Styling Adidas Sneakers.

*Above: Adidas Sambas in silver green styled with Joe’s Jeans Cleo pants, Alice Walk alpaca sweater.

I had saved at least two dozen street style photos of chic women sporting Adidas sneakers (mainly Gazelles and Sambas, a collection seen below) before I finally pulled the trigger, and I now love mine. I find them the quickest way to add a tiny bit of edge, or unbuttoned-ness, to my otherwise polished wardrobe. Fashion queen Courtney Grow recently shared that one of her style secrets is picking the unexpected shoe — basically, running in the opposite direction of whatever shoe you think fits the look. This might mean an embellished, mesh ballet flat (!) with loose-fit, distressed jeans, or a pair of sneakers with a slip skirt (see top right below for inspo). Adidas Gazelles are my portal into the unexpected when I am getting dressed.

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What Size to Buy in Adidas Sambas.

My top tips on sizing: note that most of the time, these shoes are marketed as unisex, so pay attention to whether you’re buying in men’s sizing or women’s sizing. In men’s sizing, go down 1.5 sizes from your usual size; in women’s sizing, go down 1/2 size from your usual shoe size. So, if you’re typically 7, take a 6.5 in women’s — I find they run big.

PARIS SWEATSHIRT // AMAZON BAG // AGOLDE RILEY JEANS // ADIDAS SAMBAS

GAP JEANS // G LABEL TOP // FRP COLLECTION BAG // ADIDAS SAMBAS

My Favorite Adidas Sambas Colors.

I had been eyeing a pair for a long time, but when Adidas launched their silver green / chalk white combo (seen on me below), I leapt. They are SO cute and I like the more feminine color.

Adidas just launched two fab new colors in their Sambas — scarlet and green — and I especially love their scarlet for fall. These are sure to sell out. My other pick in the Samba is their “wonder clay” color — like my sage green pair, they’re feminine and would be easy to mix with fall neutrals. I found nearly a full run here. If you’re after more of a high-fashion look, check out Wales Bonner’s limited edition collab with the brand — there are still a few styles left in fantastic colorways here and here. I REALLY love the silver ones from that collection, but those are pricey and hard to find. You might have luck here and here.

If you’re going for Gazelles, I love the baby blue seen at the bottom of the street style collage above or these multicolor ones.

G. LABEL DRESS // FRP COLLECTION BAG // BRINKER AND ELIZA EARRINGS // ADIDAS SAMBAS

Styling Adidas with Socks.

The next frontier for me is figuring out how to style these sneakers with socks. I’ve been seeing this done with aplomb all over Instagram, but it feels like a pro-level move, and must be approached with intention and thought on proportion. I feel like the easiest in-road is to pair with cropped jeans that show just enough ankle and ribbed socks, as seen bottom left. I’m eyeing these socks or these ones for the look, and imagine pairing with cropped jeans like these (go down a size) or these (take your true size). For a more advanced look, you might try pairing yours with dainty lettuce edge socks below, per the lower right photo.