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The Reebok Insta Pump Fury deserves several leases of life. If the other brands can keep on whipping out their oddest designs whenever the mood takes them then — despite our overall aversion to most things laceless — this model deserves the most shine. It's Reebok's '90s masterpiece. 1994 was a year where the Jordan retros altered the industry, despite their initial lukewarm reception, and expensive shoes (Weren't these in the £105 region when they dropped?) like this were ...

Without the skate photographer, the industry wouldn't be what it is today. Skateboarder, Thrasher, Transworld, RAD, Big Brother and Sidewalk's action shots and portraits have inspired, evolved and amused audiences globally. We used to have walls full of trick snapshots, and it's refreshing that the artform's still as relevant as it ever was. Few sports offer such rewarding visuals. Atiba Jefferson is - in our humble opinion - the best there is. Yeah, we know the current photo ...

The sports footwear equivalent of a sugary, milky cup of tea after a lost weekend, the Reebok Phase II still feels like a detox trainer. This resurrection of the Phase II is still keeping us happy almost a year after this design — retroed a few times over the years but never this well — was brought back in a quiet storm of definitive form. If you're of such a delicate disposition that the red, white and blue was too much ...

The whole debut Vans OTW line has been covered here already in a conversation with the creative director behind the collection, Mr Tom Cooke a while ago, but to commemorate the line's impending arrival in the Crooked Tongues store we've got a pair of white Larkins (UK 10) or a pair of blue Alomars (UK 9) to give away courtesy of our friends at Vans. Seeing as there's a spot of crossover in the design language, it ...

The adidas OT Originals Tokyo Tech line is an interesting trickle down of the solid shoes Kazuki's been pushing under the ObyO line, and the OT Tech Hike Spezial caught our eyes immediately during buying season. A consistent collection that really find its feet in the coming months, from shoes to some superior apparel, it's clear that adidas Originals are taking this line seriously. The shades of Visvim are certainly no bad thing, and these feel like an ...

Pretty sleek despite having a ponderous name that borders on hybridized self-parody, the Nike Air Max 90 Current Moire is an odd shoe. It debuted last year in faux-suede makeups that emulated the beautiful Tier Zero Moires from 2006. We thought that was a nice reference point. After all, the Moire's Free and Sock Dart styling, couples with speckles and cooler-than-thou distribution (until we found them for next-to-nothing in a DSM sale and doubled up) was one of last ...

Yeah, the Union Jack on the logo doesn't represent where the brand currently resides, but as far as we're concerned, the Reebok Workout is a British shoe. We adopted it. Yankees have their Uptowns, but this design looks at home in this country's dour environments, whether they're an inner city locale or a provincial town. Back when Reebok were causing Nike some serious migraines just by breaking out the soft leather for aerobics purposes via the ...

We don't get particularly excited about Nike Air Max 1s any more, and this "Omega" variation is some more acceptable blowback from last year's Rivals collection. Is there any more to say about the first Air Max? Weird that a shoe so powerful and revolutionary on its debut could become so ubiquitous, but it's pretty understandable. Light and comfortable enough to defy any attempts at an official update, it's still seemingly altered in one way or ...

The MA-1 jacket influence runs deep through the Pump line this season, as the muted nylon outer and bold lining that's perfect for visibility in the event of an emergency is an inspiration again — this time on a pair of Reebok Omni Lites. We've seen UNDFTD put it on a Jordan IV and Poorman and New Balance put it on a 576. While the current weather doesn't necessitate a coat, outerwear fetishism seems to be matching the ...

This is a very strange adidas Rising Star colourway, but we can appreciate it at face value. The whole signage-theme has left us pleasantly baffled, with some mixed results. The Forum Mids that were part of the pack have been the highlights so far, but this is such a strange shoe inclusion that we can't ignore it. Rising Stars are one of the definitive adidas runners. They look good with everything. We haven't tried them with a tux ...

We're preoccupied with PRO-Keds at the moment. The Royal in particular is a personal favourite, and PRO-Keds have kindly given us an appropriately royal trio of white, red and blue colourways to give away to one lucky person purchasing a pair of PRO-Keds from the store between now and Sunday July 25th. Naturally we'll make sure they're your size too. One of the original sought-after shoes, and in many ways, the forefather of the sneaker "culture" we ...

The goal with these shoes seems to be to bait fans of the source material somehow. We're not going to take the bait and try to see the positivity in these designs. The Jordan Flight 9 has nothing to do with the IX either. It's a reference to the big man's Olympic jersey number. The Jordan III is one of the most perfect pieces of contemporary design we can recall, taking full advantage of the revolutionary Air ...

Back in Crooked's early days, a pair of the once costly The Pump Running was something of a showpiece. We recall selling a pair of either those or The Pump DLs to Reebok prior to a reissue too, and the Reebok Pump Running Dual seems to be a mainstay in Reebok's retro range now. That's cool with us, because it's a great shoe. The right balance between gimmickry and serious running was struck here, and as ...

No, we haven't started sketching our own shoes. We tried that once. We probably won't try it again. It's that time-of-year when Nike and Jordan Brand's Future Sole design competition reaches voting stage, and 2010's contenders are pretty strong. We spend much of our waking hours sneering at the latest footwear because if it's not an update it's a hybrid. And if it isn't the former, too often it's a retro ...

