With an upper made of ballistic mesh and a wraparound rand made entirely of patent leather, the AJ XI enabled the wearer's foot to breathe, while giving support to the whole perimeter of the foot. The shoe itself resembled dress shoes that were fitted with spats, from the styles of the early 20th century. Jordan himself was said that he wanted a shoe that looked as if he could wear it with a tuxedo. he AJ XI also featured two other features that were the first of their kind on a sneaker, not unlike the patent leather and ballistic mesh features aforementioned: full-length clear rubber outsoles and carbon fiber plates.