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Paris Lockdown 2.0—One Expat on the Early Days of the Reconfinement

The new Paris lockdown is different than the first: Schools are open, as are repair shops, opticians, smartphone stores, and certain medical specialists….

Some of the city’s greatest contributors to culture lived through wars and uprisings. It’s still too early to know whether confinement will catalyze substantive creativity. What is Paris, after all, sans movable feast? Top restaurants are surviving on takeout orders, flaneurs are restricted to a one-kilometer stroll, and being out at midnight could result in a hefty fine. With rare exceptions Americans aren’t allowed into Paris. At least temporarily, the frustrating, flattening, and frivolous clichés of Emily in Paris exist only onscreen.

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A scene from the outdoor markets. Photo: Amy Verner

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Mar’co’s Marc Giami ran Colette’s water bar. Photo: Amy Verner

Along the quai facing the Musée d’Orsay, I can see into the galleries easier than I can when walking past the Louvre. Just three weeks ago, I was in one of them with Mathias Augustyniak and Michael Amzalag discussing their installation of The New Alphabet. Now, I felt the exact sensation of museum-going described by Adam Gopnik in a New Yorker piece about the Louvre. “The work is there, actually there as a physical fact, which you could touch, if you were allowed to,” he wrote. Put another way, confinement not only means being inside as much as possible, but also being perpetually outside of the places we enter to satisfy our souls and sybaritic whims: the museums, the bookstores, the restaurants, the boutiques, the apartments where mythic dinner party memories are made.

Perhaps that’s why having the parks open—at least for now—makes an enormous difference, assuming people have one within the permitted distance (which, sadly, is not always the case). Walking through the Tuileries, I can smell the decomposing leaves and the cut grass—which feels exceedingly reassuring given that my friends who have endured the virus all lost their sense of taste and smell with or without more serious symptoms. One of the guardians tells me that the garden thrived during the first confinement without all of us there to disturb it (they believe the absence of runners pounding the ground allowed the tree roots to relax).

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In the lockdown 2.0, parks and gardens like the Tuileries remain open. Photo: Amy Verner

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Another view of the Tuileries. Photo: Amy Verner

As I write this, the Santé Publique (the French health authority) has posted the latest numbers, which are grim from all directions: upwards of 52,500 new cases and 418 deaths within the past 24 hours and a positivity rate of 20.6% (meaning, in the most reductive terms, one in every five people getting tested has the virus). Ask anyone here and most will say they knew a reconfinement was coming, which might be why people maxed out the moments of relative freedom. Authorities here are often reminding us that we have a certain responsibility to protect our fellow citizens. Their health—this is obvious—but also their livelihood. Île-de-France (which includes Paris and the surrounding departments) recorded 750,000 people applying for unemployment in September—a number exceeding any statistics on file. Since the murder of teacher Samuel Paty last month, there are now 7,000 military personnel deployed throughout the country (usually, there are around 3,000) to protect schools and places of worship. There is, quite simply, no precedent for a situation that feels so simultaneously devastating yet, in certain instances, unimaginably serene.

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Nike Zoom Hyperflight “Safari” Official Images Reveal Bold Print Ahead of Holiday Release

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The Nike Zoom Hyperflight is getting a bold new look, with the “Safari” colorway coming soon. We have official photos of the unique design for a closer look. The sneaker sports bright orange accents and a translucent outsold, and is expected to arrive during the holiday season at a retail price of $190.

The new version is inspired by the Safari print that is familiar from the Air Safari. That pattern covers most of the Hyperflight’s soft, molded upper, giving the basketball shoe a unique look compared with some of the model’s other recent colorways. Together, the unusual texture and pattern make the silhouette feel especially suited to the adventurous design.

The primary contrast across the shoe is orange, used in the trim and other details. The bright color pops against the speckled base without being overwhelming. Black is also present in the design, on the glossy support structure around the midfoot and the soft leather collar. The look is topped off with a see-through outsole that adds another visual element to the overall color scheme.

