Arguably the best of 2010’s Year of the Snake releases, the Nike Classic Cortez online just showed off a couple of snake-Swooshed designs being readied for the Chinese New Year celebration. Nike Sportswear also has a few new general releases on tap for the immediate future: three all-suede VNTG makeups that offer that antiqued line a breath of fresh air via metallic gold branding.

Entirely overshadowed by the Air Force 1’s 30th birthday in 2012 has been the 40th anniversary of Nike’s original running release. The Nike Classic Cortez Nylon Gorge Stock was celebrated in the ’40/40 Showcase’, and that SE Asian effort wasn’t followed by major US releases, but we’re finally starting to see some new styles arrive at select retailers. This new Classic Cortez VNTG is quite similar to its peer the Blazer, utilizing a tonal suede and mesh upper with a single contrasting shade, along with the unfinished nylon tongue, right down to the Sail sole (though this one conspicuously lacks any pre-yellowing).

Last month, Complex.com published ‘A Complete Guide to Seinfeld’s Sneakers’, a look at the kicks Jerry wore on his seminal 1990’s sitcom. Sneakerheads have long admired the quality and quantity of vintage heat you can see in re-runs something like twenty times a day, but if the list were geared toward Seinfeld’s sidekick, it’d be a simple one page homage to the Nike Classic Cortez Green White fashion. This 1968-born runner was George Costanza’s favorite shoe, a classic model that looks just as fresh as it did upon its debut or fifteen years ago, thanks to these two new colorways. One matches a Mineral Blue upper with a Bright Mandarin sole stripe for a slight Miami Dolphins nod while the Obsidian and Honeycomb edition is close to the Michigan Wolverines.

We see plenty of Air Max retros from Nike Classic Cortez Black Comfort Sportswear and they’ve even started to expand the offerings into some of the cult classics of yore, but let’s not forget about this model that’s served the game so well over these past six decades. The Nike Cortez debuted in 1968 and has been featured prominently in ’90s mega-hits Forrest Gump and as George Costanza’s sneakers of choice on Seinfeld, and these two new editions bring back the classic suede and nylon sneaker purists have loved for so long.

Now in its fifth decade of running, the Nike Classic Cortez Red Bronze Supplier is an iconic design that deserves new colorways to maintain its legend status. It’s clear with these two new pairs that the Cortez was made to shine with simple designs, and these three-colored pairs are right in step with what’s hot right now. Choose from a Chicago Bears mix of navy and orange or a subtler pair in tonal greys, both of which feature white accents on the tongue, sockliner and sole.