crooked tongues magazine News Features

Striders barely don't get their dues, but adidas Originals are going to drop them in seasonally until the majority concedes that this is a quintessentially brilliant piece of basketball design from the brand's most progressive period when it came to hardwood, when a batch of designs birthed some of our all-time favourite high and mid tops. 'Court' might be the lazy shoe copywriter's favourite word too - you can alliterate it with 'classic,' or create a bad pun ...

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The Everybody is the everyman of the Alife footwear line. A polar opposite to the out-and-out weirdness of the Ritefoot line and twitching with legendary Nike DNA like the debut Jordan lows and Dunks at ground level, it's been the one that lends itself to all manner of makeovers. Low, mid or high it's become a range staple. Remember the Patta collaboration that cranked up any semblance of Vandal in the mix? This model's simple enough to ...

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The Olympic gold Dunk Hi from 2004 was crazy - we probably wouldn't bat an eyelid over such a bold makeup now, but six years ago it just felt fresh to death. London's man about town, and footwear kingpin Kish has been known to bust out a pair worn just right relatively recently. These two colourways flip the USA Olympic shades pretty well that blew our minds when they hit the courts in Barcelona during the 1992 festivities when ...

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Alife don't get their full dues when it comes to footwear - their track record proves they can crush it at collaborative level with any brand (we're thinking Nike, PUMA, New Balance, Saucony and ASICS, but we're still in awe of their original adidas makeups, and recently, their Timbo 40 Belows), but as we return from a handful of tradeshows peddling no end of nondescript indie vulcanized brands that make us drowsy just attempting recall, their own brand ...

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We want a late pass on these. We were on some Phileas Fogg steelo when these went all over the internet. An abject lesson in giving the people what they want, while it would be cool if these were inline gems, plentiful in supply and a surprise on the shelves, we're stoked to see the Consortium line dropping gimmick-free bangers. the formula's simple - take some of adidas's most perfect silhouettes, then put some tried and tested makeups ...

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Normally we'd have dropped a Bread & Butter roundup by now, but brands are getting jumpy about leaked shots, and we're too busy to waste time explaining that we're there as both buyers and press. So we didn't get much in the way of images - be ready for Gourmet getting all Bally on us, some All Court excellence from Nike, a fine fourth KZK collection from adidas, UK-made 576s in simple colours, Converse looking beyond Chuck and ...

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We've championed a few independent lines over the years. Some picked up, some bricked in spectacular style and some, in retrospect, really weren't that good. For some, the best choice was to bide their time. That's what Addict did. Dave, Chris and the rest of the crew have definitely put in the hours to get the quality and presentation right. When it comes to casual footwear, no idea's truly original - a local history of moc-toed, Irish-made ...

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The Macropus has a special place in our hearts as a curious Tier Zero product in a more heavyweight HTM mid-cut version that confused a few heads on its debut, with that sloping sole unit and moc-toe. Best of all, the Macropus name references the marsupial genus that includes several wallaby species for a clever Clarks Wallabee reference. It was a shock-to-the-system to see Nike go casual in such a clean way, and the price tag was intimidating, making it ...

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As recently as '97 we would've crawled through broken glass for a big brand's hookup with George Lucas's intergalactic franchise - remember when a reference to Boba Fett or 4-LOM could light the touch paper for impassioned nerdy conversations? There was a magic to the original trilogy that we don't think George could fully appreciate. That's why he chose to create some CGI-heavy prequels that create a disturbance in the Force, so that after three movies ...

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We loved the Terminator back when it was the stuff of lore - vintage pairs in Tokyo, HOYAS player samples...the black sheep of 'Be True To Your School' campaign, and an almost militaristic, brutal looking silhouette - especially in that navy and grey. That magic may have been diminished a little, as it is with any model, when it was re released, and that shape just looked a little crazy next to other models on the shelf, though the forefoot still ...

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In the Spring collection during showroom-time we saw a few weak links, but this right here was the highlight. If you thought Lenny had shot his creative bolt on SBs, FLOMs, charity Blazers and all that other goodness early last decade when it came to Nike footwear, you're wrong. Is it too early to be calling best-of-years? actually, yeah, it is, but we can't resist an AF1 High, nylon strap and all that's kept nice and basic ...

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Dennis's signature shoe was a bloody brilliant design - simple in its execution and cunning in its melding of two classic adidas performance classics, laced with a spot of unobtrusive quirkiness , it was ideal for your favourite skater's favourite skater. With the GeoFit collar lining and that moulded footbed, plus the option to create your own 'Busenitz Lights' by trimming that tongue there's a good balance of references, creative direction and real-deal scope for performance crammed into something ...

