WORDS BY STEPHEN YU
So when you first watched ‘The Last Dance’ you were left wondering ‘what shoes did Jordan wear’? Now you’ve copped your first pair of Js, and now you’re stumped as to what to wear with Jordans. It’s a common problem.
Luckily for you, we’ve found the four off-court style equivalents to His Airness’s on-court athletics, and they’re ready to give you just the lay-up you need to put together a Jordan-centric fit that slam dunks. Answering questions like how to style Jordans, or what jeans to wear with Jordans, this all-star team is guaranteed to have you rocking your AJs not just like, but better than Mike. Now sit down, and strap up your latest pair of Jumpmans as we delve into what to wear with Jordans.
What To Wear With Jordans: For Guys
How to Style Jordans With John Melchico-Bronx (@blvckmvnivc)
Fashion Instagrammer based in Paris, France
What Jordan sneakers do you own?
Over the past year I’ve actually cut down my collection, so the ones to mention that I've kept would be the Off-White Jordan 1 Chicago OG classic bred colourway, Travis Scott collaboration Jordan 1s, and stylist Aleali May's Jordan 1 collaboration which I personally feel is such an underrated shoe. Another notable Jordan, which was my pick-up of 2020, are the Off-White Air Jordan 4 Retro collaboration, I have other colourways but the ones I mentioned are personal favourites of mine.
What do you love about Jordan sneakers?
My love for Jordans begins with the man behind the brand. Growing up as an avid basketball fan, Michael Jordan was the face of the sport, a living icon. Wearing his shoes you feel the history –– it’s more than a shoe to me.
Describe the outfit you’ve chosen today. Why did you decide to pair your Jordans with this look?
Personally, for me Jordans are an everyday shoe with the ability to be dressed up or rocked with more casual looks. This outfit has the best of both worlds pairing a half zip-up sweater with contrasting wide-legged bottoms that compliment the colourway of the Jordan’s I chose.
What do you usually wear with your Jordan sneakers? Any tips on what to style Jordans with?
It’s hard to find a shoe that you can honestly wear for all occasions, but Jordans are a shoe that transcends seasons so you can wear them all year round. They always look great with a pair of stacked denims or baggy casual bottoms, the shoes are always a focal point in any outfit. As they say, you make shoe contact before you make eye contact and I’m a firm believer in that for sure.
What are your favourite Jordan sneakers, and why?
Ever since Virgil Abloh teased his ‘The Ten’ collaboration with Nike, the ones I had my eyes on were the Jordan 1 Chicago colourway. So when I was kindly gifted a pair it was a personal grail secured –– they’ll always and forever be part of my sneaker collection.
Which brands do you think go best with Jordans?
So many brands complement Jordans like Fear of God and Off-White. It’s mainly streetwear brands that suit Jordans well.
Who do you think looks best in a pair of Jordans?
Guys like A$AP Rocky, Kanye West, Playboi Carti and Jerry Lorenzo have given me so much inspiration over the years, and each have styled Jordans in their own unique way.
How to Style Jordans With Donovon H (@dongottti)
Sneaker Instagrammer based in New Jersey, United States of America
What Jordan sneakers do you own?
About 90% of my Jordan collection are retros, mainly the original colourways. I’m super invested in nostalgia so I try to collect whatever came out during MJ’s run with the Bulls.
What do you love about Jordan sneakers?
I just love their versatility. You can go from a rugged streetwear look to dressing them up for a more formal setting. It’s amazing how Jordan’s line of sneakers is so universal that you can wear them for any occasion.
Describe the outfit you’ve chosen today. Why did you decide to pair your Jordans with this look?
I decided to keep today’s fit simple and true to myself. Some days I work more with complementary colours, other days I keep it plain and simple. I normally start with my shoes when getting dressed and work my way up. This look is my normal everyday attire when I’m not putting too much thought into it. The simple colour tones of the fit match my mood for the day.
What do you usually wear with your Jordan sneakers? Any tips on what to style Jordans with?
