The XX3 Is Like, So Green - There was no such thing as a "high-performance luxury basketball shoe" before the Air Jordan. And no shoe since suits that definition better.

Nike's priciest hardwood shoe continues to break new ground. Nike's designers, people like the legendary Tinker Hatfield, have kept the Air Jordan evolving for better or for worse. Michael Jordan seems to have a penchant for experimentation because his shoe line is a perpetual experiment. Would Air Jordans be Air Jordans if some sort of experiment weren't involved?

Jordan and Nike have never released an Air Jordan that didn't have some unique design quirk. That is good and bad. Sometimes these quirks overwhelm the product with the experiments appearing contrived and gimmicky. For instance, the Air Jordan XI featured a patent leather upper coupled with white canvas. This was a first for athletic shoes. However, not everyone wants to wear athletic shoes with patent leather. I certainly didn't in 1995 when the XI debuted.

The XI was the first Air Jordan that I refused to buy. The Air Jordan line was around ten years old at the time and the experimentation had gotten old. Patent leather and white canvas seemed absurd, way too ridiculous to spend $135 on.

I've never been a fan of white canvas anyway. It gets dirty.

To this day, I won't buy athletic shoes with white canvas unless I plan to wear them at my gym exclusively. More than likely, you will not see me wearing white canvas shoes casually unless it's a vintage model I'm trying to make dingy on purpose. I've done that before with white leather, never with canvas. But that sort of project has crossed my mind more than once. That being said, I wouldn't do it with an Air Jordan XI. Dirty XIs look terrible. They don't age well. My opinion on this might change in five or ten years, but for now they simply don't age well.

Anyway, the Air Jordan has gone through a lot of experimentation. Such experimentation plays better with the younger set. They haven't figured out what they like and don't like yet, so the experimental approach is a good one for Nike. After all, the younger set plays the game.

Unfortunately, Nike's experimentation with the Air Jordan has resulted in some strange basketball shoes. Some of them are outright ugly. The Air Jordan XV might be the ugliest basketball shoe Nike has ever designed. The XV is yet another Air Jordan that I had to balk at.

Now we have the Air Jordan XX3. Urban culture websites like hypebeast.com and freshnessmag.com have posted pictures and related media regarding the XX3. Freshness has even posted specs on the shoe. They say Nike has applied techniques, philosophies and lessons learned from their Considered line to the Air Jordan xx3. In short, this means Nike precluded a lot of environmental waste to manufacture the XX3. While not completely green, the XX3 is at least the greenest high-performance luxury basketball shoe ever.

Nike deserves a high five for their effort.

The company does not deserve a high five for the XX3 I would want to wear the most, the predominantly white version. This year's "white" Jordan has His Airness' initials embroidered all over the upper. (Sigh.)

This isn't gaudy at all, not one bit.

Seriously though, why would I want someone else's initials on my basketball shoe? I understand it's Michael Jordan's signature shoe, but why can't it just say "Air Jordan" in a discreet serifed font like the originals?

The shoe itself looks gorgeous. I will not link to pictures unless I know for a fact that I am allowed to. Right now, I don't, so I won't.

The black version of the XX3 features what looks like a Native-American motif embroidered on the side. The design reminds me of a quilt. This is much better than initials, but I'm not sure I want a basketball shoe with designs that evoke thoughts of quilts, but whatever.

The "Carolina" version looks the best, but its availability is limited. The likelihood of finding a pair is remote. Plus, they're priced at an ungodly $230. The general release versions cost $185.

Anyway, I do not anticipate buying an Air Jordan XX3. I don't care to do theme shoes anymore. I feel Air Jordans should be treated as the main part of one's wardrobe. That means everything you wear must complement the shoe. It doesn't work the other way. For instance, you shouldn't do Jordans with a Lacoste. Jordans and Lacostes are incompatible. Like the Air Jordan, a Lacoste shirt is a flagship wardrobe piece, a center-of-the-universe type garment that all other articles of clothing should fall in line with. It doesn't work the other way. When you wear a Lacoste, everyone is looking at that shirt. It will dominate your appearance. It's simply that kind of shirt. The same goes for Ralph Lauren Polo, another iconic and dominant brand.

I will probably pass on the Air Jordan XX3 because the tone of the overall design does not agree with me. I would have preferred something more subdued. Since I don't play basketball anymore, I want a predominantly white shoe that goes great with a pair of premium khakis. The XX3 had a chance, but excessive embroidery depicting letters of the alphabet are too much. Had the white version looked more palatable to me, who knows. Still, I could change my mind on any given day.