crooked tongues magazine News Features

When you’ve done everything you can possibly do to a shoe, you’re liable to start going back to the days of old and recycling some old applications. It’s been so long since the Dunk Hi and Air Max 1(Patta/Parra variations aside) felt essential, that to see anything harking back to the early ‘00s, feels curiously refreshing. That’s not necessarily a good thing, but this trio is a reliable compliment to some of the ‘Be ...

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Two days of duck boots, just as the clocks go forward. That sounds like bad timing, but with weather boffins doom mongering and telling us it's going to be a soggy summer, there's merit in some wildfowl forefoots during the warmer months. But you can't saunter out in humid conditions donning fleece-lined Sorels. That's destined to end in trench foot, amputation or dizziness in public. You don't need that. Gourmets and the inexplicably opinion-splitting Air ...

(5)

The L.L. Bean-does-Cortez looks of the Gourmet have been splitting opinion and bruising sensibilities since their debut, but they're a brand flagship. The teals and blacks, brighter colour packs and other variations seem to have found a following over here, once a moc-toed stronghold that never seemed to take to duck boots like our east coast US buddies took them to watery weather. Now every brand is offering the rubberized, drake-footed forefoots and similar material contrasts, but Gourmet ...

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adidas Stan Smiths are the sort of shoe that reacts badly to nonsense. It really doesn't need any of the silly stuff applied to it, just because that white-on-white and very, very faint trace of a light green accent is what makes this shoe resonate with people from so many walks of life. It's one of those adidas shoes that even the non-adi heads will concede on when it comes to conferring masterpiece status. Those angular strips of ...

(5)

The Gourmet Quattro Skate shouldn't have worked as well as it does. As so many skaters are eschewing all things flossy in favour of the grimy outlaw aesthetic (think Deathwish), we though this Gourmet design would brick, but it's got several things going in its favour — it's a great looking shoe, the Gourmet crew have many years in the skate industry (with time spent at the fabled Fourstar and Girl offices) and even the minds behind the ...

(1)

Shoes like this are a difficult one. They're not necessary and they make us pull that face. You know, the one when you got a gift that was almost like the one you wanted. They're a crowd pleaser shoe. If we were to take these out on a tray, Pepsi challenge style alongside the Blazer '73 Vintage reissues in the same colour, we guarantee the majority would opt for these. Then there's be the couple of folk ...

(7)

The Jordan VII reflects a point where some folks' fixations diminished, via the end of visible air after four incredible installments. For others, it's one of the best. We recall being a little underwhelmed by that angular, post-Huarache neoprene aided look and feel, but we couldn't front on the Hares and the Bordeaux colourway. And if a shoe was good enough for Diamond D and Jerry Seinfeld (who rocked the Cardinals, which like the Bordeauxs, are returning soon ...

(2)

We still get a little excited when people shoe you a “secret” project in the making. We know it’s all theatre, and everyone else is getting the same treatment, but it’s not the point. It reminds us of a time when collaborations were something to get hyped about rather than a brand’s “top tier” obligation. That said, we won’t pretend the prospect of a Fred Perry footwear collaboration had us bouncing from the ceiling, just because ...

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Saucony keep on giving us what we want in reissued shoes — authenticity and quality. Their legacy is extensive, across sporting disciplines and several subcultures. While we're unlikely to break out a pair of ProGrid Triumph 8s with denim any time soon, the early '90s bits seem to be hitting the mark each time after years of OG Jazz domination. We're pretty hyped on the imminent reissue of the Spot-Bilt Hangtime, even though the last retro of that never ...

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We don’t necessarily associate Le Coq Sportif with basketball. We definitely associate them with tennis shoes. Runners too. But NBA? Nope. That’s until Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls got his Pro Model a short while ago. Joakim seems to think a little differently to most professional players and the road to this model is an unorthodox one — it’s more of a family affair than the usual dead-eyed chequebook waving. Joakim’s father, the singer Yannick Noah ...

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Kazuki's been responsible for some of the best collaborations from adidas since Nigo and Neighborhood made their affiliations with the brand official. Mr. Kuraishi's anglophile tendencies have been the backbone of the project's success. Twinned with genuine design savvy, his passion for the product made the majority of the shoes keepers — who would have thought that comfort footbeds, some clean text on the base of the tongue and that trademark taping could make us want some familiar ...

