Grab your wallets. Put your electricity bill on hold. And brace your savings account for the possible hit it's about to take come September 7, after you seriously consider copping yourself a pair of Nike's next drop, the Air Max 97 LX. After the sneaker giant released a black version of the Swarovski crystal encrusted shoe in March, it's releasing the shiny, iconic silhouette in a women's size range of the original silver style, dubbed the "Silver Bullet." Pew! Pew! That's right — the ubiquitous sneaker from 1997 has finally gotten its much-earned upgrade, and it comes in the form of thousands of tiny crystals.
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But why are they getting the glam treatment? Well, here's how it all went down. After a trip to Swarovski HQ in Wattens, Austria, the NikeWomen Color and Material teams took a particular liking to the jewelry brand's sustainable Advanced Crystal formula, namely the Crystal Fabric they'd go on to slap on the Air Max 97. Reads the official press release: "We were looking to explore shine and durability in a new and innovative way, and we loved the juxtaposition of the Crystal Fabric’s tough sparkle to reinvent an already iconic shoe," said Marie Crow, material design director for NikeWomen sportswear.
Then, a lot of science and technology happened — essentially, some sort of wicked fashion magic — and, voilà, you have the Air Max 97 LX. In addition to basically creating a look-at-me kind of effect for your feet (and giving its chosen wearers a newfound sense of being lit from the ground up), the release marks the first time NikeWomen has used crystals on a shoe. Says the crystal pioneer's executive board member Markus Langes-Swarovski, the sneaker, to them, is "a truly iconic 360-degree silhouette that has inspired [them] to imagine what might happen when speed meets light."
No word yet on just how much the shoe will set you back, but the black version that was released earlier this year rang in at $400 and can still be bought on Walmart.com for a cool $1,218. So, if you're in the market for one of those treat-thyself types of purchases, or you simply want a shoe to enhance your extraness more than any other statement piece in your wardrobe, then we think we've found the shoes for you. Here's to living your best life and not apologizing for it.