What Uniforms with Adidas "bless" the NBA with on Christmas Day?

              I understand it is a special day. I understand that on special days people like to wear special things. But, were the short sleeved uniforms worn by the NBA teams who played Christmas day last year even special? No. I would describe them as outright ugly. When I think basketball, I think cut-off jerseys with big block letters of the team name and the player’s number donning the front of the jersey. But, what we saw last year was what looked like a skin tight warm up jersey with an oversized logo on the front.
             I don’t know exactly what Adidas was trying to achieve with this new style of basketball jersey, but it was definitely one I don’t want to see again in the NBA. For a special holiday of Christmas, I do like the idea of changing things up for the day, but there are numerous different ways of attacking that idea without going completely downhill by creating a skin tight short sleeved basketball jersey. Using those words to describe a basketball uniform just sounds wrong.


2013 Adidas NBA Christmas Day jerseys modeled by players.

             I think that for the special Christmas jerseys, it would be fun to see the athletes wear throw back uniforms. Or another idea would be for Adidas to design uniforms in like a secondary color, for example Oklahoma City could wear orange jerseys. Also a big trend that seems to sweeping the sports nation is for teams to have a tribute for the armed forces, so it would be cool to see the jerseys have some type of camo or patriotic theme integrated into their uniforms.
            I will be interested to see what style of uniforms the NBA debuts on Christmas day this year. I feel like anything will be a step up from last years. If Adidas wants to continue to have exponential growth in their basketball department, they definitely need to have a slam dunk with their 2014 design!

Images Courtesy of www.elitedaily.com

 

The Beauty of Customization

           In past posts I have talked about the allure of the idea of customization to buyers. Many sportswear companies offer this aspect, so that prospective buyers have the opportunity to make a product the like into one that they love. This past month, I used the customization process offered by Nike called Nike ID to design my basketball shoes,  and I want to share my experiences with you, so you know the options available to you through online shopping.
          Shoes on Nike’s website have the most options when it comes to customization through the use of Nike ID. When you log onto the Nike website and begin to look through their numerous shoe collections, under the picture of each shoe there is a little colorful tab that reads, “Customize It” to allow you to reach the Nike ID app for that specific style of shoe. Once you open up the Nike ID customization tab, the original shoe design that you had clicked on will pop up with a side bar that lists the different components of the shoe and the numerous color options for each component of the shoe.
          Over the past few years, Nike has expanded their customization capabilities by allowing the customer to not only change the color of the shoe, but for certain shoes, there is the option to add graphics such as a camo, crackle, or fade aspect to the color of the shoe. You can even make them glow in the dark! Also, after you finalize the exact color combos you want and love the look of your shoes, there is the option to add your name and number to the shoes, to make them even more personalized.
         When I customized my new Nike Hyperdunk basketball shoes through Nike ID in early November, I was able to send the link to my teammates for them to view my creation and ask for their opinion on the shoes. One thing that was really nice was that there was no restriction on opening my design through the link, which allowed my teammates to add their own personal touches to the shoes without having to do it through my computer, they could do it in the luxury of their own home. Once we finally ordered the new shoes, it took about 3 weeks for them to be delivered to my house which I think it relatively quick considering they were customized and not in stock. Due to the fact that these shoes are not in stock there are some extra costs added into the original shoes, and shoes that customized through Nike ID usually cost about $50 more than the original shoe that is in stock.
         If you have searched numerous websites and still haven’t been able to find that perfect color combination on the shoes you want, I would definitely recommend checking out the Nike ID option. Though I do suggest that you might want to use this option on certain shoes that you really, really like to make them special because using this customization option on all your shoes may prove to be a little costly. In my experiences with using the Nike ID options it was a positive outcome and I was very pleased with the quality of the product I designed and I hope that you have the same results when you choose to use the great option for your new shoes!  

Christmas Wish List: Part 1

           With Christmas rapidly approaching, happiness and joy begin to fill the wintry air. Apart of the millions of people ranging from toddlers to the elderly, I am hoping that I get what I ask for this holiday season. But, I have hit a road bump, like thousands of others, who have no idea on what they want. So this is the guide for those of you who are looking to amp up their closet for the New Year ahead.

Black Nike Women's Vintage Gym Pants

          The first, (and only), item on my Christmas Wish List so far are the Nike Women's Vintage Gym Pants, which have the color options of Sail Blue, Action Red, Dark Gray, and Black and their price comes in around the average cost of a pair of Nike sweats. These type of “vintage” sweat pants are starting to become a big trend, as the so-called hipster style takes over the teenage generation of America. I really like how these sweats combine a comfortable relaxed style, but still fit along the lines of the fashion trends of today. I would call them dressy sweat pants because you can still “bum it” in these pants and still look put together, rather than when you throw on your oversized baggy sweats and a random t-shirt.
           For those of you who are health and result driven maniacs then the new technological wrist bands developed by leading sports brand companies such and Nike and Adidas may be the perfect gift for you. Nike has their Fuelband SE while Adidas competes with the Micoach Smart Fit wrist band. These athletic wrist bands are like the step counter you were forced to wear during gym class, except these step counters are highly advanced. Aside from all the different components that go into these athletic wrist bands from their numerous calculations to their smartphone connections, these bands also have aesthetic appeal as well. When comparing the two, I feel like Nike’s Fuelband has a sleeker more simple design, whereas I see Adidas’ Micoach Smart Fit to be little bit more bulky in its size and design. If all this sounds great to you the next stop would be cost, where the Nike Fuelband retails from about $100-$150 and the Adidas Micoach Smart Fit comes in at around $200. In the end, I think it comes down to preference, and which athletic wrist band has the qualities you are looking for and fits your style as an athlete.   
         It’s around this time of year that I begin scavenging sportswear websites in search of the perfect Christmas gift. Stay tuned to my blog, as throughout the next few weeks leading up to Christmas, I will be sharing my latest and greatest finds for you to enjoy this holiday season!

 

Images Courtesy of www.nike.com