Top Take Tuesday: Top Sneaker Shots from My Followers Week 7

@funkmasterkicks

Welcome back to the "Top Take Tuesday" series featuring pictures from those who follow me on Instagram. 

As always, I put a short remark about why I liked the picture and tag your page in the article.  Here we go with week #7!

Remember, I can't grab your pictures unless you're public, and the pics must now be on-foot!

@jon_corona

When you see a follower rocking LeBron samples it's almost a given that theiy're going to end up on Top Take Tuesday, especially when the picture is as ridiculously clean as this one. The gum bottom puts these camos over the top in my opinion. Sparkling shot!

@simplyforkicks

A writer for Midwest Sole @simplyforkicks shows off his Nike Air Penny IIs in thsis shot. White kicks are my favorite, and the blue eyelets and gradient blue air bubble are gorgeous. Nice.

@johnnnyskywalker

I'm a patriotic kind of guy, and these "Independence Day" Air Jordan 5s caught my eye. Although not the most popular V, I have always really liked this colorway with the speckled red hits on the midsole. Great kicks!

@snkrhd

These were the lost 12 that he needed for his OG 12 collection. I could tell by the description he posted on Instagram that he couldn't be happier about finishing off the collection and getting these kicks straight to his feet. Salute for rocking your kicks man!

@rickyruins_

Some old school vans, on a skateboard with a vintage-style filter? What's not to like? I even noticed the multi-colored screws making a statement against the black grip tape. Groovy.

@sasnle23

Pooky, as I call him, is a good sneaker friend of mine. He has an awesome and extremely diverse collection, and here he shows off  a pair of his Janoskis against a KC Monarchs cap. Great job as always bud.

@toddhitchcock

The first time multiple feature goes to my dude Todd. I know the story behind these 112s, but not sure I can share. Just know that they're a great colorways and part of another very diverse collection. Salute!

Kick Spotlight: Earl of KC Sole

For the 5th edition of Kick Spotlight we stay in my hometown of Kansas City to bring you 'Earl' of KC Sole. Earl and I met at House of Hoops one day when I was shopping. He saw I had some kicks on my feet, and he asked me if I'd heard of KC Sole. Of course I had heard of the sneaker movement in KC! Well, Earl was wearing one of my favorite models, the KD IV (he happened to be wearing the Christmas colorway), and we have been keeping tabs on each other's collection ever since. Earl's actually one who contacted me about doing my Sole of the City feature. Be sure to follow him on Instagram and Twitter to keep up with some of his "Top Takes."

Earl fronting on my sneaker wall

Profile

Name: Earl of KC Sole

Age: 24

Size: 10-10.5

Instagram: @dirtyredroshe

Twitter: @bluehatredvans

Location: Kansas City

What is the first shoe that you remember buying, or that started it all for you?

Nike Air Garnett III

Garnett 3. I was about 10 or so and it was the first shoe I copped other than a Jordan. I got the blue with the white first, and picked up the away and the black alternate T-Wolves jersey from Kid's Footlocker at Bannister. 

What's your favorite part of the sneaker culture?

Shot from a table at KC Sneakfest 13

My favorite part of the sneaker culture would have to be seeing the individuality and personality sneakers can bring out in people.

What's you leave favorite part of the sneaker culture?

My least favorite part is the overhype for sneakers, and the excessive need for attention and approval people are bringing these days 

How many shoes would you say you own?

Very small portion of Earl's kicks

I'd say roughly around 100

What's your favorite sneaker brand?

Nike and New Balances; tradition, it's the two brands that brought me into the game 

What's the hardest part of getting shoes where you live?

The lack of shops selling shoes I like or would like to add to my collection, but our skate spots been holding me down as of late 

What're your top 3 sneakers in your collection?

Nike Kobe 8 "Mambacurial"

DMP 6, Air Tech Challenge III, and Mambacurial Kobe 8s

What're the top 2 sneakers you wish you had most?

Nike Air Flightposite III Battlegrounds" Gold

Flightposite 3 Blue and Gold Battleground Editions

What's the 1 sneaker you'd like to see re-released?

Adidas Stan Smith

Stan Smith Adidas

What's the first thing you look at when you open up a new box of shoes?

First thing I'm checking for is the overall craftsmanship of the shoe..and the defects if any 

What's your favorite material on a shoe? 

Earl's Nike Air Stab

Suede (true buttery suede) used by New Balance, Saucony, and Asics

What's your most memorable campout?

Nike Air Jordan VI "Defining Moments"

My most memorable experience had to be picking up my DMP over about half of the KC Chiefs squad, I worked at Finishline and we had maybe 80 pairs but there wasn't but two stores in the city with em and maybe 5 in the entire state 

What's the next shoe that you have your eye on?

