Today's Pair - Air Jordan Retro III (3) (2007) a/k/a The Day I Got The Shakes

So with today being the day the Retro 3 "Cements" finally released I decided to wear the "Fire Red" Retro 3's that released in March of '07. As some of you might know I decided to take the year off from buying any shoes since it is my 15th wedding anniversary this year and want to focus my money on making this year special instead. Nobody seems to believe me but they'll see, they'll all see (insert evil laugh). As I said, these retro 3's were released in March of 2007 along with the Retro 3 "Flips". The "Fire Reds" retailed for $125, as opposed to the $160 the "Cements" sold for today (more on that later today). Last time I looked you can find a few pairs at Flight Club for $250 which is the cheapest price I saw (unless you wear fakes which makes you a bitch). The quality on these is surprisingly nice, especially when compared to some of the stuff Jordan Brand is putting out these days. They have held up really well with only some slight yellowing on the heel tab. It probably helps that I don't actually walk in my shoes (benefits of being in a wheelchair, shoes never wear out) so this pair looks almost brand new.

The differences between the 2007 release and today's release are easy to spot but the shoes are pretty similar. The '07 elephant print is black while the '11 release is the famous "Cement" color. The back heel on the '07 is fire red while the '11 is black and the '07 liner and lace holes are cement gray while both are white on the '11 release. Not sure if those changes plus a retro styled box is worth the $35 price increase, especially when to my eyes (and other peoples whose eyes I trust) the '07s are better made. But this is to be expected from Nike I guess. Plus I honestly can't blame them if people are going to continue to buy them for $160. If you can get the money might as well grab it right? I added pics of both the '07 and '11 retros below to let you guys check the differences for yourselves.



Air Jordan Retro 3 "Fire Red"
Released March 2007 Retail $125.00



Air Jordan Retro 3 "Cements"
Released January 22 2011 Retail $160

As for the shakes I referred to in the title, today was the first the big release day since I made my year off decision and trust me it wasn't easy to not set the alarm last night to be at the mall stupidly early. The really weird part was that I didn't just miss getting the "Cements", I realized that I also just missed the whole experience. I didn't realize that it's not just the shoes that I enjoy but it's the fun of getting to the mall at 6:00 AM and hanging out inside a closed empty mall with nothing but other sneakerheads talking shoes and arguing over which retro's are better or will be bigger sellers. Or listening when guys (or girls) start throwing out their wish lists of shoes to be retroed and remembering some long forgotten shoe and adding it to your "got to have" list. My wife knows me and how I love shoes and listens as I ramble on and on (or pretends to listen) and I got friends at DTLR and the Footaction Outlet who talk shoes too but something about that release day crowd and those conversations is different. Well that's all for now but make sure you check back this evening, got a few things I want to get off my chest which some of you might find interesting or disagree with which is the goal. Till then, Cheapsoles