I’d already been working through the questions before buying the Air Jordan V Retro “Halloween” last week.
Would I wear these after October? Did I like the actual shoe enough, or was the Halloween theme helping me justify another pair?
Eventually, looking at pictures wasn’t getting me any closer to an answer.
So I drove to Dick’s Sporting Goods to inspect them in person.
That settled it.
Pictures Only Get You So Far
Online, I could keep going back and forth. Look at the shoe. Think about the rotation. Close the page. Come back for another look.
A very thorough process for someone who could have been doing literally anything else.
But I wanted to see them in front of me before deciding. The black nubuck, the Picante Red accents, the whole package. Product photos had done their job getting me interested. Now I needed to find out whether the shoe held up in person.
My conclusion?
I needed these.
“Needed” is doing some work in that sentence. Fellow collectors understand.
The November Question
Before that trip, I’d been asking whether a Halloween pair would still appeal to me once the holiday passed.
It’s a fair question. October ends. The decorations come down. The shoes stay in the collection.
Seeing them in person made that easier to answer. I could picture wearing these beyond Halloween, and that mattered more than the seasonal name.
The theme got my attention. The shoe kept it.
Inspection Complete
I bought them last week after giving myself plenty of time to think through the decision.
I won’t pretend the drive to Dick’s was some strictly scientific evaluation. I already liked them enough to make the trip. There was clearly some interest there.
But I wanted an in-person look before spending the money, and I got my answer.
I threw some waxed black laces on the pair to finish the look. A small change, but that was the finishing touch these needed. Apparently buying the shoes was only step one.
Another pair makes the rotation. This one just required a field trip first.
What pair did you feel unsure about online, then see in person and immediately understand? Let me know in the comments.