Olivia Wilde, Bella Hadid, and I Wear Comfortable Adidas Sambas for Everything from Errands to Special Occasions
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Dotdash Meredith and Yahoo Inc. may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below.
“It-shoe” is an understatement
MEGA / People / Madison Woiten
Welcome to The A-List, where we review the products your favorite celebrities wear and use that we actually really love, too.
I’ve been writing about fashion trends for over a decade, but I’m very slow to adopt them myself.
Witnessing the rise and fall of so many of “this season’s must-haves” has made me wary; when I do buy into a trend, it tends to be much, much later than when it first caught my eye. Case in point, it took me two, maybe three, years to finally try a pair of Adidas Samba sneakers. And I’m glad I did.
While she is not the first fashion-forward 20-something to sport the style, I credit Bella Hadid with the mass adoption of the shoe, which was originally released in 1950 as a training shoe for footballers (soccer players on this side of the pond). Hadid began wearing Sambas regularly in 2021, and by January 2022, Google saw a massive spike in searches for the sneaker.
It seems like Sambas have staying power: Search volume has only grown since the Hadid catalyst. And the list of celebrities spotted in Sambas has also exploded, with A-listers like Olivia Wilde, Jennifer Lawrence, Rihanna, Katie Holmes, and Mary-Kate Olsen seen wearing the low-top sneakers on repeat.
Adidas Men’s Samba Classic Soccer Shoe in Core Black
Amazon
$85
$70
I ordered a pair of black Sambas in April, and they clicked immediately. All of my usual outfits looked suddenly cooler with the sporty style. My go-to shoe is a black leather loafer, and the Sambas seemed to slot in effortlessly anywhere I would have worn loafers, like with a linen maxi dress or black mini skirt.
Where the shoes have really come in handy is long days on foot, which the summer has brought many of. My uniform for day trips and late nights is a long dress with a crossbody bag and Sambas. It’s a reliably comfortable combination that’s easy to be active in but feels like “me.”
Nicola Fumo / Adidas
Part of the appeal is certainly the price point. There are a few variations available — long tongue, short tongue, leather, vegan, women’s, and men’s — and most are $100 or less. The pair I got at Amazon, which is leather with a long tongue (and technically a men’s style), is on sale for $70 right now.
And they’re very comfortable on. The inside has more cushioning than I expected for a slim sneaker, especially around the sides of the foot. Because the shoes were designed for training on hard and icy terrain, their soles have excellent grip. The materials and construction of the shoe feel durable and have held up well in the months I’ve been wearing them regularly — I have a feeling I’ll be wearing them for years to come.
Adidas Samba OG Shoes in Cloud White
Adidas
$100
Adidas The Velosamba Vegan Cycling Shoes in Core Black
Adidas
$130
$98
Adidas Samba Shoes in Wonder Silver
Adidas
$130
Adidas Samba OG Shoes in Cloud White/Green
Adidas
$100
Nicola Fumo is a writer and editor who has covered fashion and lifestyle for ten years. She occasionally receives products to review and writes about her favorites.
Do you love a good deal? Sign up for PEOPLE's Shopping newsletter to stay up to date on the latest sales, plus celebrity fashion, home decor and more.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
