The Air Jordan 11 is the one a lot of people would call the best of them all. Jordan asked Hatfield for something he could wear with a tuxedo, and Hatfield answered with patent leather wrapped around a ballistic mesh upper, a carbon-fiber spring plate, and full-length Air. It hit retail in November 1995 at a hundred and twenty five dollars and changed what a basketball shoe could look like.

Jordan wore the Concord through the 1995-96 season, the year the Bulls went 72 and 10 and won the title, and the black patent Space Jam pair appeared in the 1996 film, though that colorway did not reach stores until 2000. Concord, Space Jam, Bred, and Columbia are the holiday-season heavyweights.

The 11 is the shoe people wear to weddings, the rare performance sneaker that crossed fully into formalwear. Its retros have caused near-riots and set holiday sales records. No model better captures the idea that a Jordan could be elegant.