brand spotlight: nike air max 270 reacts.

fyi: this is a sponsored post in partnership with nike.

with summer in effect, my primary color palette has changed pretty drastically—softer hues, neutrals, lighter denim, and way more whites—but that doesn’t mean that my black staples are taking the season off. i linked up with my buddies at nike to try out the new air max 270 reacts, and the project presented an awesome opportunity to play around with a warm-weather take on all-black.

wearing: nike air max 270 reacts in black, vast-grey, off-noir, asos mesh t-shirt,
3.1 phillip lim belted bermuda shorts, axcexx “jet set” chest rig, forever21 men cap.

first impressions.

when i talked to the team about the shoe we’d be working with this time around, i got a sneak peek at all of the new colorways dropping, but I had no clue which pair i was getting (gotta love a good surprise). when the box arrived, i was so pumped to receive the black/grey style, as it was one of the two pairs I was crossing my fingers for.

the other pair was the white/coral/turquoise style. look out for it—it’s such a unique combo.

out of the box.

once i unboxed them, i immediately noticed that the body was a bit bigger than i’d expected; however, when i slipped them on, they were really light. and because of the larger frame, the overall silhouette was slightly raised, which helps make my longer-than-average foot look less like a clown’s. another favorite feature of mine is the white rim of the sole, which i always love on black sneakers. there’s something about the contrast that i really appreciate, so i was definitely happy with the colorway and the product. next, the important part: it was time to style them out…

breaking down the look.

a lot of people get scared of black in the summertime, and i don’t blame them. the heat can get brutal in a city like new york, but coming from texas, i can deal with it, so i went ahead and went for it, head-to-toe, here. still staying mindful of the weather, i pulled out this breezy mesh tee from asos and my favorite pair of shorts from phillip lim (check out the belt) to keep things as cool as possible. together, they work pretty well, but the look felt a little simple, so i turned up the street factor and threw on this chest rig from axcexx. zooming in on the lower half, i went with high socks to anchor the look—a fixed style choice for me when i’m wearing shorts with sneakers. it’s just a personal preference for me i suppose—i think it looks cooler and even reminds me of a sock trainer feel, which is easily one of my favorite footwear trends.

if you’re a fan of the air max 270 react silhouette, there are a number of colorways dropping in the weeks ahead, so stay tuned. click here to shop this style now. -j

Shop Nike.com For Air Max 270 React Optical Men’s

brand spotlight: nike react element 55s x rabid panda.

fyi: this is a sponsored post in partnership with nike.

a new season is the perfect excuse to stock up on some new kicks, and to be completely honest: my entire shoe game could use an update. with that said, when nike reached out about their new react element 55 collection, i was totally down to try out a pair.

wearing: nike react element 55 rabid panda sneakers, american apparel denim jacket,
diesel limited edition “deisel” counterfeit hoodie, forever21 men jeans.

first impressions.

before i even received the sneakers, i was super impressed with the assortment. the line has a ton of colorways—they sent me the rabid panda edition (seen here), but i actually bought a second pair, too, because the options were so good. once they landed at my doorstep, i couldn’t wait to try them out.

out of the box.

when i pulled them out of the box, the first thing i noticed is how light they are. the body is super thin, and in turn, they don’t weigh you down at all—i’m wearing them now as i type this: maximum comfort. and when i took a second to really get into the details, i was even more impressed. from the contrast stitching to the unique sole design, there’s a lot to be captivated by.

breaking down the look.

for some reason, red + blue has always been a tricky color combo for me to rock, so i went with a favorite styling trick of mine and wore a head-to-toe white ensemble and let the sneakers have all the glory. the good thing about this move is that all-white will always draw attention and when you have a strong contrast, be it fresh kicks down below or a standout tee or hoodie layered under a jacket, it’s sure to pop among the “blank” canvas.

like i said above, there are so many awesome colorways in this collection, so if you’re a fan of the silhouette, you’re sure to find a pair that’s perfect for you. click here to shop now. -j

brand spotlight: k-swiss st329's.

there's no better time than the start of a new season to step back and take note of all the trends that are making serious noise right now. whether you're all over the western movement or keeping it simple with dadcore, there's a ton to be inspired by this spring. being the sporty lad that i am, i've had my eye on the whole chunky sneaker wave for a while, so when k-swiss hit me up about their latest drop for the st329's, i couldn't help but say, "yes, please!"

in my book, a fresh pair of whites is a must-have for every season, so these couldn't have been anymore welcome as i start working on my spring style update. first off, they're pretty solid options for both laidback looks and more dressed-up options (as you'll see in a bit), but also, the comfort factor is legit—they felt great all day long, and i'm pretty sure the tag said they're made with memory foam material, which is like... whoa. keep scrolling to see how i broke them out this past week. -j

keep it chill.

breaking down the look

there's no getting around it: sometimes mother nature forces you to make certain choices when it comes to your daily ensembles. for example, with this look, i pretty much knew it was a heavy coat day as soon as i looked at my weather app. no problem though. i kept things cozy underneath with a throwback zip-neck pullover from k-swiss and one of my favorite pairs of joggers. the color-blocking up top added the perfect amount of pop to the 'fit, allowing me to keep everything else in my palette pretty simple. lastly, i threw on the st329's to pull out the white details on the sweater. easy.

dress it up a bit.

breaking down the look

i can't wait to get back to those sweet weekends in the city where the temperature's just right and you spend the whole day hopping from one move to the next. in those awesome instances, it's best to make sure your look is functional and works no matter where you may find yourself. hoping to keep my outerwear on the lighter side for extra movement, i did a little layering here, throwing on a zip-neck first, followed by a vintage k-swiss sweatshirt, and finishing up with a cool teddy jacket in statement white. next, these check print trousers are safe on their own, but the side stripe makes them cool and casual enough to not feel stuffy or too dressy. and finally, the baseball cap and sneakers are the perfect sporty sprinkles on top.

you can check out the full assortment of k-swiss st329's right now on kswiss.com. and if you have any questions about how i've been liking mine, shoot me a DM on instagram: @jovelroystan.

look 20: treat yourself.

so... i officially believe in love at first sight. i believe because i've experienced it, but maybe not the way you think: it's with a pair sneakers.  if you know me well, then you know i don't wear a ton of obnoxiously expensive stuff—i'm into looks way more than labels—but every now and then, i treat myself to a little gift. meet balenciaga's speed trainers.

wearing: balenciaga speed trainers, stefan grant t-shirt, 3.1 phillip lim belted shorts, reclaimed vintage baseball cap, frames by ray-ban.

breaking down the look

the good thing about a statement shoe is that the rest of your look can be super easy; and given the fact that these bad boys are pretty much perfection in sneaker form, all the work was basically done for me. i chose to keep things all-black here, but remembered the summer heat waiting for me. the answer: shorts + a comfortable tee (this style from stefan grant is probably the most amazing t-shirt i've ever slipped on. ever.). from there, i just threw on a few cool accessories—the cap and sunglasses—and hit the street. light work. -j