Nike Air Max: From the Air Max 90 to Dn8, a Sneaker Born From a Paris Building

Nike Air Max: From the Air Max 90 to Dn8, a Sneaker Born From a Paris Building

The Nike Air Max began with a trip to the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and this edit sorts Air Max 90, Air Max 95, Air Max Plus, Dn8 and Muse pairs by how they wear. I say when I would reach for each one and what to check before you lace up.

In the mid-1980s, Nike sent a young designer named Tinker Hatfield to Paris. Hatfield was a trained architect, and the building that stopped him was the Centre Pompidou, which Nike's own history page describes as designed "inside out", with the escalators, ventilation and pipes sitting on the outside in bright colors. He came home to Oregon and ended up cutting away part of the midsole to expose the Air bag. The Air Max 1 arrived in 1987, and the Centre Pompidou's magazine calls it the first shoe with a visible air bubble. I love that. A museum building became a sneaker.

Executives were nervous at first, since a see-through sole looked fragile. The Nike Air Max went on to prove them wrong, and I think the reason it lasts is the same reason the Pompidou does: it shows you how it works. Nike shoes with a window in the heel are a little bit of engineering you can wear to a coffee run.

The first pairs here are where the story starts. The Air Max 1 '87 in vapor green is the closest thing here to that original idea, a low runner in mesh and suede with a green Swoosh, and I would wear it with straight denim and a gray sweatshirt. The Air Max 90 is the one I would build a whole sneaker rotation around. The white pair with black Swoosh goes with everything, the Tattoo in burgundy and violet ore is better with dark trousers, and the Particle Pink one gives a plain gray outfit a soft edge. The Plaid pair has the yellow ochre panels, and I would let it stand alone with black jeans and a black coat. The Futura in phantom and hemp is quieter, with that sawtooth edge around the toe. Before you buy any pair, look at the heel from behind and make sure the Air window sits straight.

Collage of Air Max 90 and Air Max 1 sneakers, Air Max 95 and Air Max Plus sneakers, and Air Max Dn8, Muse and Portal sneakers, and a mood photo of a gray coat, wool trousers and silver runners on a doorstep

Air Max 90 and Air Max 1

Air units, bubbles and layers

Put the shoe on a table and look at it from the side before you decide. Air Max 95 and Air Max Plus are both shoes that live or die on silhouette, and one of them has a wavy, anatomical shape that either feels like you or does not.

The Air Max Plus in white and pure platinum has that wavy Tuned Air caging over the upper, and the Plus Drift in summit white and ashen slate has a flame-like version of the same idea over lightweight mesh. I would wear either with leggings and a long coat. The Air Max 95 Big Bubble in white and pink rise is the fun one, and the pink foam chrome pair with its metallic silver is for a day when I want the shoes to be the outfit. The gray gradient Big Bubble in faux suede and mesh is the calmer relative.

For the tailored side of things, the Air Max 95 SE in white and metallic silver has rippling layers of synthetic leather and airy mesh. The light British tan pair, in layered glossy and matte textured leather with velvet brown detailing, looks good with camel trousers. The fauna brown, phantom and linen Women's 95 mixes real and synthetic leather, textile and suede, and it is the one I would pair with a cropped trench.

What I would skip: the chrome pair on a rainy walk to the office, because metallic finishes show every scuff. In the fitting room, press the layered panels with your thumb and check they flex where your foot bends.

Air Max 95 and Air Max Plus

Newer Air, from Dn to Portal

Flex a sole in your hands before you try it on. The newer Air Max shoes are all about the midsole, and each one hides its cushioning in a different way, so the feel changes more from pair to pair than the look does.

The Air Max Dn in black uses a Dynamic Air unit of dual-pressure tubes that Nike says creates a reactive feel. The Dn8 in sail and white is the lighter version, with eight pressurized Air tubes, and I would wear it with wide cream trousers. The black Dn8 SE has a textured faux-leather upper and a bonded Swoosh, a sleek one for an all-black outfit, and I would take it on a long walk.

The Air Max Muse is the odd, sculptural one, with an exaggerated shape and a high arch. The particle rose and metallic silver pair is for a slip skirt and a bomber jacket. The beige croc-embossed Muse SE is the dressy one, and I would try it with a tan trench. The black and white Muse in canvas and faux leather is the easiest. The Air Max Portal in summit white and black has a chunky platform sole, so I would wear it with a short hem or cropped jeans. And the Air Max SNDR in black and silver, a slip-on-style runner from 1999, is a fun throwback for a quick errand.

What I would skip: a platform pair like the Portal on a day with miles of walking, since the extra height is a lot to carry.

Air Max Dn, Muse, Portal and newer

How I would choose a pair

I would begin with what I already own. If most of my closet is denim and gray, I would take a white Air Max 90 and not think twice. If I want something new, I would pick one pair from the Muse or Dn8 group and wear it with something I like.

Then I would try them on at the end of the day, when my feet are at their widest, and walk around for ten minutes. Look at the heel window, check the laces sit flat, and make sure the toe has room.

Hatfield wanted people to see the machinery. I think that is the right way to shop: pick the shoe that shows you what it does. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Sneaker Exclusives, Collabs and the Clean Classics and The Sneaker Upgrade Nobody Regrets.