The Year's Best Sneaker Releases

This was an extremely tough call for me to make, especially being a bit of a sneakerhead myself. Yes I queued up the day before to try to get a pair of Air Yeezy's (the black and pink ones), and no I still didn't get a pair. And though I like the feel and will hands down give the Yeezy's the nod for BIGGEST release of the year (more on that later) I cannot in good conscience give them the nod for best release of the year. This may be partially influenced by Kanye's stage-stealing, partially by a bit of bitterness at not having a pair myself and partially by my reluctance to admit that Kanye has serious style (I'm sorry people... despite some of the terrible trends he has started... he does). HOWEVER, despite the success of all of the Yeezy releases, the freshest, best looking pair of kicks from this year were both inspired by films and both released by Nike (I will freely admit my bias).

(Titanimg and Collider)

First up: the White Men Can't Jump inspired Nike Air Flight Lite High. These caught their fair share of both ups and disses, and the comment made by Nice Kicks contributor Matt Halfhill about the fact that he cannot remember Billy Hoyle wearing these bad boys at any point in the film is a valid point. However, the key here is the inspiration rather than the historical validity, and the inspiration created by Billy Hoyle's "chump" style is well worth exploring. While this is arguably one of the greatest films of the early 90s (if not the entire decade) it should be notice that these are about as true to Hoyle's persona and style as might be expected or wished for.

 Fresh'uns From Billy's Closet (Nice Kicks)

This is not an argument to say that a shoe based upon Sidney Deane's sense of style would not have been even hotter, HOWEVER, that said... this sneaker inspired by Billy boy is true to form and well executed. The selection of the Air Flight high's and their colorway is perfect for the mishmash style (tie-dye hat, work shorts, tube socks... come on) of Billy.

Billy Hoyle Driving on Sidney Deane (Uncoached)

Obviously, I would have been equally excited to see them bring back the Air Command's initially worn by Billy, but for a new and fresh film-inspired kick I couldn't possibly ask for more.


The next choice are the Nike Hypermax McFly (NFW)... another movie inspired sneaker and about as filthy a colorway as you will ever see (gray, white, pink, blue). This particular release is one of my favorites as well because it does more than simply make use of a nice colorway and the name of a film. Drawing inspiration from the ill shoes sported by Marty McFly in Back to the Future II (with a self-locking system and some serious light-ups) Nike took their hypermax and stripped the flywire out of them

McFly on His Hoverboard (Sneaker Hunt)

This is a cool decision to have made for two reasons: one flywire is a bit notorious for ripping despite it's lightweight and implied strength, TWO (and perhaps more importantly) it is a cool and literal approach to taking "back to the future" and bringing it to life a la Nike. Nike took one of their most technologically advanced sneakers (well known for its use of flywire technology) and flipped it old school by giving it a plain gray flat nylon/satin upper. The combination of the past and the future comes together nicely and a nice hit of glow-in-the-dark on the soles does nothing but make the drop even fresher. Argue if you like about the Hypermax NFW and the Hyperdunk McFly (from 2008), but they are both fresh as any sneaker I saw this past year.

Nike McFly Hypermax NFW 2009 (Highsnobiety)

Sneaker/Trainer Tourism

I'm not sure whether to be excited or disappointed by the news I've just read: SoleSearch (a sneaker search directory) has just made available for the Iphone. Designed to be used all over the globe, this handy little tool can help you find boutiques all over the globe.

Pros: quite helpful on trips to other cities and far off lands for must-have kicks.

Cons: takes away a lot of the need for research and being "in the know" to find the latest Nike release. Surely anyone in L.A. who catches wind of the fact that you only have to camp out for 24 hours for a pair of Yeezy's will book a flight and save the headache/luda asking price on ebay.
Also, not all of us have iphones... wahh wahhhh.

Via: Weekly Drop

Jeremy Scott has had a HUGE 2009

For our designer of today we take a look into some of Jeremy Scott's work from this year. Between his work earlier this year with Linda Farrow eyewear (my favorite being the flinstones inspired television collaboration). Now some of the latest Originals by Originals collaboration with Adidas can be peeped below (full coverage at High Snobiety). The kicks were a big hit as part of the Jeremy Scott Flinstones themed runway show. Please excuse the poor image quality above-- taken on my phone at LFW Exhibition. Enjoy!

PHLI Fresh 5-Panel

This excellent piece from forthcoming "PHLI worldwide" will undoubtedly catch the eye of every sneakerhead and streetwear fiend. Utilizing images of a number of different "must-have" sneaker boxes PHLI has gotten off to a very strong start. Available at PHLI for $35 (US) and comes with free shipping.

Via: Weekly Drop

Crooked Tongues BBQ Reminder

Just a reminder that tomorrow the world famous sneaker site Crooked Tongues will be hosting one of their infamous parties (only happens every year or two). Should be Shoreditched out and all the sneakerheads and streetwear nerds should be out. Would be a hell of a place to come take photos if nothing else-- should definitely be a dope party so come by if you can! You were meant to email requesting tickets but looks like you can just print out an invite here

Via: Crooked Tongues

Speaking of those Lebron Air Max VII's...

Check out these DOPE customs by Chicago based Artist Jeff Zimmerman.


These are truly incredible customs and given that Zimmerman is, by training and profession, a mural artist... these details are absurd (trust me, I've tried kicks, it is an incredibly tedious process) and he even managed to weave in the Chicago flag.

via: Kicks on Fire

"Fresh" Billionaire Boys Club/Ice Cream Waffles w/ Butter

Nice new kicks from Pharell's BBC/Ice Cream. Not sure I could wear 'em but they're pretty nice to look at!

via: highsnobiety