Our respect for the Nike Air 180 has been covered here multiple times, but at a time when Nike's updates on favourites have appalled a few purists, the reaction to first looks at this Air Lunar 180 have been pretty positive. Maybe its because the shape on this altered, lightweight variation is superior to that of the standard retro, or just because the curious trinity of Lunar Foam, that unique Air unit and Torch technologies looks good together. Seeing ...

The Ransom by adidas line keeps 'em coming season after season, and the fall collection offers favourites like the Valley in some interesting applications. We haven't officially done the math, but this model's been the strongest seller from the line since it debuted last year, and one that's been spotted on the feet of fanboys and everyman types these last few months. A basic silhouette, from the ribbed collar to the vulcanized sole, it's a tough ...

New Balance's 320 is a defining slimline creation worn by Tom Fleming back when he was winning marathons back in the mid '70s with times like 2:19. That was serious back then, but by 1999, New Balance athlete Khalid Khannouchi broke a world record by finishing the Chicago Marathon in 2:05:42. Hence the name of this shoe—the 205. Some brands keep slimming their output for a certain type of consumer, and the majority are useless ...

Some 1986 styling from Reebok that captures the brand at the top of its game, just as we're pleased the Paris Runner is staying in the range, it's heartening to see the GL 6000 set for imminent release in some more makeups. The re-release last winter made up for a crappy retro a few years back, and these colourways follow a classically Reebok palette. Dual density, forefoot technology tastefully represented, and that ridged heel counter can't go ...

Believe it or not, we really like the Supra brand. The Supra Avenger isn't the definitive Supra shoe, but with that deliberate Jordan IV look, down to the lacestays, it's an interesting release regardless. Merrily polarising opinion, the whole Supra line is at least provocative, where the rest of the skate industry is playing it spectacularly safe when it comes to sneaker design. Skytops aren't another bland imitation, and they have a habit of pissing off folk ...

In these times of hyped blandness, where we really can't believe they're still reeling out the same collaborative roll call in 2010 (we're supposed to be getting flying cars by 2019, but we're still stuck in the 2003 mind state), the Reebok Paris Runner still feels fresh. Even though this shoe dates back to 1985. It's a sign of the times that this old world running design looks excellent, as well as a testament to ...

Nike were really pushing a few boundaries around the time the Nike Air Moc saw light-of-day. Looking like the Aqua Sock's haggard brother, it's a shoe that helped define a decade. There's no getting around it. This was and is an ugly sneaker, but as with many of the era's oddities, it found a Japanese audience. A laceless, brilliant non-shape, at the time you could only marvel that Nike would mess with you like this and ...

The adidas ObyO David Beckham Doley Lux improves on a shoe that left us cold on its low-key debut. The Doley was never an adidas shoe we took to, but that's because it wasn't aimed at freakish characters who sit and scratch their heads, pondering a shoe's heritage. It was for folk who wanted a bite of the current plimsole and Vans phenomenon. What we always respected was that a budget-priced shoe was called the Doley, bringing ...

Nike have a habit of axing some fantastic makeups. These Toki NDs are a great version of the shoe that takes it a little bit further in the colourway stakes and to our knowledge, they won't be reaching shelves at all. It's not an injustice at the level of the carbon fibre effect Alpha Force II or Air Salbis GTX that never saw release despite being some of the best shoes of the last decade. That would be ...

These adidas Originals by Originals releases keep on getting better, and Kazuki Kuraishi understands the fundamentals of good adi design. Subsequently the KZK MINTOS K-Vulc Mid gets the job done with a certain ease. The grey and black Campus with MINTOS earlier in the year was a fine rendition of the best KZK design (we can't get enough on the extra comfort in the ObyO version of that model) and that palette's been brought in for the K-Vulc ...

It's a good thing that David Beckham's ObyO output is so strong, otherwise we'd be approaching it with the same furrowed brow he sported pitchside a week or so back. The fall/winter 2010 collection is outstanding, and the new colours of the Gazelle Vintage Mid reflect the focus on simple colours and premium materials. We never expected the DB ObyO to impress us like it has done since last summer. Tweaked Montreals, and later down the ...

The adidas Nizza High OT Tech is an excellent variation on a shoe we've been ambivalent about in the past, providing you can avoid the temptation to make them zip-ups. Every Originals Tokyo Technology piece has been interesting so far, and the Forums a few months back were some of the best we've ever seen. It's hard to get particularly attached to the Nizza. It's been around for years. For a few seconds we thought we ...

As Giggs is prone to ad-lib, Ummm. That's how some of these hybrids and remixes of sacred Jordan designs can make us react in the Crooked office. Take the Air Jordan Accolade as an example. Some of Tinker and Mark Smith's finest moments can be undone by a single straightened panels. Playing with perfection is a minefield, and you can't incur the brilliance of the Jordan X by using that sole unit, complete with a list of ...

Once you set aside any disappointment that this isn't a Torsion Special (one of the greatest shoes ever designed. That's not open to debate), the adidas ZX Spezial OT Tech proves to be a decent shoe. There's been a few casual silhouettes from Originals lately, like the Greeley and Fortitude, which have hit pretty hard, but building on the ZX 8000 sole unit is a fair place to start. We'd love to see the smoothed-out, handcrafted ...

How can it be that despite being reintroduced in 2008, we only just got our hands on official stock of the Nike Air Pegasus 83? That makes this late, late UK release of a key colourway a 'Quantum Leap' style opportunity to feature a shoe that warranted coverage. It was odd to see this classic cropping up in Foot Lockers Stateside as well as the Portland Nike employee store (aka. heaven on earth if your credit card isn't already ...