Cncpts x Nike SB Dunk High "Ugly Christmas Sweater"

I'm excited for the Ugly Xmas Sweater SB Dunk Hi's, but I would like to cop FootPatrol Sauconys, Xmas Asics Pack, and the OG Puma Disc joints 

Shoutouts?

Shoutout to anybody that supports positivity and good vibes..my KC Sole fam Juice, T-Papi, BossLady, JD, B Got It, DQ, Aaron, Darrien, Damon, all the pretty ladies out there that rock sneakers or support their man in this journey, OG Joe, my HoH fam, Relaced, MADE MOBB, FAKE Neb, Justin the Legend, anybody that came and supported or was part of Sneakfest 13 and just anybody that believed I us. Oh and of course my gee FunkMasterKicks and the dope movement he is pushing! 

Any parting words?

Definitely want to thank you for considering me to be chosen for the spotlight and let's make SneakFest 14 epic!! It's beautiful to see KC growing together and pushing positivity no matter the cause. 

Top Take Tuesday: Top Sneaker Shots from My Followers Week 6

@funkmasterkicks

Welcome back to the "Top Take Tuesday" series featuring pictures from those who follow me on Instagram. 

As always, I put a short remark about why I liked the picture and tag your page in the article.  Here we go with week #6!

Remember, I can't grab your pictures unless you're public. 

@fressh_cb7

Last week we saw a picture of the Gamma Blue LeBron XI on foot, so this week I thought it would only be appropriate to throw a picture of the "Away" version. The picture shows a nice view of the medial side of the shoe and accentuates the contrast between the black and red on the upper.

@showmekicks816

The sun shined down to show off all the glory of Mike's "Urban Camo" Asics Gel Lyte-III in this picture. We all know what it's like to get out of bed and toss on some sweats on a Fall day. Having some nice kicks to put on your feet to accentuate the relaxed look is always a plus.

@wustinjalker

Another chill picture, it show off how Kobe 8 "Easter" can kick up any situation in this picture. The way the yellow/gold swoosh pops off the lower ankle on the medial side is beautiful. You can't get much more relaxed than chilling with some comfortable kicks on your feet.

@tannertbain

Tanner shows off my favorite colorway of the Nike LeBron 9 Low, the "Floridians." The way the vivid pink pillars extend all the way through the shoe's visible air unit really puts these shoes over the top in my opinion, and the clear outsole that switches from orange to pink on the undercarriage is dope when you're just kicking your feet up.  

@seeknshoes

A Jordan III group shot is going to make it on the blog just about every time, as it's my second favorite Jordan silhouette. And when you top the picture off by knowing it's a husband and wife combination, it makes it even better. Can you tell who is the husband and who is the wife?

@djsoulmutt

One of the best General Release Asics that we've seen in a while, the "Black & Tan" Gel Lyte-III is shown off from multiple angles. The bird's eye view shows how the grey laces are highlighted against the black upper, and the view of the lateral side gives you a nice understanding of how the colorways 'gels' together with the speckled midsole.

@cianskiskiolo

A friend of Tanner's (see above), Zach shows off another colorway of the Lebron 9, but this time in the regular, high, version. Another eye-popping colorway, the "Miami Vice/South Beach" is probably the best known recurring LeBron colorway, as well as the most mimicked by customizers and Nike IDers.

Kick Spotlight: Patrick M.

For the 4th edition of Kick Spotlight we come back to my hometown of Kansas City to bring you Patrick M. Oddly enough, Patrick and I met through a Instagram even though we live in the same city. Patrick's collection initially caught my eye because we was able to grab some Nike SBs that I wasn't able to, including the exclusive versions of the "Finally" and "Brooklyn Projects" Nike SBs. As a big sports fan myself, Patrick's support of Sporting Kansas City has helped further our acquaintance. Be sure to follow him on Instagram and Twitter to keep up with some of his "Top Takes."

Profile

Name: Patrick Marriott

Age: 28
Size: 10-11 depending on the shoe
Instagram: @pkmarriott 
Twitter: @pkmarriott
Location: Kansas City

What is the first shoe that you remember buying, or that started it all for you?

Adidas Superstar 1

I would have to say that Adidas Superstar 1s started it all for me as a teenager. Having a nice, clean pair of sneakers on was always important to me, but collecting sneakers didn’t start until much later. 

What's your favorite part of the sneaker culture?

I like how it is constantly changing and evolving.  If you miss a release, there is always something better around the corner. Also, the friends I have made throughout the years. 

