NEW BALANCE x CROOKED TONGUES 991GNG: BLACK TOM

Like the ghost of Black Tom; the 991GNG evades most and only comes to us in our wildest dreams. I'm grateful to say that it didn’t take me too long to track down this ghostly pair, and sooner complete the Crooked Tongues ‘Confederation of Villainy’ pack. Here is the pair that makes my collection.

By this time you may have the same question I had when I first heard the name ‘Black Tom’; who is he? Well here is a summarized explanation described by Rachel from A Nesting Nomad:

He was named ‘Black Tom’ due to his black hair, and possibly due to his unethical conduct, and was eventually arrested and thrown into prison for his misdeeds. He was sentenced to death, and was hanged on the junction of Tavistock Street, Union Street and Clapham Road in Bedford and buried nearby.

Black Tom was apparently buried with a stake driven through his heart to prevent him returning again. It may not have had the desired effect, because he has been reportedly seen around the area where he was buried, with his head either bowed pensively or lolling due to the effects of being hanged, depending on the account. Those who saw him thought it was just a drunk in fancy dress, until the figure vanished.

Like the other 3 pairs found in this pack; the 991GNG was limited to 1 of 99 pairs and came with black laces + luminous green and if you were lucky…a custom art box

I can honestly say that if I had to sell all of my pairs but one; this would be the one I stuck with. It’s a huge plus that the shoe is green and that’s my favorite color, but it’s even better that its on a 991 silhouette and the only 99X of the pack.

Everyone going after these; I wish you the best of luck. They are getting more scarce to come by and the mesh tends to rip over time so be careful.