Recently Adidas released the Stan Smith Boost Shoes, a tennis court classic outfitted with Adidas's innovative Boost technology sole. I was lucky enough to snag a pair in the black colorway at a local outlet for only $38, an incredible bargain.
Here is the official store page for the shoe on the Adidas website: http://www.adidas.com/us/stan-smith-boost-shoes/BZ0528.html
I am going to divide this review into two subcategories: style and comfort, with a final summary of how I feel about the shoe overall.
Style
The Stan Smith is a shoe that is incredibly popular for its versatility in what clothes look good with it. It is supposed to be clean and blend in to create a style ranging from preppy to street grungy. The boost bottom juts out from the rest of the shoe and can look bulky. Additionally, there is a sharp contrast in color between the black body and white midsole also, drawing unnecessary attention and defeating the purpose of Stan Smiths. These problems could have been easily averted through creating a smaller midsole and coloring the boost black instead of white. The boost is poorly executed and looks like a DIY project with how mismatched it is looks in conjunction with the rest of the shoe.
Despite Adidas's rough attempt at combining Boost technology with the classic Stan Smith silhouette, the rest of the shoe is done very well. The leather used on the main body is smooth with a great texture, as it is the same as regular Stan Smiths, and the use of suede in the heel is a nice touch of detail. The shoe can still a unobstructive piece that compliments the rest of the fit, albeit to a lesser extent than original Stan Smiths. However, a noisy, attention-demanding shoe is certainly not a bad thing. Unlike classic Stan Smiths, these updated ones are able to stand on their own. One could make an outfit with the shoes as the centerpiece, and the novelty of combining Boost technology with Stan Smiths can create unique looks and certainly turn heads. These shoes have the capability turn an otherwise innocuous look into something much more full bodied and interesting.
I think these shoes look nice and could potentially be more adaptable than the classic Stan Smiths. I would imagine that Adidas purposely wanted to draw more attention to the Boost technology with how they created Stan Smith Boost Shoes, but I still wish that they had adhered more closely to the original clean silhouette.
Comfort
Although Stan Smiths were originally released as a tennis trainer, they are mostly used nowadays as everyday walking shoes. After spending a few weeks walking in various places with the shoes, I can say that these shoes are definitely comfortable. They are not as snug and contouring as a pair of UltraBoosts, which debuted Adidas's Boost technology, but they are much more comfortable than other walking shoes, such as classic Stan Smiths or Nike Killshot 2s. The boost certainly makes walking less tiring.
An important thing to note, however, is that Stan Smiths are made with leather, and it takes time for the shoes to mold and shape around your feet. Wearing Stan Smith Boost Shoes for the first time is a bit difficult, and the main body of the shoe can be uncomfortable for a few days. Something that has bugged me is the tongue of the shoe. As it is also made of leather, the tongue can press on your ankle and create discomfort, especially if you have your foot at a tight angle (i.e. driving).
The Stan Smith Boost Shoes are more comfortable than similar alternatives, due to the primarily the boost midsole. It is not on par, however, with other shoes that use Boost technology, as its leather trainer body is hard and takes a while to break into.
Overall
At a whopping $120 retail, Stan Smith Boost Shoes can be hard to justify purchasing, as other trainers are much more affordable. For example, classic Stan Smiths now retail for $60. Additionally, there are shoes that make much better use of the Boost technology and are significantly more comfortable. Pureboosts start at $120 and Ultraboosts are retailed for $180. I would not have bought these shoes I had to pay the original price.
I would rate these shoes a 6/10. They are decent and definitely better than cheaper trainers, but no way are they worth $120 in my opinion.
If you really want a pair of these, Adidas does have a sale on them at the time of this review (they are being sold for $84 on the website), but I would keep my eyes peeled at local outlets.