Nine out of ten days, I’m in hoodies and sweats so that my shoes get all the shine. But, I’ve been getting into workwear recently, so my style this year has basically been Js with pieces like carpenter pants, dickies jackets, oversized crew necks and pocket tees. But I believe style is subjective and everyone has their own flavour and opinions on what they think is fly, and that’s why I look at fashion as art. Different styles inspire me to push my own aesthetic.
What are your favourite Jordan sneakers, and why?
My all-time favourite Jordans are the Black Cement Jordan 3s. It’s funny because back in high school, 2011 I believe, they were sitting on shelves and I thought they were hideous. Fast forward to today I feel like you’re not a true Jordan retro lover if you don’t own a pair of black cement 3s. They’re the pair that kept the Jordan Brand line alive and elevated Nike to where they are today. It’s the shoe that also introduced us to the legendary Tinker Hatfield, with this being his first Air Jordan design, thus saving the entire Jordan line with his genius creation. There’s so much history and storytelling behind these Jordans it’s hard to ignore.
Which brands do you think go best with Jordans?
I don’t think a certain brand specifically stands out but I’ll always vouch for Stüssy. They’re just my go-to brand when I’m shopping for things to pair with my Js. I’m also big on vintage as well, so anything I find at the thrift store or online that makes me think to myself ‘these will go hand and hand with my Jordan 1s’.
Who do you think looks best in a pair of Jordans?
My biggest style icons growing up were always Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Pharrell and The Cool Kids. In an era where baggy clothes were the norm, they made it cool to rock more fitted clothing and different colours. I look at them as the most important fashion trendsetters of my generation.
What To Wear With Jordans: Female Edition
How to Style Jordans With Asia Jackson (@aasian)
Fashion, beauty and wellness YouTuber based in Los Angeles, United States of America
What Jordan sneakers do you own?
I got my first pair of Jordans back in 2013 — the Bugs Bunny 8s. I thought they were so cool because they had this quintessential 90s sneaker look to them, I mean Bugs Bunny wore them himself in Space Jam. I also have a pair of Bred 11s which are definitely in my top 3, and I have a few pairs of Jordan 1s which range from mids to highs.
What do you love about Jordan sneakers?
I love Jordans because each model is a unique design and there’s a variety of different colourway releases which keeps everything fresh, fun, and new. It's a brand that I never get bored with.
Describe the outfit you’ve chosen today. Why did you decide to pair your Jordans with this look?
One thing I love to do with all my outfits is to mix and match streetwear brands or sneakers with high-end or contemporary fashion brands. I love dressing up a pair of sneakers or using some sneakers to make an outfit look more casual –– it strikes the perfect balance between style and comfort. For this outfit, I decided to pair my Jordan 1 highs with a cream oversized sweater from Ba&Sh and silky, flowy flared pants from P.A.R.O.S.H. It's a classic outfit combination with a streetwear edge, and I love that juxtaposition. I love taking classic outfits and silhouettes and making them more urban. I grew up in Long Beach, California (East Side) so my teenage years in that environment were a big influence on the way I dress. I’m constantly adapting this as my style evolves.
What do you usually wear with your Jordan sneakers? Any tips on what to style Jordans with?
Honestly, I pair my Jordans with all types of looks and outfits. Sometimes I go full-on masculine with joggers, oversized fits, and strong lines. Other times I’ll pair them with a mini-dress or skirt. I value balance when it comes to my personal style, whether that's balancing style and comfort or masculine and feminine silhouettes –– I love playing with different textures, styles, and contrasts to create balance. I very much believe in the Ancient Chinese philosophy of yin and yang within the context of fashion: seemingly diametrically opposed styles can actually work together to create balance and harmony.
What are your favourite Jordan sneakers, and why?
Jordan 1s are my favourite just because they have a slightly feminine edge to their silhouette. A lot of basketball shoes tend to be really wide and chunky, which is totally fine, but I like the 1s because they have a narrow toe-box which again creates balance. You can wear 1s with flares, joggers and cargos; or you can wear them with dresses and skirts. Also, the mids and highs look so good with every different type of trouser leg length or break. It's definitely one of the greatest and most versatile sneaker designs of all time.
Which brands do you think go best with Jordans?
