A designer named Van painted a pair of Nike Air Force Ones in honor of Senator Barack Obama. These shoes were created following Obama’s success on Super Tuesday and use the campaign’s color scheme and imagery to great effect.

There are two images depicting Senator Obama in states of action and inaction. You can see Obama gesturing while speaking in the image above. The outside half of the right shoe is not pictured here but features an image of the Illinois senator listening to an imaginary speaker. I am impressed by the clarity of these pictures considering the difficult black and white details of the original images.

I am less impressed with the paint job on the rest of the shoe. The red/white/blue symbol on the back heel as well as the words “Obama 08″ look like they were painted hastily. The toe box design leaves something to be desired compared to the intricate details of Obama’s image.

I can forgive these problems because the centerpiece of these Air Force Ones is Barack Obama instead of the flourishes and small touches. These shoes shouldn’t sway anyway to vote for Senator Obama but they recognize the rising popularity of his campaign. You can take a look at Van’s work through his MySpace page.

RastaCat at Baysicc Designs has turned a pair of Nike Air Force Ones into a mural about life in New York City. The exposed sides of both shoes feature water color murals of the Big Apple skyline. The right shoe shows the bright lights and skyscrapers that people associate with New York City while the left show focuses on structures on a single street.

Baysicc’s homage to New York City features small touches on the toe boxes and heels. The toe boxes continue the water-color effect with depictions of the Statue of Liberty’s face. The heels are given the look of a subway stop with train markers and the words “Times Square” standing out against the black paint. This pair of Air Force Ones is New York from toe to heel.

Check out other offerings by Baysicc Designs here to see if the rest of their projects match up with the NYC Air Force Ones. The time and care put into these one-off shoes should appeal to sneaker fans who are tired of mainstream shoes and sloppy amateur jobs.

A few months back, we told you about a few colorways of the Nike Vintage Terminator that would be coming out this year.

Well the red version is now available. The latest in the Vintage collection, red and white St. John’s University Terminator High is now available at Atmos.

The Georgetown model was already released and now it’s St. John’s turn. These shoes show the vintage signs of aging like creasing, scuffing and yellowing.

Cop both the Georgetown and the St. John’s version at Atmos right for 16,800 yen (about $165 USD) a pair.

The sequence of Nike Denim Dunks shown above shows the end result of a customizer’s afternoon of boredom. The selective use of bleach on these Dunks created large splotches of white set against blue denim. There were already bleach marks on these shoes that created a multi-toned effect after everything was washed and dried.

I think that these custom Dunks are interesting though difficult to imagine wearing around town. The disjointed shapes created by bleach against denim are intriguing but unattractive visually. I am not a huge fan of denim shoes in the first place but denim with different bleach stains just doesn’t work. Boredom can create interesting things but it takes commitment and time on the part of the designer to turn something like bleach into a tool for artistic expression. This designer could make some great stuff in the future if he showed some discipline with bleach, paint and other implements.

<img “450” src=’http://www.myairshoes.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/ajf23-grey.jpg’ alt=’Air Jordan Flight 23 – Finishline
Exclusive’ />

Finishline just released two new exclusive colorways of the Air Jordan Flight 23.

The grey version takes its color inspiration from the grey Air Jordan IX and the white edition from the Air Jordan
VIII.

The Air Jordan Flight 23 offers full grain leather combined with some synthetics in the midfoot and heel for breathability. I really love the grey colorway and think it should definitely get some attention.

Grab either of these colorways at Finishline now for $117.99.

I know everyone is mad about plaid this year, but I don’t see the appeal in these particular plaid shoes that will release later this year from Admiral.

The Admiral Royal Navy is a high top sneaker that is secured like a double breasted suit with two vertical rows of buttons. I’m not sure who would want to take the time to button up these shoes, when they aren’t very good looking. What do you think?

They come in two colorways – both plaid of course. One features a blue toe and the other a green toe. These are expected to hit the shelves in September.Via Hypebeast.