Sunday 3 February 2013

The Staple - Nike Air Vortex Vintage


In Training

< insert obligatory apology for not blogging for six months >

So. I'm not quite sure why, but I'm now more or less living in these trainers. I didn't even own any Nikes before Christmas, and I'm starting to wonder what I spent the last twenty-asdghfhg years with on my feet. Don't get me wrong, I've always had a few pairs of trainers knocking about, but for some reason these have become my 'I'm wearing those today and tomorrow, in fact every day' shoe. As usual, I picked them up in a sale, this time at Office in Topman, on the day before LCM, in a moment of 'I've got nothing new to wear so I'd better buy SOMETHING' panic. These Nike Air Vortex Vintage spoke to me and I saw, tried them on and bought them in about 3 minutes flat. They're both exceptionally comfy - kinda essential as I'm getting as old as the hills - but also still cool; the mix of colours means that they stand out, and the metallic sheen give them an extra dimension. I've got a few other pairs on the go (some New Balance 420s, Ellesse Italia Heritages and another pair of Nikes), but these are what it's all about for me. Perhaps I'm blinded, but is there anything that they wouldn't go with? I've got a worrying feeling that I'm probably going to become one of those sneaker obsessives who seeks out rare colourways and stores piles of never-worn kicks in a cupboard under the stairs. It's a worrying thought, but I could totally go that way. The whole retro trainer thing has been a big story in fashion for a while now, but it's only just filtering onto the catwalks - see the recent lust that those camo Valentino kicks created? Or how everyone from Raf Simons to Lanvin is showing trainers on the runway? The thing that makes the look is to pair trainers not with jeans and a sweater (though obvs I am guilty of that) but with tailored jackets or smart coats for a real mixed-up approach. It's what I'll be doing at LFW in a fortnight's time...
Other Staples of the week:
Nike Air Vortex Vintage
Alicia Drake's 'The Beautiful Fall'
Rhye's album, 'Woman'
Still baking cheese scones
Africa on the BBC
The latest issue of Man About Town magazine
Finally making it to Paris men's fashion week