For any sneakerhead, it takes about 30 seconds to recognize and correctly name the number and year of each Air Jordan referenced in Gourmet’s signature footwear line. But that’s the point. The clothing and shoe company has made a quite a splash on the sneaker/streetwear scene by wearing it’s influence boldly on its sleeve. Gourmet’s tasty Summer 2008 Collection sports designs not-so-loosely and beautifully inspired by the 7th, 11th, 12th, and 13th editions of the most important line of footwear in the history of mankind. I’m typically conflicted about companies riffing off of classic sneaker silhouettes. There’s a thin line between homage (love: Gucci’s take on the Stan Smith) and biting (hate: Lacoste’s Vans-y slip-on with a slapped-on alligator). Gourmet, to me, manages to land in the former category. These sneaks are smooth and, upon further rumination, elegantly constructed. The concept and design are spot-on. Take a Jordan and break it down to it’s most abstract, using only it’s most essential pieces. Stitch ‘em together in vibrant one-color canvas, and throw on top of a classic casual white rubber sole. At the end of the day, like in the movies, if a remake is good enough, lack of originality can be forgiven. And, it’s so important to recycle these days.

Special Note: Check the music playlist on the Gourmet website. Stellar.

Buy: $150

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“All day I dream about sneakers”, goes the phrase associated with the ADIDAS acronym. The new S2’s, designed by our friends at Porsche, are the stuff of dreams themselves. These white leather and red highlight sneaks combine retro inspiration with modern style. The Adidas performance and comfort come standard, yet you’ll be lacing these on your feet for an entirely different reason: hell, they look damn good…

Buy: $95

When the brains at MIT aren’t busy curing cancer or counting cards, they’re designing some amazing technology that we, uh, don’t always have a need for. The “Verb for Shoe” project has us scratching our heads, but eventually nodding in approval. On the 15th of December 2004, MIT student-formed VectraSense announced the “Verb for Shoe” project, one very smart shoe. This shoe automatically adjusts internal air pockets based on movements from the wearer– controlled by an internal computer. That same computer provides a wireless connection to your pc and to other Verb for Shoe wearers. Like the Microsoft Zune, wearers can beam personal data back and forth between them. Want to pass along your business card? Get a phone number of that pretty lady technophile? Want to exchange missile codes with a foreign spy? These’ll do it without saying a word on your part. The “Verb for Shoe” is now shipping. [engadget]

Buy: $700

Though not as prolifically customized as its shoe descendant, the Dunk, the Air Jordan 1 is one of Nike’s most frequently re-styled retros. Particularly in recent months, the patriarch of the Air Jordan family has undergone several thematic makeovers. The one on tap for this June is one of the most stylish in recent memory. Dubbed the “Father’s Day” edition, it lives up to its name. It hits that rare medium between street-cred chic and something you wouldn’t be embarrassed to see on your dad’s feet in public. It’s all about pattern and fabric choice. What says “Honey, I’m home” better than classic herringbone tweed? Pairing the herringbone with black trim and black laces gives it an edge way sharper than the typical autumn/Christmas colorways you usually see with tweedy sneaks. It’s an all-around slick pair of kicks you can sport with pretty much anything. The shoe’s scheduled release is June 7th. That’s a week before Father’s Day, so do right by Pops this year.

…Or get ‘em for yourself and find him a nice tie.

Whether you’re prepping for an early season marathon or just a jog around the neighborhood this weekend, you’re going to need the right shoe. When it comes to getting the right shoe, it really depends on how “right” you want to get. If you’re looking for some of the best new performance footwear, check out the Saucony ProGrid Paramount. Beyond the light weight, firm nature of the ProGrid models, these exceed the normal running shoes in terms of comfort. You’re not so much running, but floating past the competition…

Buy: $169

Is your shoe doing enough for you? The people at MBT physiological footwear are betting it doesn’t. So, they’ve come up with the Anti-Shoe. At first glimpse, it looks strange as hell, but dig a bit deeper. It reduces stress on your knees and hips by 19%. It pumps up your calf muscles 18% harder. It even works your butt 9% more and tightens your abs. All this just by walking in a different shoe. Using Masai barefoot technology, pressure from footsteps is distributed evenly, over the entire foot (as opposed to just your heels and the balls of your feet). The result? Improved posture, stronger joints and muscles and less aches and pains. The secret? A sole made up of five different components, including the “Masai sensor” placed under your heel. Picture yourself walking on a sandy beach. You know how your feet just sink into the sand? That’s how comfortable walking is in the Anti-Shoe. Welcome to a whole new lease on life.