What's your least favorite part of the sneaker culture?

Hmm, where do I begin? First and foremost, killing someone for any reason is despicable. I don’t want to be associated in any way with the people out there killing each other for a pair of sneakers. As far as purchasing sneakers, the bots and resellers have been irritating. Also, overall quality has dropped significantly over the past 3 years or so. 

How many shoes would you say you own?

My collection has been up and down recently, but I would say around 30 pairs at the moment. 

What's your favorite sneaker brand?

Probably Nike SB. I like how much design freedom they have (when they use it)

What's the hardest part of getting shoes where you live?

I am able to get mostly everything I want, but I hate the super limited releases at Nike. It hate when they drop a shoe at 6 stores in the U.S. and there is no online release. 

What're your top 3 sneakers in your collection?

Heel Shot of the Brooklyn Projects x Nike SB Exclusive 

Depends on how you define “top”, but my favorites are: Kobe 8 Mambacurial, LeBron X Area 72, and probably my Brooklyn Projects SBs. 

What're the top 2 sneakers you wish you had most?

Teen Wolf Nike SB

I would like to have the Nike Air Mags because Back to the Future is my all-time favorite movie and the Teen Wolf SBs. 

What's the 1 sneaker you'd like to see re-released?

Not to be redundant, but I want to see the Air Mags release in 2015 to commemorate Back to the Future 2. 

What's the first thing you look at when you open up a new box of shoes?

Patrick's RF x Asics "ECP Knicks"

I look them over very thoroughly actually. I make sure there aren’t major flaws. Then, I’ll snap a picture and play around with photo-editing apps. 

What's your favorite material on a shoe?

Peewee Herman Nike SBs

A really nice suede. I have Peewee Herman SBs and the suede is extremely soft. 

What's your most memorable campout?

I camped out all night for a friend of mine actually. I was waiting on a pair of Jordan VI’s and Champs sold out of his size right before I got to the counter. I ended up going to a different store hoping they were getting them and waiting another 2 hours. I ended up getting them for my friend who traded them a month later, haha. 

What's the next shoe that you have your eye on?

The upcoming Nike Foamposite One "Doernbecher" (Nov. 23)

I think I’m going to try for the Doernbecher Foams. 

Shoutouts?

A big thank you to my friend Alex who got me into this crazy world. Also, Mark and Kile for always helping me out. Plus a big thanks to the one and only Funkmaster for the hard work on his blog. 

Any parting words?

“Be excellent to each other.”

Top Take Tuesday: Top Sneaker Shots from My Followers Week 5

@funkmasterkicks

Welcome back to the "Top Take Tuesday" series featuring pictures from those who follow me on Instagram. 

As always, I put a short remark about why I liked the picture and tag your page in the article.  Here we go with week #5!

Remember, I can't grab your pictures unless you're public. 

@mikeydabb

Mikey is a new supporter of the blog and has been willing to offer critiques of my writing, which I definitely appreciate it. I've been looking for these Mortars for a while now, and they've made their way onto the list this week partly due to my jealousy.

@ethan_og

A young 'head in the game, Ethan turned it up with this pic. It's not too often anymore that you see Jordan 17s on feet. This picture shows off the perforations around the lower lace eyelets. Fall is coming--keep the white kicks clean!

@sneakersensei

Adidas Torsion Allegras are underrated in my opinion. The amount of colorways and materials that these shoes are available in is absolutely ridiculous. Always good to keep some comfortable kicks in the rotation. Checkout Jay's site, snkrbst.com, & be sure to checkout his organization's mission. Great work Jay.

@keebantot

Kobe, as you may or may not know, is my favorite player, and this shot does these Kobes justice! Plus this guy has some guts wearing white kicks in the middle of a puddle like that.

@sneakerxfreak

Pascal is a local guy here in KC. and writes for Sneaker Bar Detroit. I liked the subtlety of the Shadow Jordan 1s with the light grey socks in this pic; a clean colorway you can wear anytime. 

@sneakerboxspotlight

Justin is a professional photographer who focuses his talents on kicks. Take a look at his IG, and I think you'll recognize a lot of the pictures from some of your favorite sites. His collection is ridiculous.

@ikferg

You might recognize his name from the Kay Yow Kobe 8 picture that was going around, but we've been following each other's collection for a while now.  Being a Nike-sponsored athlete sure has its perks!

Kick Spotlight: Evan F.

With the 3rd installment of Kick Spotlight I bring you Evan F. from Tribune, KS. Evan and I met through a mutual sneaker collector that used to share his time between Kansas City and Western Kansas (his spotlight is still to come). 