Any brand can be worn with Jordans –– as long as you're confident wearing it, you'll rock it. I've worn Jordans with Reformation dresses and I've worn them with Michael Kors work slacks. It's all about how you rock it.
Who do you think looks best in a pair Jordans?
Rihanna and Teyana Taylor style their Jordans the best. Rihanna is just one of my overall style icons, but I do particularly love the way she styles Jordans because she does so in a way that's similar to how I do. Zendaya also featured recently on the cover of Elle Magazine wearing a Valentino haute couture dress with a pair of Jordan 1s. While haute couture is not something I'd wear casually, I just love the pairing of couture and streetwear. She looked so good.
How to Style Jordans With Sally (@sallyssneakers)
Sneaker Instagrammer based in Copenhagen, Denmark
What Jordan sneakers do you own?
I own too many to make a list for you guys. I mostly have retro 1s but I have 4s, 5s, 6s and 11s in my collection as well.
What do you love about Jordan sneakers?
What I love about Jordan brand is the culture and history of the brand. When I was younger I played basketball so obviously Michael Jordan was an icon to me. In spite of this, I actually didn’t own a pair of Jordans before entering ‘adult life’ and buying myself a pair. Most pairs have a story behind them, so seeing retro pairs from 1985 being brought back to life again and again while still maintaining popularity, charm and meaning really impresses me.
Describe the outfit you’ve chosen today. Why did you decide to pair your Jordans with this look?
Firstly, in my world you can never go wrong with a pair of oversized mum jeans, a simple t-shirt and a statement piece such as the cap I’m wearing. I’m all about the details and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like to match. Black goes with everything so it’s obviously easy to pair with almost any other colour. This outfit would go well with a lot of different shoes, either by making the shoe the most eye-catching part of the fit or more understated to keep the focus on the clothing.
What do you usually wear with your Jordan sneakers? Any tips on what to style Jordans with?
I usually wear oversized jeans and then either an oversized sweater, t-shirt, or just a simple top depending on the weather. Sometimes I wear bolder fits but most of the time it depends on my mood –– do I want to wear a popping outfit or not? Do I want the shoes to be the focus or the clothing? It really depends. I generally wear my bottoms wide with Jordan, especially if I’m wearing jeans. To me, wearing leggings or tights with Jordans is a no go.
What are your favourite Jordan sneakers, and why?
Some of my favourites in my entire collection are the Jordan 1 Travis Scott or the Jordan 1 Off-White, but the list is endless. These are all special to me for different reasons but I probably have two pairs that I adore the most: 1) The Jordan 1 UNCs are one of the OG colours that came out in 1985. They’re a tribute to Michael Jordan’s collegiate basketball team’s colour whilst studying at the University of North Carolina. In my personal opinion the UNCs are one of the cleanest OG pairs, probably because they’re my favourite colour –– baby blue. My all-time favourite pair are probably the Melody Ehsani Jordan 1 mid which released in 2019. I know I speak on behalf of many sneakerheads when I say this –– we appreciate when a sneaker has a story to tell and a meaning behind it. Like myself, Ehsani is of Iranian heritage and her Jordan 1, which is a women’s exclusive, is meant to empower women. Being a young Iranian woman, raised by refugee parents this collaboration is of indescribable value to me. Ehsani is one of my main inspirations being a female sneakerhead in a culture massively dominated by the opposite sex.
Which brands do you think go best with Jordans?
I actually find that very hard to answer as there are a lot of brands that go well with Jordans. Today I chose to wear Marine Serre which is a high-end brand but the cap and t-shirt that match the shoes are very understated in a cool way. They’re simple and clean and don’t take attention away from the shoes. I have a thing for high-end bags (Balenciaga, Off-White, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, etc.) so I guess those are key pieces which I feel compliment an outfit well too. I don’t like wearing too many brands at once – but if I do so I choose pieces that aren’t all loud. I feel like wearing a few nice high-end pieces looks better than overdressing.
Who do you think looks best in a pair Jordans?
One of the celebrities who is best at styling her J’s is Aleali May. She’s definitely a style icon in the sneaker world.