Speaking of the 80’s makes me think of, what else, the shoes…
My friend Todd Martin and I were talking tonight about, what else, sneakers. Actually, we don’t talk about them that much at all, but he’s a big Nike fan, and occasionally it comes up. We were recalling a story our friend Derek used to tell about buying Jordache sneakers that looked like Air Jordans back in the day. People actually thought they were Jordans, too. I’d have to see them, because even as a kid I could spot budget joints, but it’s a great story, nonetheless.
We also brought up KangaROOS, which were the sneakers in the ‘80s that had little pockets on the sides that you could keep stuff in. Along with Nike Air Force Ones, the ROOS came back as retro too, though less successfully. You can get them at Urban Outfitters these days if you’re jonesin’ for a pair.
I recalled the fake adidas Country and Asics Tiger models that Sears sold under the Winner banner. Allen and I had a pile of these as kids. I also brought up Pony. They’ve been revived and they are still tragic. Todd brought up Jox from Thom McAn and Trax from either Kmart or JCPenney. It was a cool conversation on not so cool shoes from back in the day.
I can still remember just about every sneaker I ever bought from the fake adidas spezials my dad bought Allen and I from Eagles five-and-dime baxk in 1979 up to my new limited-edition Nike Terminators with the Seattle Supersonics colors. I call those my Green Bay Packers shoes because I like that team better and the colors are the same.
If you’ve read this blog much, you know that I’ve spent a fair amount of time ruminating about my sneaker collection, so I’ll close. But I would like to know what people out in Steve-land think about their sneaks: favorites, embarrassments, ones that got away, the ones you wear forever if they made them; that sort of thing. I can’t wait to hear what you all have to say.
Man, sounds like you've got a few cool friends to talk about sneakers with. I, on the other hand, have friends who think I'm insane with all my shoes! Oh well.
ReplyDeleteI actually remember those Jordache, I think. They resembled the black/silver Jordan V. My earliest memories of sneakers are of my friends... because my parents could never afford to buy me Nike Airs or Jordans when I was in elementary school. But my first sneaker memory is the Jordan IV black/red that my friend wore to middle school one day. I was totally hooked, and that's where it all began. If I could wear only one shoe forever, it might be the Jordan IV.
As for shoes that got away, there are several that I wish I had snatched up when I had the chance: Jordan V (blue/yellow), Jordan III (white/cement), Nike Flight '90 (one of my holy grails), Nike Max Force B (black Charles Barkley shoes), and Nike Shox R4 (white/silver).