Air Jordan 1…Air Jordan 1…right…
How do I start these things again? *cuts camera and attempts another take*
Well, this feels weird. Is it as weird for you as it is for me? Y’know, I told myself that I’d never let things get this way. And yet, here we are. It’s that damn YouTube, man. I started getting into a rhythm and ended up losing all control. I got lost in the sauce.
It got the best of me.
Whatever. It is what it is at this point. See, I don’t like to partake in the whole New Year’s resolution mumbo jumbo, because I tend to think it’s silly, but I’m going to create one for myself this year. Yeah, I’m going to do it. I’m going to devote way more time to my website than I did last year. Because it’s my roots and because it deserves it.
I mean, it can’t possibly get any worse right?
Right?
Anyway, here we are, talking about a shoe that’s become near and dear to my heart, already. Arguably the most hyped sneaker that you can find on shelves (or in a bot’s cart). The Air Jordan Retro 1.
At this point it’s no secret that 1s have released in practically every color and color combination imaginable. Blue/Pink. Infrared crocodile skin, yellow and camel. Distressed orange and black patent leather (those go so hard). They need no introduction.
And yet, as I find myself perusing YouTube, checking out sneaker blog videos, I came across arguably the funkiest colorway of Jordan 1s that I’ve ever seen…maybe.
The Air Jordan 1 Hi OG “Crafted.”
It just so happens that this particular pair is one of those slept on releases that nobody was checking for. Emphasis on the word nobody. I mean, I bought mine for under retail (don’t worry, I purchased from a legitimate source. I’m not new to the sneaker game) 3 months after its initial release! But I digress.
I don’t think that I could’ve gotten caught up in a better storm. A kick ass colorway that would truly challenge my ability of tying colors together and a price tag that I can definitely get down with. Welcome to the family baby.
So now that we’ve got all that out the way, let me just go ahead and say this…
I get the hype.
Shocking, I know! But I totally get why this shoe is hyped the way it is. It just feels, “right,” y’know? It’s clean, it’s got a slim, sleek profile. It goes with everything. And I truly mean, everything. It’s the ultimate athletic shoe. Dare I say that it rivals the Converse Chuck Taylor in versatility?
Yup, I went there. Blasphemy? Ehh, perhaps. But the point remains.
Dear, Air Jordan Retro 1.
You slap. Like, really slap.
The end.
Let’s talk about some outfits, shall we?!?
Perhaps the most underrated aspect of this particular pair is the sheer number of colors that are present. Last I checked, I counted around 6-7. While some may view that as too much or as a challenge, I view it as countless opportunities. So many chances to pull off something fire.
I love pushing myself to see what kind of colors I can tie together and in what ways I can do it.
“You like tying colors together, eh? Hold my beer.” That’s my interpretation of what this shoe would say if it could talk…ahem.
So, I did just that! I tied in a lot of colors and I think it turned out incredible!
Outfit 1
The most dominant color on this shoe is the sail, with the multitude of other colors playing a supporting role. Because of this, I decided to pair that with my sail-colored hooded long-sleeved shirt, with its grey striped hood tying in nicely to the grey in the shoe.
I liked the idea of wearing these 1s with a leather jacket, and so I layered my brown one from Straight to Hell Apparel over it for an upper east coast aesthetic.
Wanting to keep things balanced, I opted for some gray skinny jeans to play off the hood and reflective overlay in the shoe. Now, to literally top things off, my Detroit Rose snapback hat served as the perfect complement to the green portion of the eyelet panel.
I was able to wear most of the colors in the shoe and still have the magenta and the black accents stand on their own. Unless you try really hard to match everything, you’re more than likely going to have an accent color present on this shoe. That’s the beauty of this colorway.
Outfit 2
For the second outfit I wanted to channel my inner up-state New Yorker with a classic look that revolved around a coat and hoodie.
As I sift through my closet, I find one of my oldest pieces hanging out at the very end of the clothes rack (I like to rotate old clothes to the front, making it easier to remember what’s in my wardrobe) and thought that it would blend perfectly with these shoes. And if I really wanted to get wacky, I could’ve used the black/orange laces that come with the shoe to match with the black and orange logo in the hoodie.
Anyways. The brown and green camo meshed perfectly with the brown and green in the Jordan 1. Now that I had my base, I wanted to throw on my grey car coat from H&M, that also has a brown/black houndstooth pattern featured throughout it (once again, tying in colors).
Since there was already so much going on with the hoodie and the shoes, I decided to once again go neutral with the pants and opted for some like khaki skinny jeans. Went back to my trusted Detroit hat and I was able to bring everything together for my favorite look of the bunch.
Outfit 3
Ok, so we’re in the same khaki skinny jeans as before, but I wanted to switch things up and ditch the Detroit hat this time around. The beauty of purchasing shoes and clothes that come in all kinds of colors is that it presents you with more opportunities to cycle through any old pieces that you may have neglected over time.
For me, the neglected piece was my brown leather strap back hat from longtime streetwear brand Crooks & Castles. Now that we had the brown covered, it was time to address the rest of the colors. Once again cycling through older pieces, this plain forest green tee meshed very well with the green in the shoes and the white distressed denim jacket from Smuggler’s Moon was an absolute no brainer. Yes, the shoe is more of an off-white, if you want to get technical, but it’s basically white, dude.
Most colors were accounted for, with the neon orange in the tongue and the magenta on the heel continuing to serve as accent colors in the outfit. Moving forward I’d like to get that magenta involved in some outfits and really challenge myself to make these colors tie into one another. This shoe truly presents endless possibilities.
So that’s that. Three kick ass outfits in the bag. Feels good to do this kind of stuff again.
But I do wanna talk about this shoe a little bit more, if that’s cool.
A quick story if you will.
A week ago from the time of writing this, I posted on Reddit and Instagram that I had finally purchased a pair of Jordan 1s. The feedback was exactly what I expected. A lot of shocked reactions, with people asking, “how did it take you so long?” and, “you’re joking right?” I honestly thought that my sneaker bona fides would have been called into question at some point.
Thankfully they weren’t.
I cannot stress enough how cool a pair of these sneakers will make you feel. I could give a rat’s ass about fitting in, keeping up with trends, or whatever it takes to feel accepted; but lacing up a pair of these bad boys truly makes me feel as if I belong at the cool kid’s table.
Now, are 1s over saturated in the sneaker world? Absolutely, without a doubt, no argument from me at all…
But are they overrated?
No. Not at all. Not even close.
It’s similar to how certain NFTs operate as a membership token into an exclusive club of higher ups and somebodies. I’m in the Jordan 1 club now. And I gotta be honest, it feels damn good, man.
Some of you may think that this is a bit much for a sneaker, but it’s more than that—it’s an iconic piece of fashion. There are very few items of body wear that can truly tap into this comforting sense of inclusiveness. The penny loafer, the Air Max 1, a leather biker jacket, Chuck Taylor’s, a custom-made suit, a wide brimmed hat, etc.
When you recognize someone rocking any of these pieces, you almost feel compelled to nod your head in approval (especially if you’re wearing it as well), to let them know that you notice what they’ve got going on. The unofficial club that invokes a sense of community. I received so much positive feedback from my Reddit post that it honestly made my day. Basically a “welcome to the club” experience.
It took long enough. Like, really long.
But I’m finally a member.
And I couldn’t be happier.
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