I love shoes. Nothing beats a fly pair of kicks, in my eyes. Nothing. You know the joints that the jeans sit on PERFECTLY? I love them, and would never want to take them off! Heck, I would sleep in those joints! Apparently, women take this shoe thing very serious. In fact, there’s even a book ! Clearly this is no joke.

Personally, I have found that, shoes, on a whole, aren’t banging like they used to. Who remembers the Diesel and Steve Madden lines from 2004? They comprised the Kort/Wish and Tsunamis . I remember the latter particularly well because I was in frenetic search of them up until the tragic Indonesian tsunami on Boxing Day of that year (2004). Clearly it would be a bit inappropriate to purchase a pair of shoes named after a national disaster. Anyway, man, I remember being in London and seeing the movement come to life (this was before 2004, and I’m sure you know that fashion travels from east to west, right? Example, the Puma Mostro , was the rave in the UK 2-3 years before the western world) there, and then returning home from school a few years later and seeing EVERYBODY in a pair, I was nonplussed!

Were I in possession of the money at the time, I would have bought 6 pairs of those shoes, the Diesels, that is. They were wonderful and very versatile. Unfortunately, I was only able to afford a single pair of the Diesel Kort at the time and own them to this day. I have been forced to preserve them by wearing them only a couple of times a year. Maybe my desire for these kicks coincided with my maturing, for prior to that it was black or white with me. Sneakers or Dress shoes. This new area of "grey" brought about by these "hybrid" kicks got me. These Prada shoes are awesome also. This is my official stance, bring the Diesel back!

Transitions

I’m a brand loyalist and have been into Nike pretty much since birth (even when my parents wouldn’t buy "them overpriced Nikes cats used to like" shout outs to Kariuki). Though I do remember rocking these Reebok Classic , straps and all. I was fly as a youngster, you see. Anyway, Nike always made the most visually-pleasing shoes. The Air Pennies used to give young men wet dreams. I vividly remember the day I first saw them in the flesh, yes, I am a sneaker head.

Here are my ill shoe picks and criteria:

Picks

Pumas the rave right now, but on a whole, they’re a bit too athletic and I’m unsure about the material. I can’t bring myself to purchase a shoe because it’s a Puma, for instance.

Air Force Ones I could write a chapter and verse about these and while I owned about 8 pairs at one time (VERY recently), it’s now Game over. Except for the all-whites though, they have to be leather, the Supreme, leather (Sneaker aficionados know what’s up). If they’re not leather, it’s a waste of time and we’re not even having a conversation. I have mentioned my attention to detail, right?

Chuck Taylors Hot, but not for me.

Wallabees Incredible and I wish they fit me better, but again, not for me.

Timberlands Every man needs a good, CLEAN pair of Timbs

Prada Sexy, I need a pair. White, of course.

Criteria

Any colour other than black
White I wear a lot of white, on a whole (yet another subject) and they go well with the light colours mentioned in prior columns.
Height: Low-mid
Light Brown/Tan is a great colour
Blue is a great colour for shoes considering the amount of jeans I wear.
They must sit right under my jeans. There’s no point having the hottest pair of kicks if your jeans don’t sit right over them!

Outside of the Prada American Cup kicks (which I will have to save for), I have not seen a pair of "must-have" shoes in about 3 years. Do you have any recommendations? Drop a comment or let me know at willard_a@fashionoverstyle.net. Next week, we discuss the dressier side of the game. Peace & Love.

Sincerely yours,

Willard A.

Honor|Pride|Glory

P.S. "Style guy of the Week" … well, he’s not really a "man" .. but he sure is stylish. This is the kid Daniel "Diggy" Simmons from Mtv’s hit series Run’s House (whose house?) … chea. He has serious swagger for a kid. I believe he’s 11 or so. Oh, and that’s his Ma, in the picture.

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