Nike Air Winflo 12 White Lapis Blue Crystal

White and Lapis Blue is a warm weather runner, so treat it as one. Pair it with black or navy shorts and a light technical tee for morning road runs, keeping the blue as the only colour in the kit. Off the run, it works with grey sweatpants and a plain hoodie for gym commutes and travel days. Occasion is road running, treadmill work and long walking rather than trail. Size with a thumbnail of space at the toe and expect a neutral, cushioned feel. Rotate it with a second pair so the midsole recovers between runs, air it out rather than bagging it wet, and hand clean the white mesh with a soft brush.

Running is where Nike came from and where its most serious engineering still goes. Steve Prefontaine, Bowerman's pupil at Oregon, was the first track endorser and remains the brand's symbol of running as attitude, with a statue at Nike headquarters. The company's later track record runs through sponsored athletes including Sebastian Coe, Carl Lewis, Michael Johnson, Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Allyson Felix, and through technologies like ZoomX foam and the Vaporfly's full length carbon plate. A daily trainer such as this one sits underneath all of that, doing the unglamorous work. Just Do It, first aired in 1988 with 80 year old runner Walt Stack, was always aimed at exactly this runner rather than the record breaker.

This is an Air cushioned daily trainer, and Nike Air is the pressurised gas unit sealed inside the midsole that the brand has used since it made cushioning a visible design feature from the 1987 Air Max onward. The upper is engineered mesh territory: breathable through the forefoot with structure where the foot needs holding, following the same lightweight logic that produced Flywire cabling to support the foot with minimal material. White with Lapis Blue keeps the panelling readable so you can see where the shoe supports you. Expect a neutral, cushioned ride suited to steady mileage rather than racing. The white mesh will absorb dust quickly, which is the real cost of this colourway.