Not Just for Sneakerheads...

Nice read from Ball Don't Lie's Kelly Dwyer. Sports aren't going to be a regular topic here at SneakersCultureLife, but I thought this blog was a great example of how sneakers branch out past our "small" sneaker collecting community. Fashionistas, jocks and everyone in between can appreciate an icon and an iconic shoe when one comes around. Cool kicks aren't just for Sneakerheads.

One Hundred x One Hundred

I've never taken a full sneaker collection picture before. I've heard that it can take hours, to pull everything out and set everything up, from the people who have done them on the message boards. Given I have over one-hundred pairs of shoes in my collection, I think it would take me closer to half a day to finish that project.

But every week or so, I get a small snapshot of what that collection family photo would look like. It started when I was in high school. My uncle Jerome advised me that I should try not to wear the same pair of shoes in consecutive days -I should let them air out first. By keeping a nice rotation, I could extend the life of the shoes, keep each pair from stinking up too fast -just generally maintain all-around freshness.

As my shoe collection grew, the lineups in the hall grew. Days would pass and I would rotate between the pairs in the hallway and other pairs in my room, but every pair I wore eventually ended up in the hallway to air out. I would sometimes try to see how long I could stretch the line before my mom would get mad. The first complaint generally came around five pairs. The second came around eight. Anything past ten or twelve and it was final warning. Either that, or she would throw all my shoes into my room just to clean the hall. When the sneakers fill up the hallway to the point that I start stumbling on them on my way to the bathroom and kitchen, I know it's shoe cleaning day.

up the hall..

down the hall..

Today, my first shoe cleaning day of autumn, I took a look down from the end of the hallway and thought, "Man, there is a lot of heat(1) in this out here." Not to brag. Not at all. But any sneaker collector can admire a nice shoe when they see one and the hallway was my collection's mini-masterpiece. The variety reminded me of a time in high school. I decided that for the whole month, I would go through my entire collection (around twenty-something pairs at the time), a new pair every day, no repeats until the whole thing was done. Then I got to thinking, what if I tried that now?

I like to save the nicer shoes for things like date night, going out, birthday parties, church, etc. you get the picture... but if I filled in the work and bad weather days with beaters(2), I think this is something I could actually do. I've been wanting to do this for a few years, but now that my collection has begun to plateau, I think it'd be fun to dig into the depths of the stacks and see what I actually have.

sorting..

stacking..

I'll try to document everything on here as I go, along with some (hopefully) interesting stories about the shoes themselves or whatever they've inspired me to write about. Anyone that sees me can keep the blog honest by checking and making sure I haven't doubled up. I probably won't be able to do one-hundred shoes in exactly one-hundred days, but hopefully I'll be able to get through the collection by New Years. I'm actually more excited now that I'm writing about it than I was when I was thinking about the project earlier. Hopefully by the end, even if I don't have the family photo, I can piece it all together. Day one starts Sunday! I wonder what I'm going to wear....?

{currently in the speakers: A Tribe Called Quest - Can I Kick It?}

...(see what I did there?)

(1) Heat: n. - an expensive, rare or "hot" sneaker.

(2) Beaters: n. - the "every day" shoes that you don't mind getting messed up. a beat up pair of shoes.

*September 11th... we will never forget.*

1 + 1 = -2?

So a Jordan XI and an Air Max 1 walk into a bar...

I've been having the feeling lately that Nike as a brand has been running out of ideas. When I started collecting sneakers for real back in 2001, every other month a shoe would come out that would make me think "I gotta have those!" I tried to pace myself to one pair per month, but I remember a few months when it got really out of hand. I would blow what little money I had from working my part time job (and eventually even start to rack up credit card debt) just to satisfy my fix.

I don't spend much on shoes anymore, but I'm not entirely sure it's because I've gotten tired of them. I love sneakers. I walk into stores on Haight looking for something clean, new and exclusive to catch my eye -nothing does. I stroll the mall stores like Sheikh and Shoe Palace hoping a bright, fresh pair would call my name -I walk away empty handed.

I want to want to buy a pair of new sneakers... I just don't want any of the ones that are out right now. I thought this phase wouldn't last long, but it's been several years and I don't remember the last time I bought a new pair of shoes from a store. Sure, I've gone on eBay and forums and picked up brand new OLD pairs that I've missed along the way, but a NEW new release hasn't been added to the family for a while.

