#shegotgame - Is that (Red) Velvet? Styling the new Air Jordan XI Heiress Collection Sneakers
When you're a small shoe size and a moderate sneaker collector, it's not always to find rare or limited footwear. Often, the dopest pieces aren't even in available in "midget" sizes. I'm a size 4 or 4.5 grade school (GS) which is equivalent to a 5.5 or 6 women's shoe. It might not sound that small, but often the coolest colorways are limited to men's, which many of us in the baby feet community cannot fit into - we're relegated to "shrink and pink" models and often, poorer quality materials.
In late 2014, Jordan Brand announced that they would be doing extended sizing, making GS pairs available to a bigger market, extending the special grade school colorways up to size 11 (or men's 9.5). Then in spring 2016, the Heiress Collection was introduced which features select female specific Jordan models made up in premium materials and exclusive makeups, some that are even turning the heads of male customers who finally know what it feels like to want a shoe that just doesn't come in their size! This has meant that we're finally getting better quality sneakers in small sizes.
One of the shoes that's building that hype is the Air Jordan XI "Night Maroon" or "Red Velvet" colorway done up in, of course, velvet. I was lucky to have one of the first pairs seeded out. Unfortunately, it's been raining since I received the pair so my photographer Simone and I had to improvise with a little hotel room photoshoot to ensure that we kept the shoes safe and got some on-foot looks.
The sneaker is a much higher quality than I'm used to being offered in a grade school size. The velvet is soft to the touch and has sheen without being too shiny or cheap feeling. The rest of the upper is a soft suede-type material, the midsole is white and the outsole is an icy burgundy while the carbon fibre potion is a burgundy and black. The gold details really pop on the maroon color. The gold stitching is on the heel tab and tongue and there are shiny gold lace tips along with a metal Jumpman instead of a stitched one on the upper. All these luxe elements adds up to a higher price tag - $220 USD.
Personally, I really like the shoes. I tend to stick to the Jordan III, I and XII silhouettes as the Xis can be tough to style due to the cut of the shoe. Thankfully I already own a burgundy velvet jacket that just happens to match perfectly with the shoes...along with my maroon hair and lipstick. Can you tell what my favorite color is? Will you be picking up the shoes for yourself or someone else and are they worth the $220? Let me know.
- Shoe: Air Jordan 11 Retro GG “Heiress”
- Colorway: Night Maroon/Metallic Gold-Night Maroon
- Style #: 852625-650
- Release Date: December 17, 2016
- Sizes: 3.5-9.5 Grade School (GS) = Size 5-11 Women's
- Price: $220
- Photographer: Simone Hamilton.
- Jacket: Oak and Fort
- Dress: Alexander Wang
- Tights: Pretty Polly
- Rings: Maison Margiela and H&M
- Shoes courtesy of Jordan Brand PR.
- Shot on location at the Dazzler Hotel Brooklyn.
#shegotgame: Styling the Jordan XII "Melo" GS Sneaker
2016 is shaping up to be a big year for the Jordan XII. Thanks to the the release of new "Master", the upcoming "Flu Games" - those of us with smaller feet got a treat with the "Melo" colourway. Released as a tribute to Melo's days with the Denver Nuggets the shoes feature an all white upper with university blue and gold details.
Originally I was planning to do a shoot at Coney Island inspired by one of my favourite movies, He Got Game. However, thanks to weather, time and a general lack of time and wardrobe (I've been on the road for three weeks) - I figured I'd keep it low-key. I was lucky to get a pair of these direct from Jordan two weeks before the release. I've been pining for a pair since they showed up on the sneaker e-streets months ago. I'm a big fan of the colourway for summer as the bright white is set off nicely by the classic baby blue and touch of gold. Personally, I love the curve of the XIIs mixed with more shapely silhouettes like body hugging skirts and dresses and meatier calves. These are going to be in heavy rotation for me this summer, however it'll be a struggle to keep them clean in the city. Did you pick up a pair and how would you style them? Let me know!
Full outfit details
Jacket: Theory by Olivier Theyskens
Shirt: Aritzia dress cut into top
Skirt: ALC LTD @ Blue and Cream
Sneakers: Jordan Brand XII "Melo" GS courtesy of Jordan Brand/Taylor Strategy
Sunglasses: Celine at Native Ken NY
Nails: Kim Nails Salon Toronto
Photography: Roger Messi
Shot on location in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
#shegotfit: Images of the Jordan Brand Reveal from the Heiress Collection for espnW's We Tried It
In this week's edition of my espnW column "We Tried It", I test out the new lifestyle sneaker from Jordan Brand, the Reveal. The Reveal is part of the Heiress collection, the first grade school extended sizing made especially for women and girls. Since the article only has room for a few images, check out a few more below. The full Heiress collection, which includes a Jordan ! sneaker, a Jordan X, the Jordan Jasmine, along with the Reveal, drops on May 1st. Have you tried out any pieces from the collection yet? Check out my review and let me know what you think.