(6)

Kenny Anderson's a skater who's just fun to watch. Just re watch his parts in 'Hot Chocolate' and 'Sixth Sense.' He's got that slickness that few possess that guarantees he stays a fan favourite, plus he's a nice bloke too. His history in footwear's had some surprising twists and turns too, but he's proved that he can shift units in that department via his Adio V1 pro model. But now he's on Converse ...

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This is the third appearance of the adidas ZX 380 around these parts. Why? Because we dare you to name a better running shoe from the era. You can fire off comparably good models from the time, but it's a tough one to top. The ZX prefix is alphabetical shorthand for some of the best running designs ever and the silhouettes created an indelible impression on us, creating a running shoe archetype that's unbeatable. We've had the ...

(5)

We covered the Free Run 2+ and the LunarHaze+ (which seems to be getting a mixed response in the comments despite our fandom) so we thought we’d conclude the trio with a shoe that’s been out for a minute. The Lunar MX+ Vortex isn’t quite as serious as those two when it comes to performance, but it’s still comfortable and responsive, making interesting use of the sole unit employed on the Lunar Max+. By all rights ...

(3)

Slow down Nike. You’re overwhelming us with the running innovations. This one caught our attention last summer with that vast swoosh across the heel and forefoot swooshes, correlating with both the spirit of ’97 Zoom designs and contemporary basketball monsters like the LeBron 8. Once upon a time (the year 2007 if we’re being specific), we’d given up on the Nike Running range, stumbling through NikeTown when it was a dark, miserable labyrinth of a place fruitlessly ...

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adidas Originals have done a good job with the Ian Brown collaborations. There might only have been a couple, but they've been an interesting, authentic spin on the musician-brand relationship. That's because Gary at adidas is a big Stone Roses fan and Ian Brown really does love adidas (as is the case with many key characters residing or originating from the north). Those things make a big difference — the Supremebeing collaboration with the bloke from the Arctic Monkeys ...

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We like a good Nike sequel. Bar the bad sequels like Footscape or Rift 2s, for the most part it seems to allow the Nike design team to study and improve, compensating for any shortcomings and bringing in that new-new. In the running side, after a blur of fast-forward evolution since Free and Lunarlon came into being, sequels have been considered affairs that tweak the previous instalment. The Run Free was an office favourite when we first got hold of ...

(7)

Finally. More adidas Equipments. There was a time when we thought these would never return to these shores — let alone the Crooked store — but here they are. These are one of the best newer makeups (though we saw plenty of shelved colourways in the US adidas offices around 2007) in a while, matching the ALIFE editions and the phenomenal neons in the Footlocker exclusives offerings that appeared a few years back. Blue, grey and red brings out the best in ...

(3)

Saucony remains an underrated brand. Like performance running kingpins New Balance, they've got the athletic credibility on lock. We remember many parents wearing early '90s pieces from the Shadow line like the 5000 and 6000 as a relatively affordable alternative to more expensive pieces and them being a definite rival for the Pegasus. The technology was low-key, but the curved sole and mysterious Ionic Cushioning System made them seem more serious to us, even if we were chasing visible ...

(6)

The ZX 380's been lurking in the Crooked store lately, looking sullen in some neutral colourways, but we’ve been holding out for the shoe in some original palettes that mix gloomy tones with a spot of red. This one’s a classic, dating back to 1986 when it messed with our minds and it reflects the adidas knack for the simpler, ageless combinations and ability to throw a pop colour in to increase visibility while on the move ...

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2013

• May (15)
• April (24)
• March (26)
• February (27)
• January (28)

crooked tongues magazine News Features

More Nike Sportswear Dunk Hi makeups

Pointer Pluckrose

More Gourmet Quadicis

adidas Stan Smith 80s Lux

Gourmet Quattro Skate

Nike Sportswear Dunk Hi AC 'Blazer'

Air Jordan VII 'Orion Blue'

Stüssy Deluxe x Fred Perry 'Blank Canvas' footwear

Saucony Shadow 90s

Le Coq Sportif Joakim Noah Pro Model 2.0 Q&A

adidas ObyO KZK Jam Home Made Stan Smith 80s

Converse Star Player Skate XLT

More adidas ZX 380 makeups for April

Nike Lunar MX+ Vortex

Nike LunarHaze+

adidas Ian Brown KZK Installation at No6

Nike Free Run+ 2

Another adidas EQT Support Running makeup

Saucony x Bodega for Spring

adidas ZX 380

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