Being from a small town in the "middle of nowhere," Evan faces different challenges than what some of us other 'heads face. So without further adieu, Kick Spotlight: Evan F.

Profile:

Name: Evan F.
Age: 30
Size: 11
Instagram: @efirner
Twitter: @efirner
Location: Tribune, KS

What is the first shoe that you remember buying, or that started if all for you?

Jordan "Concord" XI

I never copped them, but without a doubt, the Jordan 11 Concord when it came out in '97. My parents weren't interested in paying $130+ on my 7th grade basketball shoes, so I wasn't able to get them for Basketball. 

Jordan "Cherry" XII

The first Jordan’s on my actual feet happened two years later: the Jordan 12 white/ red, or now we call them, the 12 Cherries. I grabbed them on sale through eastbay.com for $100 plus shipping. My mother used to call them and do phone orders. I used them for freshman basketball!

What’s your favorite part of the sneaker culture?

The best part of the culture is the true friends you have met that help you on release days. I’m an extreme Western Kansas sneakerhead. It’s extremely hard to get Jordans. I get them online through nike.com, or I don’t get them at all.
Also, I really enjoy the challenge of trying to cop the kicks online. It gets harder and harder with supplies getting the LIMITED label. Websites change their formats to combat bots. I really enjoy predicting what their next new design will be. 

What’s your least favorite part of the sneaker culture?

Gotta get to Footlocker!!!

Campouts can be fun when it’s in the middle of the summer. However, in the dead of winter it is not safe. They should still allow camping but not when temperatures drops so low it isn’t safe anymore. I have camped out a few times but safety is important. 

Also, excessive reselling prices. Flightclub are you kidding me, almost $4K for a Paranorman Foamposite?!?! I’m not going to hide it. I resell shoes often and regularly. I resell to help feed my sneaker habit. I sell them at a price that is fair to me the seller and you the buyer. Not $275 for a general release Jordan. 

How many shoes would you say you own?

Small selection from Evan's collection

I have nearly 30 pairs that are deadstock and 10-15 that I rock. I know what most of you are thinking you need to rock all of your kicks. Several of them are simply a collection piece to me. When a shoe is valued at $800 and I wear them. They depreciate in value by at least 30 percent. So, I should waste $240 wearing them only a few times? I don’t think that’s a sounds investment. Basically I don’t wear kicks that are worth more than $300.

What’s your favorite sneaker brand and why?

A year ago it would have been Jordan hands down! However, I’m moving towards Asics or New Balance. New Balances are Made in America and are extremely comfortable. Jordan’s for me personally are becoming a collector’s item. My favorite brand is still Nike. 

What are your top 3 sneakers in your collection?

Evan's Deadstock Doernbecher Collection

Jordan 3-5 Doernbechers all Deadstock.

What are the top 2 sneakers you wish you had most?

Nike "Paranorman" Foamposite One

The PARANORMAN Foamposite because I won the contest and didn’t get my size!!! The design on those foams are unreal! 

The Nike Air Mags are a close second.

What’s the number 1 sneaker you’d like to see re-released?

Jordan "Columbia" XI

I like “re-releases” because it’s exciting. Come on now IG and Twitter went nuts when Nike announced they would re-release 5 different Doernbecher shoes! I’m going to say the Jordan 11 Columbias because everyone wants those to re-release and I’m in that group.

What’s your most memorable campout or buying experience?

Jordan "Bred" IV

Two of my good friends and I campout out for the Bred 4s! It was Black Friday and people asked us what we were waiting for? We told them a pair of Jordans. We would change the story throughout the night. First ten people get a $5 gift card. You know stories that make you laugh. It was nearly below freezing you have to laugh to stay warm. 

What made it exciting was I ran into my college roommate. He only camped for an hour and copped the last pair in his size. SMH 

What’s the next shoe that you have your eye on?

Nike Foamposite One "Doernbecher"

Without a doubt the Doernbecher Foamposite!!! The Jordan Doernbecher of the collection takes and obvious backseat for the first time!

Any parting words?

Buy what you like and don’t stock as many pairs as I do! 30 Deadstock pairs are way too many pairs to keep in that condition. Keep a top 5 DS and rock the rest of them. 

I encourage the resellers reading to donate some of the proceeds to a charity. 

Help a friend that you know really I mean really wants a certain pair of shoes for cost plus shipping. 

Shoutouts?

Shoutout to everyone that I have received help from with releases (Todd & Q)! Also, FunkMasterKicks for noticing my passion for shoes. Thanks Mom and Dad for my first pair of Jordans!