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How, given Nike's propensity for puntastic names, we haven't already seen a Lunar Eclipse shoe is a mystery, but here it is—a state-of-the-art, all-round running shoe that caps the brand's more specialist offerings. Expanding on the possibilities of the LunarGlide+, the Eclipse is a new flagship for this division of the brand (arguably—given Nike's origins—the most important division too), and it didn't disappoint. A few years back, the supportive pieces from the line were ugly looking things. We assumed we'd never see another future classic. The Lunar Racer, Elite and Glide proved otherwise, and this compresses that Glide versatility, with the Dynamic Support platform, into something even more visually appealing, tweaking that resilient and reactive technology sandwich in the sole to the next level.

In fact, now they're using 33 percent more colourful Lunarlon foam in the forefoot, yet the bulk is minimised. That's evolution in action. What we're appreciating is that the solutions to runner's needs look pretty too. Extra amounts of moisture wicking, breathable mesh on the forefoot are capped by a Presto-style toe application and the "floating" heel clip component goes further in preventing overpronation by hugging the rear of the foot. It's nice to see both details make the shoe look tremendous.

We'll dwell on the fancy-looking stuff because a stern whippet-thin man in a dedicated running shop who won't let you buy a pair of shoes until he's informed you that you're running like a weirdo can tell you much and more of the above. Having said that, thanks to a current boom, expanding waistlines and the Nike+ system (which just got a reworking to make it ultra intuitive for runners), there are Crooked crew members doing more than just profiling and posing in a pair of Nikes. It's a sign of the times.

Flywire and that no-sew paneling is pushed to the limit here, with some shades of grey and black on the upper. The vast silver heel swoosh isn't subtle, but it's an eyecatcher—the branding on Spring's pieces really goes all out in that department, nodding to some '97 Zoom spirit. In terms of colours, that mix of the madcap and muted is repeated on upcoming trend pieces like Wildwood reduxes and duck boot reworkings, while sticking with the lineage of the original Lunar Racer. Where sturdier versions of that shoe came off clumsy, two years on, they've sussed a solution. The purple is a nice addition—that pattern on the liner that's like the seat pattern on a hire car? Less so. Still, shouts to Nike for bringing us the now rather than revelling in past glories. These drop next month in the usual spots, and we're hoping for an iD appearance too.