Niketown Gets Personalized With NIKE iD

The Shophound has a confession.
We love Niketown.
How, you might ask, could we love something so homogenized, commercialized and rampant with slack-jawed tourists?
Who cares? We can't help being seduced by all that color and design.
Typically, we are a faithful Adidas Stan Smith/Chile 62/Samba wearer, but we are always intersted in seeing the latest permutation of our favorite Air Humaras, for example, and we must say they handily removed the curse on that space left by the last sad days of Bonwit Teller and the ill-conceived Galeries Lafayette. Last week, Niketown added another reason to visit by opening a new NIKE iD studio on the top floor of their 57th Street flagship.
We have always been intrigued by the NIKE iD store on Elizabeth Street, but their "by appointment only" policy has always seemed annoyingly intimidating, as much as we would enjoy designing our own customized sneakers.  Now the sneaker giant is raising the NIKE iD profile by adding it to Niketown. Although the custom program is available on line, the studios offer several special models and materials that can only be ordered in person. The Niketown studio runs by appointment as well, but with a host on the sales floor and abundant displays, it's a lot more welcoming (and convenient) than Elizabeth Street, and they look ready for you to come in and make your Air Max '97s as ugly as your little heart desires.
Our advice? Make a weekday appointment, unless you are a tourist, in which case we say, by all means, go on the weekend and be with your kind.
NIKE iD at Niketown 6 East 57th Street, Midtown