Buy: Prices range from $125 to over $200.

Read more recent shoe-related posts on GearCrave:

• Fans of Puma shoes will love these Puma Futurecat Shoes.
• Runners will surely want to learn more about the Saucony Progrid Shoes.
• David Beckham wore these Adidas Predator Shoes in gold.

Shoe fans should also check out these other favorite GearCrave posts:

• How to Buy Your Own Missle Silo
• How to Buy Your Own Private Island

Low-top canvas sneaks have been a springtime standard for guys since Paul McCartney sported the original Spring Court sneaker on the album cover for Abbey Road. For a look that’s clean, versatile and always grown-up, the canvas low-top (particularly in white) remains the gold standard. Still, the average canvas sneaker, stylish as it may be, tends to feel a bit lacking in the edge department. Enter Alexander McQueen. His answer to the canvas quandary: add leather. Debuting in 2006, his AMQ line for Puma is all about taking classic court-inspired profiles and punking ‘em up with sleeker shapes and a sinister meshing of materials.

The AMQ Canvas Street Low is a prime example. Like the Spring Court’s canvas classic, slimmed down for the runway and gilded for London streets, it takes the basic, tennis-inspired canvas body and rubber sole and adds leather accents in all the right places. The leather Puma stripe along the side is too slick for words. It comes in ultra smooth cream and a super vicious red. And lest forget these are not your father’s sneakers, it also comes with a gnarly silver chain ornament in the shape of a tooth. If the Spring Court sneaker is the Beattles, the AMQ Canvas Street is the Clash. My advice: get the red ones.

Buy: $193

Nike is always on the innovation frontier. So it’s no surprise that they’ve done away with design all together and left it up to you, the customer, to design your own shoe. Here is the Nike Air Max 1 iD a plain trainer that is modeled after Nike Air’s basic designs of old. Then you get to put your own personal spin on it, customizing everything from colors to leather to the frickin’ airbag in the sole. As if that wasn’t cool enough, you get to put your own “ID” on the back of the shoe — whatever your creative mind can come up with. Just keep it clean, okay?

Buy: $130.

Tennis was never supposed to be cool. It was never supposed to be played with 90 mph returns from the baseline. And, it was sure as hell never supposed to involve hot pink. But, thank God for Andre Agassi. In the Nike annals of signature-shoe greatness, years 1986 to 1995, only three names matter: MJ, Bo, and Andre. What sets Andre apart is the personal style he brought to a game with one of the strictest dress codes in sports. It’s no coincidence that the dude who skipped Wimbeldon because of it’s all-white clothing policy, is responsible some of the illest colorways in the history of the world. Case and point– the Air Tech Challenge II.

The original Air Tech Challenge, first released in 1990, was reissued by Nike last year to mixed reviews. But, fans of the Air Agassi franchise have been salivating ever since they got wind of the second installment. As with all retro editions, differences from the original might be an issue of contention. Last year, Nike made a subtle color tweak that left more than a few diehard fans a bit disappointed. But, by all photographic accounts, the powers that be stayed exceptionally true to the original hues this time around. In White, Black, and the ungodly fresh “hot lava,” the Air Tech Challenge II hits stores this month. So, cop you a pair before the ebay-mongers hit because, honestly, image is everything.

Buy: $100

Air Jordan in wingtips? It used to be that dress shoes were clunky and painful to wear, but that’s all in the past. Cole Haan, which has been nurturing fine gents’ feet for 80 years, has the perfect answer to stale, pained toes and ankles in the office: Nike Air technology. Sounds crazy, huh? But just take a look at these Air Madero Cap Toes, with a soft calkskin outer and the cushiness you’d expect from Nike tucked away in your heel. You won’t sacrifice style, either. Cole Haan handcrafts these babies to achieve the silky smooth look in every pair. But if the office Olympics come around, we’ll put our money whoever is rockin’ the Air Maderos.

Buy: $198.