won’t be rocking too many of these in the near future**. So be it, this is a gift, for all three dozen of my friends that read this site, and that one guy who wrote a letter a bit ago, here’s a shoe y’all can rock, which I hope you do. Of course it’s a size 9.5, of course. I don’t mind. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve had this Katt Williams thing on pause for about an hour, and I miss it.PS - Shaq on the Suns, lol.

*Well, about as much of a secret as this website itself.
** Check out the dog’s Vandals, and in my size too! Ooh I wanted these when they dropped. I ain’t about to rock a high top in 2008, but damn. I am on the fence.
***Ehh.. thanks for reading