Voted to start yet another NBA All-Star game, Yao Ming will be sporting these kicks during the contest. The game will be played in New Orleans on February 17th and Yao will be joined in the starting lineup by superstars Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan and Carmelo Anthony.

These shoes, which are obviously produced by Reebok, utilize a simple colorway to highlight the dragon that is illustrated on the side of the shoe. The artwork of the dragon is very nice and stands out against the white background. Other than the white on the shoe, there’s some black and a few appearances of red.

There has been no word on when or if these shoes will be made available to the public. If you are interested in these shoes, be sure to keep a close eye on Yao as he starts his sixth consecutive All-Star game in a bit over two weeks. Via SN.

Nike SB would be releasing new sneakers that are inspired by classic Guitars. As the name of this sneaker suggests, this shoe was inspired by the Fender Bass guitar. The store called 242 has stock of these shoes.

The Fender bass guitar was created by Leo Fender.  This guitar stood out from other guitars because of its brighter and richer tone.

The toe box is silver-grey and represents the knobs and metallic portion of the Fender bass. Running down the length of the shoe, the shoe lace would represent the guitar strings. There is a pattern of bullet holes spraying out from the center of the toe box.

The brown represents the wood part of the guitar. At the heel, the black portion of the backstab has been given a different appearance with specks of pink.

The inner sole has a beige background with a graphic pattern in white. The bottom most sole of the shoe is grey and it has some neat treads.

There is a shoe strap at the top of the column of shoe laces. This resembles the guitar’s strap that is worn across the shoulder.

I like the combination of colors in this shoe. Even the tongue has been given a natural color like beige. This blends with the other colors.

More Pictures…

The growing fan base for the Cleveland Cavaliers can purchase custom Air Force Ones from Pimp My Kicks to show their support. A hardwood design covers the toe box and wraps around the heel from swoosh to swoosh. PMK applied the Cavaliers logo behind the outside swoosh on both shoes to simulate center court. The blue paint that came standard with the shoe remains to highlight Cleveland’s colors.

I enjoy the fact that Pimp My Kicks left the toe box clear of any design elements. The hardwood design stands best on its own without cluttered logos, symbols and names. The designers had an easier time with the orange/blue colorway of the Cleveland Cavaliers than they would have with the purple/green of my hometown Milwaukee Bucks but I think the design is impeccable nonetheless.

 

More Pictures…

These all black Air Force 1’s for women look so good that many guys will be interested in them too. Most shoe retailers realize this and some like The Rivington Club are even stocking up on the bigger sizes in anticipation that the male gender will want to get their hands on these.

The all-black uppers are contrasted nicely with pink and orange laces and a white midsole speckled in multi-colors.

I wouldn’t mind getting a pair of these AF1’s myself. They look sweet. They are set to drop at select Nike boutiques this weekend on February 2nd. However, you can grab a pair right now on eBay for about $120. Via SN.

More Pictures…

Converse continues rolling out new shoes. As part of their Spring collection, they have recently released the Converse All Star Mono OX in two solid colored choices. These sneakers now come in both low and hi versions in two colorways - all black and all red.

Made from corduroy, these shoes feature all over color, including the sole and toecap. If you like the simplicity of monochromatic kicks, then these are great option. Personally, I’m not a fan of these shoes … too plain. However, they are very affordable.

The All Star Multi Mono OX is now available at Mita. Expect them on eBay and at U.S. retailers soon.

More Pictures…

This shoe might be released in Feb.

The story first started in 2005, when Nike SB launched the team manager series of sneakers. Five team managers were selected from related skateboard companies. They were asked to design one shoe and one apparel each. The Diamond Supply Co. team manager designed his company’s shoe, called the Tiffany Dunk SB. It received such a huge response that for days, buyers queued up in advance to buy the shoe.

Nike wants to pay tribute to the Tiffany Dunk SB and has designed this Blazer low edition in a black and aqua colorway. The Nike swoosh is very, very special. It is made from crocodile leather.

I like the leather finishing for the shoe. It is smooth and shows a natural shine. The toe box and the start of the shoe lace section are separated by a small rectangle of machined stitches,  with a cross stitch in the center.

Below the toe box, the mid-sole is colored black. The shoe’s inner sole has a pattern of green lines that resembles the lines of cross-section patterns found in wood. The bottom most sole is white and has in-built treads that dig into the sole. I find that soles with holes in the treads will get dirty easily as mud and small pieces of earth get stuck in the small holes.

