Air Jordan Jordan Max Aura 2 "Black" Sneakers

Triple black is the least demanding shoe you can own. Recipe one: black joggers with a taper, a grey hoodie, a puffer, straight utility for cold commutes. Recipe two: dark straight jeans, a black overshirt, a plain tee, which is smart enough for a bar and casual enough for the office if your dress code is relaxed. This handles bad weather and long days better than any white soled retro in the catalogue. Size true, wear whatever sock you like since the fit is generous, wipe with a damp cloth weekly, and let it dry naturally after rain. No special protection needed, which is most of the appeal.

Not every Jordan is a grail, and the brand's scale depends on that. Jordan Brand grew into a five billion dollar division of Nike, and shoes like this, worn rather than collected, are a large part of that number. The badge still carries the full weight: the Jumpman as house mark, the 23 number and the Chicago palette functioning as brand colours, and Michael Jordan himself as founding signature athlete and namesake, signed in 1984 on a deal that pays him royalties. An all black Aura is what the brand looks like when it is simply part of somebody's week.

The Max in the name points at visible Air, the cushioning technology that entered the line with the Air Jordan II and has never left it, presented here as something you can see rather than something buried in foam. A blacked out upper hides the panel joins, so the shoe reads as a single mass with the Air unit as the only interruption. That makes it far more forgiving than a two tone Jordan: scuffs disappear, creasing is invisible, and a wipe with a damp cloth restores it. Lace properly through the midfoot since the collar is not doing much structural work, and condition any smooth panels occasionally so they do not dry and crack.