NBA All-Star: The Kicks List
Tonight on TNT, everyone's favorite Thursday night dysfunctional family (sorry, Community) revealed the NBA All-Star reserve teams. Although it wasn't as animated as last week's edition when Chris Webber almost crawled over the table to kill Barkley, there was definitely some division on the panel. (Mo Williams an All-star...REALLY?). Being the sneaker and style obsessed fan that I am, my thoughts immediately jumped to which athletes would be rocking special limited kicks to the event. Afterall, the game is a glorified shootout (All-Star Saturday>All-Star Sunday). Will CB4 or D-Will pay homage to their hometown in the lone star state? Will LeBron change sneakers every quarter? Only time will tell as the sneakers leak online, but allow me to break down the brand presence per athlete. As usual, perennial sponsorship overlords, Nike have 14 athletes in the main All-Star game on Valentine's Day. If you count their Jordan brand branch, that adds another 5 ballers. Adidas is right behind MJ's kids sending 4 members of their brotherhood (sorry, Gilbert). And Reebok has only one player going to the game, but it's fitting that it is Mr. It's All About Me, Allen Iverson.
Converse has been shutout now that Dwyane has gone to the more notable Nike property. Personally, I would love to see him rock the Weapons. They need to re-do the Bird/Magic ads with new kids....may I suggest Brandon Jennings and Tyreke Evans. But that's an argument for another day.
Here's the breakdown of the roster including the kicks they were last seen wearing. I'm not going to include all of BronBron or Bean's colourways, as that could kill the internets....and this isn't a Nike campaign (well, not completely anyway). But, I gotta include these. Apparently LeBron will be rocking these robin's egg blue VII's at the All-Star game. Will he be having Breakfast at Tiffany's in these?
Eastern Conference Starters:
G - Allen Iverson - Reebok
G - Dwyane Wade - Jordan Brand
F - LeBron James - Nike
F - Kevin Garnett - Adidas
C - Dwight Howard - Adidas
Eastern Conference Reserves:
G - Joe Johnson - Jordan Brand
G - Rajon Rondo - Nike
G - Derrick Rose - Adidas
F - Paul Pierce - Nike
F - Gerald Wallace - Jordan Brand
F/C - Al Horford - Nike
F/C - Chris Bosh - Nike
Western Conference Starters:
G - Steve Nash - Nike
G - Kobe Bryant - Nike
F - Carmelo Anthony - Jordan Brand
F - Tim Duncan - Adidas
C - Amar'e Stoudemire - Nike
Western Conference Reserves:
G - Chris Paul - Jordan Brand
G - Brandon Roy - Nike
G - Deron Williams - Nike
F - Kevin Durant - Nike
F - Dirk Nowitzki - Nike
F - Zach Randolph - Nike
Who are you most looking forward to seeing in the All-Star game? Who was snubbed? Personally, I'd take Josh Smith over Horford and you gotta make some room for David Lee. I don't think KG should start....but the fans have spoken. No matter what, I'm sure Jerry Jones and Mark Cuban will help make it entertaining affair.
Copy-able: Givenchy stole C-3PO's feet
Whether Black or white we both like Mike, We both like Jordans, We both feels Nike...
both riding shotgun, both covered in gold like C-3PO"
-Venus vs. Mars, Jay-Z (The Blueprint 3)
I guess Riccardo Tisci and the rest of the Givenchy creative team were bumping the Blueprint 3 when they were sketching out their shoes for the Spring/Summer 2010 season. The french fashion house is coming out with two sneakers, a low-cut and a very high top (more reminiscent of boxing boots than a Dunk high). They're available in gold, black and white. I love the sneakers, perhaps due to my slightly obsession with gold....and Givenchy. If only they came in my midget 5.5 size...
But when I saw them I saw them, I immediately thought of my everyone's favourite cautious, multilingual robot, C-3PO. The gold is almost the same shade and they have an almost Grecian feel to them and when you look at C-3PO's feet, it looks like he's wearing sandals!
It may seem like a bit of stretch, but I find the sneakers to have a very space age, armour feel to them much like a protective robot suit that C-3PO rocked for all six films.
The armour look is nothing new to fashion, though, especially in the last few seasons. Tisci has also been bringing in an air of space age minimalism and strong lines. He called his look for the Spring 2009 season "Western Bondage" so perhaps he is rehashing old ideas with all the straps and cutouts on the kicks. I think it's a great thing that an established fashion house known for more couture than streetwear is in the sneaker game. It could help push the major footwear brands to try something new or even go in the opposite design direction to offer more unique options. When you create a super limited item in a limited edition obsessed area like the sneaker game, you're appealing to a small but dedicated group. Nike hit a home-run with the Air Yeezy's, the Pigeon's highlighted the sneaker culture love affair with limited and Kanye's partnership with Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton how couture and kicks can work together beautifully. So why not tap into that very lucrative market? Also, because they only put out two models and three colourways, they're not taking as big of a chance but still giving themselves building blocks. Supra has taken their Skytop and done it a million ways - from patent to studded, and has rarely mis-stepped. Will Givenchy be to high fashion footwear fiends what Supra is to skateboarder and sneaker heads? Only time and credit card bills will tell.
Not everyone could rock these kicks, partly for the ostentatious style but mostly because of the price tag. When you're buying sneakers from a French fashion house that become famous for dressing Audrey Hepburn and is now the brand of choice for Rihanna....you know they will be deemed "investment items". Would you rock them?
High fives & booty taps,
Megan
PS. Shoutouts to High Snobiety for posting the story.