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Great. Ghosts in the machine meant we couldn't put up the News feature we wanted to, but as a plan-b we thought we'd take a look at a shoe we meant to up over Christmas, until the wave of Best Of '09 interviews took precedence. Between that and Air flight-related typos, this week has been enough to give our New Year optimism a kick in the teeth, but we can't be stopped, so here's the bizarre ...

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First things first, apologies for the slightly shonky lacing. These are store images, and we'll be fixing that shortly. We have shoelace OCD, and we know you do too, and it makes us squirm too. Having said that, if you're that much of a puritan, seeing these creations may have already made you slam your MacBook shut, punch a wall and commit a familiy annihilation. We've long had an axe to grind with Brand Jordan for mixing ...

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Regardless of how referential they are, we're big fans of new models, and as we enter a fresh decade they're even more vital to sustain our continued interest. The Fortitude Mid had our interest from the offset with an oddball mix of contemporary basketball, a touch of offroad and even some classic runner shape in the mix. Best of all, they appeared with little fanfare or promotional guff. You've got to love the element of surprise, and ...

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Because we're belligerent idiots when it comes to dealing with PRs, these models have an aura of mystery for us. We know the Superstars here fit into the Tech collection alongside some matching Nizzas and Sambas, but those Forums fit into the equation too somewhere down the line. The Superstars are cool and all, with that curious jagged white leather trim that gives them an air of the tribal flavour that's permeated so many Japanese designs lately, sitting ...

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Rod's signature model got heavily partnered up last year, and to tell the truth, because of sheer collaborative volume, the subtlety of some makeups was lost in the avalanche of colourways. That's a shame, because there was a fair proportion of beauties in the crowd, even if our hearts belong to the wider and more commonplace Rod Laver Super. For 2010, that urgency has been shorn, and this pair of secondary UNDFTD designs is pretty good. Suede on ...

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Our year-end roundup is over. Thanks to all who participated, and as we stressed last week - there were a few interviews that went pear shaped, so if you're perplexed at an omission, don't blame us. Actually, feel free to blame us. We're not fussed. Janoskis were everywhere last year after their launch, and not just on the feet of the extreme sports and hype media that attended the Los Angeles press shindig. They were significant in their ...

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Another skate shoe? Oh yeah. Beyond the harder to obtain select store pieces, Vans picked up on the 2008 Classic Kicks project to bring a few more pieces immortalised in 'Off The Wall' skate-specific ads to the shelves again. We were particularly grateful to see colours of the '77 Mid Skool design out for the Summer. Perfect with denim, shorts and easy-to-wear for skaters, hipsters...even the born-again 'Free & Easy' brigade who are "over" sneakers could appreciate these. Best of ...

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That joker Woody, eh? We were going to Photoshop the fuck out of him in revenge for his end-of-year hi-jinks, but we rose above. Because that's the kind of folks we are. Sneaker Freaker's reworking of the New Balance 850 is good. It's actually very, very good. Beyond the kangaroo theme, the use of materials gave the shoe the extra premium kick it needed to match the Asian-made version with the UK-made original, and that colour-blocking just ...

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This model appeared in a box of decent makeups of Coastal pieces ealier in the year, and blew us away from the start. Our Skateboard Gazelle love is well-documented, but we always felt that this line needed an extra killer application, and with a killer team lineup, it was a matter-of-time before we found a new favourite. Go check Dennis's prowess at the Berrics if you're not familiar with his skills - his football-inspired pick of footwear takes a ...

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2013

• May (19)
• April (24)
• March (26)
• February (27)
• January (28)

crooked tongues magazine News Features

More adidas Striders

Alife Everybody Low Canvas

Nike Sportswear 'Olympic' Dunk Highs

Alife Chuck Naval Leather

More adidas Consortium 'Classic Runners'

Nike Sportswear & fragment design Zoom Tennis Classic

Addict Footwear Q&A

Nike Sportswear Air Macropus Lites

adidas & Star Wars ZX 8000s and Superskates

Nike Sportswear & fragment design 'NOISE' Terminator Hi

Nike Sportswear & Futura AF1 High Premium

adidas Skateboarding Busenitz

New Balance/EXPANSION Inc/mita CM820

Jordan Flight 45 Hi

adidas Fortitude Mid Q&A

adidas 'OT Tech' Superstar & Forum Mid

adidas x UNDFTD Consortium Rod Laver OG

CT BEST OF '09 - Nike SB Zoom Janoski Q&A

CT BEST OF '09 - Vans Mid Skool 77

CT BEST OF '09 - New Balance & Sneaker Freaker 'Skippy' 850 Q&A

CT BEST OF '09 - adidas Skateboarding Busenitz Q&A

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