As 2009 comes to a close—is it really Christmas already?—and we begin looking forward to what 2010 has to offer in terms of sneakers, I’m taking the time to look back on the many quality releases we’ve seen this year and pick out my personal favorites. Read on to check out my list.
5. Air Royal Mid
I’m probably the furthest from a ‘boot person’ you’ll ever find, so a pair of boots making my list should speak volumes about how much I like this pair. I mean I have a pair of Timberlands sitting in the box in my closet that I’ve only worn twice since I spent $140 on them 5 years ago, so needless to say, boots just aren’t for me. That’s how I felt until I saw these Air Royal Mids. The thing that draws me to this pair is the un-clunky design, which is a hard look to come by in a pair of quality leather boots. They are constructed like a boot, but they still remain understated like a slim high-top sneaker. Available in either black or wine, these feature a perforated Swoosh on the side panels along with a perforated toebox. Complete with hiking-boot-style details like brass reinforcements on the eyelets and Timberland-like laces, these understated boots are just too smooth to be looked over.
4. Nike Air Maxim 1+ Trainer
In a year filled with more hybrids than I can count, very few attempts bred successful results. This is my personal favorite of the hybrid frenzy. These Nike Air Maxim 1+ Trainers combine elements from the Air Maxim 1 and the Air Trainer 1 and the offspring is a light-weight running shoe with the forefoot strap usually reserved for cross trainers. Mixing various materials like nubuck, mesh and Flywire, these are colored up with shades of gray, white, black with “chlorophyll” green accents. A new spin on a classic silhouette, done up in the cleanest of colorways, these are a no-brainer in my eyes.
3. Nike Air Max Griffey 1
Not only is Ken Griffey Jr. my favorite baseball player to ever play the game, but his series of sneakers were definitely one of my favorite series’ ever produced. These were one of my favorite shoes when I was in middle school but I couldn’t afford them, so I was ecstatic when I learned that Nike was finally getting around to retro-ing them. The black/white color combination mixes in hits of clearwater green and red and the Air Units are plentiful, making this shoe a classic. The royal/volt colorway is pretty tough as well.
2. Air Jordan XI “Space Jams”
As one of the most beloved Air Jordans of all-time, the “Space Jam” Jordan XIs finally make their return to planet Earth this year. Buzz has been surrounding the re-release of this shoe for more than a year, and as I write these words, the awaited release is only 6 days away. While I won’t be participating in the festivities because I took care of my pair from the 2001 release as if they were my first born, every sneakerhead on the planet should be amped for this release. Even though Jordan Brand decided to jack the price up about $50 since the last retro, the heads lined up on release day won’t mind paying an extra chunk of change in exchange for getting their hands on arguably one of the greatest shoes of all time. Complete with special packaging and customized plastic shoe trees, these would be the biggest release of the year by far if it weren’t for the…
1. Nike Air Yeezys
I can’t remember a shoe ever garnering as much attention as the Nike Air Yeezys did, before, during and even after their release. The hype surrounding them was crazy to say the least. Even though they retailed for over $200, people went absolutely ape shit for these shoes. Collectors lined up days before the release, shops completely bypassed the whole selling them for the MSRP concept by auctioning them off to the highest bidders, and resellers made enough money to pay for their new flat-screen TVs with these. With completely fresh color schemes, a custom “Y” print (for Yeezy, of course) and glow in the dark outsoles, these shoes were by far the biggest story in sneakers this year. As far as reselling trends go, prices usually skyrocket in the weeks before and after a big release and then die down a couple months later after the hypemachine slows its motors; but not for these. Here we are, 7 months after they released and you’d still be hard pressed to find a pair of these for under $700 anywhere. These black/gray/pink ones were my favorite colorway of the bunch, but the other models were dope too. Dope enough to drop $600 on? Ehhh, I’ll get back to you on that one.
So, what were your favorite sneakers of the year? Drop us a line and share your thoughts.
Photo Gallery
Tags: footwear, gallant picks, sneakers
LADY GAGA ft. BEYONCE – “TELEPHONE”
Handsome Men’s Club
KESHA + STAR WARS Tik Tok Music Video Spoof
Yeah i agreed with you to some extent but my number ones would have to be the 3’s from the Jordan anniversary collection they are so much fresher than Nike Air Yeezys, still a good compilation thou.