And I really think it's because everything that's coming out, I either already have something similar, already have the original or just have a better version. I'm sure I'm not alone here, as anyone who's been collecting for a while knows -you can't have too many shoes, but you don't want too much of the same.

When I first started collecting, I started on two sneakers -Air Maxes and Jordans. Air Max runners came out with the cool colorways and were always comfortable. And even if you didn't play basketball growing up, you were cool if you had a pair of Jordans on. Anyone who's been collecting for a while knows -there's no stronger foundation for a sneaker collection than Air Maxes and Jordans.

My favorite Air Max of all time is the Air Max '87 aka the Air Max 1.

The clean lines and single air bubble exhibit the elegance of simplicity and the mesh and nubuck upper accentuates both form and function. Plus, doesn't it just scream "I'm an 80's baby!"? Back in elementary school, my aunt gave me a pair of her old Air Max Ones (I wish I knew where they were). I remember the first time I wore them was "Field Day" and I swear, even though they were at least a full size too big, I was flying in those shoes.

One of the all time classic Jordans is the Jordan XI.

Now, that is a beautiful shoe. There isn't any way around it. It's smooth, it's shiny, it's clean, not to mention one of the more iconic Jordans in history (see: Space Jam). The use of ballistic mesh and patent leather on a basketball shoe was groundbreaking when it released and to this day the Jordan XI remains as one of the most loved Jordans of all time. I used to wear my lucky Jordans during midterms and finals in school. Wore them to prom. Will probably wear them at my wedding too. I even have a pair of baby size 1's for my future son (or daughter) The White/Columbia Blue colorway is very gender friendly. But I digress...

You can't go wrong with either of those shoes. But Nike/Jordan has proved that it's possible to go wrong with BOTH of them.

...

I really don't know what to say. I mean, part of me really wants to like it. I can see the Jordan XI in the shoe and I think "nice". Then I see the Air Max 1 part of the shoe and I think "nice". Then I take a step back and look at the shoe as a whole and think "huh?" My friends were having a conversation over the weekend about two really good looking people having a baby that just turns out funny looking. I guess that can happen in the shoe universe too.

It might just be a case of "you have to see the shoe in person" or "it looks better when you're wearing it than it does on the shelf" but those scenarios are extremely rare in my experience. I guess we'll see how well they do when they release this weekend. Having a limited drop might help a bit, but I won't be surprised if I see these bad boys in the outlets by next spring. Maybe then I might be convinced to pick 'em up? Maybe.

So a Jordan XI and an Air Max 1 walk into a bar... I guess the result is a joke. And not a very good one at that.

(Photo Credits: Flight Club, Jumpan23.com)

{currently in the speakers: Lexicon - Nike Head =) }

Standing the Test of Time

As I've grown older, I've come to realize that the things you really love in life tend to follow you in your journey. Not that you should ever take these things for granted, but when it is something you really love, you find a way to stick together.

Flaky friends fall away. Bad influences get weeded out. Trendy hobbies get pushed by the wayside.

Family stays. Good friends stay. True passions stay.

I'm officially on the high side of 20 now and after a turbulent couple of last years, I'm starting to recover from my quarter-life crisis and get things in order. Weeks after I "took a break" from my writing gig at that game website I used to write for, I realized I didn't miss playing that game anymore. What I did miss, however, was writing.

Others draw. Paint. Take photographs. Sing. Dance. Play instruments. Create things. Everyone expresses themselves in different ways. As simple as it is, I guess I express myself with words. My brother jokingly said the other day that my sister sings and he plays the guitar -and I "don't do anything." I thought about it, but couldn't respond. I can't believe it took me this long to realize it, but I do do something. I write.

Now, I'm writing for me. Not that I didn't enjoy what I was writing about before, but towards the end I was really uninspired and trying to please a readership base that is notoriously difficult to please. I'm writing now because I want to. Because I love writing. Not only this, but I'm writing about the things I love most; expressing my passions as best I know how. Sneakers, music, art, fashion, food... life -in words (and pictures). It truly is a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

Hopefully this blog will inspire you to pursue your own passions and spend time with the people and activities you love. Peace.

{currently in the speakers: Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon}