Legendary track star Tommie Smith is the inspiration for a duo of Puma Clydes that will be released at the end of summer. I was impressed by both pairs of shoes as I was reading the description offered on High Snobiety. The Clydes above honor Smith’s 1968 gold medal performance in the Mexico City Olympics while the shoes below replicate the runner’s shoes from the medal ceremony stand.

It would be simple enough for Puma to stamp Smith’s winning 200 meter time on the tongues of both shoes. The shoe company went above and beyond in designing these shoes with small accents. The gold Clydes feature replica medals from the 1968 Olympics throughout the shoe. Puma fans will love the gold lining inside of the blue shoes if they decide to purchase both shoes.

I love the way Puma decided to honor Tommie Smith using one of its premier shoes. Fans of the Puma brand will overwhelm fans of the track star but the honor remains strong. I would choose the blue suede Clydes over the gold shoes because they feature subtle touches of gold as well as design touches that would make for good conversation.