The sneaker will drop with style code IZ2573-010 and is expected in men’s sizing. With a retail price tag of $190, Nike, Foot Locker, and Sheikh are among the expected retailers. As for when you can expect it, it’s likely to be the holiday season, though we don’t have a solid release date.

The “Safari” colorway comes amid a busy period for the Zoom Hyperflight. This year, Nike has revived the model in several colors, bringing a new wave of attention to the silhouette through a series of releases. Another forthcoming option is the vibrant “Green Apple” pair, also scheduled for a holiday season release.

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The Hyperflight’s history also provides context for the latest return. Jason Williams wore the model in the early 2000s, linking it to a memorable era for the sneaker. That association also helps explain why new colorways can generate excitement beyond the shoe’s look, especially for those who remember it from its previous run.

The Safari design is a definitive statement that does not change the characteristic shape of the Hyperflight. Instead, it uses the familiar silhouette as a canvas for a pattern that has already become recognizable through another Nike model. The orange accents provide a bright contrast, while the black midfoot structure and collar balance it out.

Now that official images have surfaced, sneaker fans have a clearer idea of what to expect from the holiday release. The $190 price, style code, and expected retail partners have also been identified, but a specific launch date has not been confirmed.

For Nike, the “Safari” is another way to bring attention back to the Zoom Hyperflight. One of its more distinctive new looks is this returning model, featuring speckled print, orange trim, black support details, and an icy-looking translucent outsole.

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Lil Yachty Previews Another Nike Air Force 1 Mid, This Time With Blue and Orange Stitching

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Lil Yachty has added another eye-catching design to his ever-growing collection of Nike US Force 1 Mids, this time going for a cleaner white look accented by blue and orange stitching. The rapper’s latest take on the shoe keeps the familiar silhouette. Still, it uses contrasting details to give the shoe its own identity, something the artist is known for, showing off a steady run of variations on the silhouette.

 

Dubbed the “White Contrast Stitch,” the pair features white leather across most of the upper. Rather than altering the classic Air Force 1 Mid profile or incorporating a strange material, the design uses stitching to separate the design visually. Blue stitching embellishes the leather panels, and each side of the shoe’s Swoosh is lined with orange.

 

The combo adds a subtle but noticeable splash of color to the mostly white sneaker. It’s a more muted take than some of the more adventurous pairs Yachty has shown recently, so this version feels like the more no-nonsense option in his growing collection.

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The new design adds to the long list of Air Force 1 Mid looks associated with the rapper this year. Earlier previews have featured a stars-and-stripes pair, an orange version with black stars, and a yellow colorway tied to ComplexCon. Each has put a different spin on the familiar silhouette, helping make Yachty’s run of designs a continuing talking point among sneaker watchers.

 

Earlier this year, another pair of the shoes, this time with blue and red detailing and thick white stitching, was also teased. That version is expected to launch around the holidays, but the details provided don’t confirm whether it will launch alongside the recently unveiled white one.

 

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Some questions remain unanswered about the “White Contrast Stitch” design. Nike has not confirmed any price, style code, or even whether the sneaker will be released to the public. The design has drawn attention through its online appearance and Yachty’s preview, but neither sets a launch date nor guarantees consumers can buy it.

 

That anticipation makes the latest reveal more of a first look than a proper release announcement. The white leather upper and blue-and-orange stitching are on display, but key retail details remain unknown. For now, there is no confirmed timeline for when the pair might hit stores, or if it will be offered beyond the preview.

 

Still, the design adds another variation to a collection that has featured a wide variety of colors and details. The white base makes this one more subtle, while the contrast stitching keeps it from being a straight-up all-white release.

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Yachty’s latest preview continues his ongoing relationship with the silhouette, with several other Air Force 1 Mid designs already shown this year. It’s not clear if the “White Contrast Stitch” pair will ever make it to the light of day, but it’s definitely added another distinct look to his growing collection.

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