Photography: Katherine Roy
Hair cut and styling: Alannah at Dat Salon Toronto
Full outfit details:
Jordan Brand Reveal Heiress collection sneaker: courtesy of Jordan Brand
Leggings: Nike Women
Sports Bra: Lululemon
Black mesh swim cover-up: Nike
Socks: Stance
Sunglasses: Celine
shegotgame @ #ALLSTARTO: Jordan Brand's 306 Yonge Flagship
It's official - Jordan Brand now has a home in Canada. Yesterday, the doors opened to 306 Yonge the first Jordan flagship outside of the United States. The store features an open concept with sections devoted to different collaborations - Public School and OVO - along with a heat wall of classic Jordan silhouettes. There's a hearty mix of performance, like the Jordan XXX, along with a Skill Performance section that lets you test our their new performance silhouette. There are Toronto branded tees that feature the AJ1 on a skate and the CN Tower and our many languages. The entire stockroom is incased with glass so not only can you pick up your pair from the wall, but you can see what's actually in stock. There are no back door deals in the shop!
Downstairs is the 306 Underground - Jordan's customization centre. There are multiple options for customization including sweats, tees, and dri-fit shirts, ranging from $42-$185 Canadian. You can choose embroidery or screen printing from various Canadian artists including Toronto photographer JayScale. You get to watch your items being created right in front of you and the entire experience is well curated. In the Underground space there's a barbershop, coffee and tea and of course, plenty of swag to check out. My favorite part of the entire experience is how well Jordan Brand has embraced Toronto - thanks to the hockey jersey pins, the Toronto signs, the inclusion of Toronto artists - the 6ix is finally on the footwear map in a real, authentic way. It makes me proud of a Toronto sneaker kid at my core.
Check out more images of the 306 Yonge and 306 Underground below. I'll bring you everything from the best of #ALLSTARTO so stay tuned for updates here on and on my social media - @shegotgame on Twitter and Instagram and shegotgame85 on snapchat.
Photos courtesy of Jordan Brand and Jennifer Toole.
shegotgame: Styling the Jordan I High and V Low "All-Star" Retros
Earlier today I had the opportunity to check out the opening of the brand new Jordan Brand flagship in downtown Toronto at - and called - 306 Yonge. After a tour of the space thanks to my "influencer" relationship with MJ's brand, I was lucky to receive some great gifts. The two I want to focus on are my two pairs of kicks - because it's gotta be the shoes. Both pairs are actually grade school (GS) specific line by Jordan Brand, that comes in extended GS sizing. While these two pairs are not a pack, they share the same colorway, pattern and shimmer.
The first pair are the Jordan I Retro High "All-Star" - colorway is wolf grey, metallic silver and white. There is a shimmer damask-style print on both uppers of each shoe. The Jordan wings logo is silver and embossed on the heel tab along with the stitched tonal Jumpman on the heel. The toe box and hell are more of a pale blue than a true wolf grey which mixes well with the textured upper. The US retail price for the Jordan I High Retro is $110.
The Jordan V Retro Low features the same style printed textile but it's all over the shoe. Black is secondary colour for the shoe instead of wolf grey, finished with an icy outsole and white midsole. There are hints of the wolf grey/pale blue color on the Jumpman branding of the shoe. The US retail price for the Jordan V Retro Low $140.
I'm generally not a girly-girl when it comes to sparkles, but the mix of a tonal, mostly neutral color palette against the patterned textile makes fore realFor today's tour and photoshoot, I brought along my frequent collaborator, photographer and friend extraordinaire Jennifer Toole. She and I are infamous in our little circle in that we turn everything into a photoshoot. So we took over the Jordan Store amongst the media preview and training (sorry y'all) to strike a few poses in my new kicks to give you an idea of how they look on foot. I'm sure I'll be shooting again in more than one outfit, but here's a taste before they release this Saturday.
- Photography: Jennifer Toole
- Hair color and styling: Lindsey Buro at Dat Salon
- Dress: Christopher Kane
- Footwear: Jordan Brand
- Nails: Lisa at Kim Nails Spa
