crooked tongues magazine News Features

Historically, Women's Air Max makeups have been some of the strongest ever, but that trend seems to have subsided. It's a shame, because the desperate attempts to squeeze into the biggest size at Foot Locker, tearing out sockliners to try and get an extra half-a-size of space seemed like a rite-of-passage. Curiously, with the Air Max 1 being the new official queuewear shoe of choice (after Dunk-mania subsided) with slim chinos and a five-panel hat, we haven't been assailed with excellent makeups for all genders, but summer ushered in some good colourways after a drought period, despite that randomly placed 'ACG' branding on the All Conditions Gear pack. The Patta collection from winter 2009 should have instigated a new golden age for the first Air Max, resurrecting the glory of the forefoot swoosh, but what we got was some murky iD-alikes in the old synthetic suede and mesh combo and a few "homages" to the Patta pack that were a little too overt. Maybe — as with the Dunk — the shoe had been reworked to the point where there's no path unbeaten, and the days of AM1 excitement beyond partner projects or OG reissues is done. Can somebody bring back the 2001 jewel swoosh again?

But this women's colourway is better than usual. It still feels a little post-Patta, but you had to be quick on the draw and in the Amsterdam area to score the original Tier Zero, so we're not mad. Wine and Anthracite's a good combination, while the open weave mesh, white midsole (without that, AM1s rarely hit as hard) and grey outsole aren't bad at all. It's a little played-out, but classics stay classic. These drop next month in the Crooked Tongues store.