With new sneaker drops on various apps such as SNKRS by Nike, winter 2021 was an influential season of lifestyle sneakers as sneaker fanatics work to grow their collections by purchasing new colorways.
The current most prominent name in sneakers is Air Jordan, especially Air Jordan high retro 1s. The two biggest colorways to drop this winter were the University Blues and the Mocha Browns.
The Mocha Brown colorway has a white toe with a brown leather and black patent leather body. They released late fall, October 31. The show is conservative and neutral. It can be styled easily. It is currently priced between $340-$540, depending one shoe size.
Mocha Brown Jordan 1 Highs: 8/10
The University Blue colorway was released on March 6 after being delayed from late February. They are a powder blue body with white and black accents. The crisp blue is a perfect hue for entering spring, but is less versatile than the mocha browns. Styled with a cool toned outfit though, these shoes would exhibit style and quiet class. They are perfectly not flashy while being an iconic style of Jordan. A pair is currency worth between $339-$520, varying by shoe size.
University Blue Jordan 1 Highs: 7/10
Dunk Highs, as well as Dunk Lows, have been sneaking their way into many sneakerheads’ closets. The best colorways for this blockier leather basketball shoes were the Football Greys, Vast Greys, and Varsity Purples.
The Dunk High Football Grey colorway was possibly the best colorway this winter. The white and blue-grey compliment each other naturally and demonstrate a neutral, classy style. They can be styled incredibly easily and have a strong, decisive silhouette. They are less expensive than a standard pair of resold Jordans; the Football Grey colorway ranging from $180-$212.
Football Grey Dunk Highs: 9/10
The Varsity Purple Dunk High is a plum purple and white shoe that is bold and full of personality. While the stylist range of the color is limited, it is made up for by the statement the shoe makes. The transparent purple sole mixed with confident purple leather sends a clear message of style. This is a shoe that while being a unique color, it can be mixed with many sorts of outfits due to its ability to transcend its color and embody a personality beyond purple; it is bold, confident, and elegant. Based on shoe size, they can be worth between $200-$243.
Varsity Purple Dunk Highs: 7/10
The third Dunk High colorway worth mentioning is Vast Greys. They have a wider range of price, reaching from $158-$300, depending on shoe size availability. They are a simple grey and white mix, with a very easily styled silhouette and colorway. They are one of, if not the, most versatile shoes to release these past months and for a reasonable price as well.
Vast Grey Dunk Highs: 7/10
The Air Force 1 line has been a consistent shoe closet staple while other shoes go in and out of style. While almost every sneakerhead needs a pair of Air Force 1 07’s in white to keep around as a beater sneaker, this winter saw a release of exciting new colorways and styles.
The first Air Force that needs to be addressed is the Air Force Pixel; the new chunkier silhouette based on rectangles and squares was incredibly disappointing. The Air Force line has been a reliable style, featuring Air Force Shadows as well as collabs and fun color ways. However, the attempted new silhouette of the Air Force pixel was a waste of a drop in my opinion. The pink and seafoam colorways would’ve been delightful on standard 07’ silhouette, but were wasted on the unappealing Pixel.
Pixel Air Force Silhouette: 2/10
However, even the Air Force Pixel was forgiven when Nike released their Valentine’s Day collection. The Air Force 1 Love Letter colorway was possibly the prettiest Air Force 1 to be released so far. The standard toe holes were hearts instead of circles and the body was a beautiful mix of pinks and reds in celebration of love day. The Love Letters currently are worth between $150-$400.
Another shoe line from Nike that has been creeping onto the scene, slowly in the beginning of fall and then steadily over the wintertime was the Blazers, particularly the 77’s. The retro feeling skate shoe is functional, comfy and sleek. Whether the classic 77 or updated silhouette, the shoe makes a statement that isn’t flashy or overzealous, but is attuned to the sneaker scene.
The snakeskin print and the cheetah print styles released in Blazers and Pixels, but were only suitable for the Blazers. The Snakeskin is the more stylish of the two, with a muted neutral look. However, these two prints made sneaker fashion more accessible to less bold styles, especially for women. The Varsity Purple Dunk Highs are not an everyday shoe, which is why snakeskin blazers exist.
Snakeskin Blazers: 6/10
Cheetah Blazers: 5/10
The best masculine shoe on the market this winter was the Orewood Brown Blazers. These Blazers had a body of brown leather and a business casual feel. They were versatile and strong. The rustic, but professional, feel brought an element of style that Nike hadn’t seemed to indulge in before.
Orewood brown Blazers: 9/10