crooked tongues magazine News Features

And then there was X. We've never quite understood why only a handful of Jordans up the anticipation to fever pitch, whereas some maintain a more cultish appeal. Sure, we can understand why the general public aren't excited by the prospect of a Jordan XV, but the Jordan X is a thing of beauty. Clean, laden with sporting significance and leaving the fancy stuff to the outsole, where the big man's achievements were chalked up, it's a fluid piece of Tinker Hatfield design. Those strap eyelets and the way they coordinate with the outside? Fantastic. The expanse of smooth aerodynamic toe area leads us neatly into the Jordan XI too. Most Jordans have been retroed with alarming regularity — some well and some very badly indeed, but some excellent colourways simply slipped through the gaps. How the hell has the 'Chicago' White/Black/True Red Air Jordan X never been retroed since its 1995 debut? It's as strange as the Bordeaux VII's delay in dropping last year. Some models suffer during the retro period, but some are pretty much as we remember them.

With the X, there's no 'NIKE AIR' to alter on the rear, because it was always a Jumpman (albeit a red rather than black one now) and the materials are decent in comparison to some other recent higher-profile drops. Even the new hangtags are well executed. There are a few other significant changes though — the tongue details were altered with new Jordan branding, the footbed changed colour and the red lining's gone checkered. We don't know if that's unnecessary meddling or a reward for those who've still got these stashed, but we'd take these tweaked versions (that lining actually looks very good) over a strange, misshapen VII reissue with the correct interior. We'd still like to own a '45' stitched pair though. The streets are flooded with IIIs, but we're inclined to think that the Jordan X is more liable to end up on the feet of those who understand true greatness. The Air Jordan 10s will be available in kids' and adult sizes from 00:00:01 GMT Saturday 21st January 2012.