More Pictures…

The drab colors and far-fetched premises of the Star Wars universe are brought to the world of custom sneakers with the shoes shown above. These Nikes are decorated with forest green paint and neon-green laces to mix the foliage surrounding Yoda’s home with the bright colors of Luke Skywalker’s light saber. The backing color on the toe box and the dark brown swoosh is a light brown/gray hue.

The main design element on these Nikes is the picture of Yoda on the right heel. The designer replicated the appearance of Yoda in an active pose without making it look the Jedi master hopped out of a comic strip. I think that the Nike Jedi Highs are a good gimmick though the colorway balances negatively against the accurate depiction of Yoda.

  More Pictures…

As part of the their 100th anniversary celebration, Converse continues to release an assortment of interesting shoes.

This time, it’s a velcro version of the popular Jack Purcell. This sneakers, which come in three colorways, feature a leather upper with a white toe cap and midsole.

These kicks are available right now at Mita for 11,340 yen (about $106 USD), but they are expected to drop in local Converse retailers very soon.

If you like simplicity and the easy of velcro shoes, you should pick up this pair of affordable sneakers. They are very basic yet still quite stylish.

More Pictures…

Last year, LeBron James caused a commotion by attending a playoff baseball game in Cleveland while openly rooting against the Indians and for the New York Yankees. LeBron, who is a longtime Yankees fan, is back at it in 2008 with these Yankees inspired kicks.

If you are a Yankees fan, these shoes are exceptionally hot. The kicks feature the classic Yankees pinstripes and the blue and white color scheme.

You won’t forget that these shoes are LeBron’s either as there is a distinctive LeBron logo on the side of the shoe and his number 23 on the tongue. There are various swooshes on this shoe, with the most prominent one being on the checked strap that lies over the laces.

Although LeBron is an Ohio native, he definitely has a New York state of mind with this release. He’s going to be wearing these sneakers when he steps into the Garden to play the Knicks on March 5, 2008.

These shoes will soon be released at House of Hoops in Harlem. Via Sneaker News.

More Pictures…

“Skate Or Die!” was a skateboarding game that was first released in 1987. This sneaker would be sold by Essence in Feb. Please check at their website in Feb. As for now, their detailed photos and other information are not ready yet.

Last year, the game was re-issued for Nintendo’s Virtual Console. Hence, Nike SB has also picked up on its popularity and designed this hot sneaker. Its colors and patterns are influenced by the game.

The skateboarding game is non-violent to allow it to be accepted into wide markets. That is why Nike  picked it up to use as an icon. Nike chooses to promote responsible images.

The video game has bright colors and this is reflected in the shoe. The toe box is black but it is outlined in a border of electric blue. The black is supposed to represent the black screen when the power is turned off. The blue accents continue at the heel and there are black colored, random markings on them. The mid-sole is blue too, but of a shade darker.  The bottom most sole is colored orange.

I like the shoe lace holes, which are done in bright orange and the laces are deliberately done in blue for that wonderful, bright blue look.

A young designer dubbed solebrotha on the NikeTalk message boards recently showed off a pair of Nike Air Flight 89s that he customized in 2007. The finished product is shown above with a pair of pictures of the Air Flight 89s in various stages of readiness after this post. The designer choose a tangerine color for the toe box to match the eyelets. Silver paint with white spots was placed on the heel and the toe to create an interesting visual effect. This silver paint was placed on the outsole as well to frame the shoe in a sparking color.

I think these shoes would be great if they didn’t have the tangerine paint. I think a darker orange may have worked better while giving it a unique touch. Solebrotha has done a good job with a pair of stale Nike Air Flight 89s though I hope future projects feature better colors.

More Pictures…

More NBA All-Star shoes are rolling out. This one is the Jordan 15 SE in the White/Red/Blue All-Star colorway. According to Sneaker News, this shoe is likely set for Rip Hamilton.

At this point, the Detroit Pistons guard hasn’t made the team yet. All-Star reserves will be selected by the NBA coaches and announced later this week.

Even if Rip, who is averaging 19.1 points on the season, doesn’t make the team, at least All-Star colors are close to Pistons colors. So he can wear these kicks with his home whites in Detroit.

The shoes combine woven white leather, embossed white leather, and lots of blue and red accents.

Look for more sneakers made especially for the 2008 NBA All-Star game to be released soon. The game takes place in New Orleans on February 17th. Photos via Kenlu.

More Pictures…