Adidas’ New Stan Smith “Winter Shoe” Review Fall / Winter 2015

As a self-confessed Stan Smith junkie, I was excited to see the release of the new winter boot in the line. The new shoe features an ankle-high cuff, insulation, and high-grip soles.

Needless to say, I had to learn more… and could the new Stan variant ween me off my current winter shoe of choice, the Dr Marten?

Stans have always boasted classic sleek lines from the yesteryear courts of Wimbledon. Since the 2014 relaunch of the shoe, Adidas has been introducing an ever greater array of variations from the “classic,” to mi Stan, and now this winter boot (which as far as I’m aware is their first crack at a Stan Smith boot). My main concern regarding the boot silhouette would be the loss of the classic lines, making the shoe feel chunky.

See my full review below to find out my thoughts, and shop Stan Smith Adidas here on Amazon.

Stan Smith Winter Shoes

Color Options

The shoe comes in three colorways:

1. Tan,
2. Core Black, and
3. Night Brown

Update: there have been several more introduced, with a fantastic gray herringbone with small red and yellow fleck.

I personally opted for the latter two, as the tan version looked a little bit to much like a Timberland boot / sneaker hybrid.

Materials

The material has a slight nap to it, like a very fine suede.  My initial concern was that the material would be a magnet to dirt, but after wearing in several rain storms no major ill effects were seen. However, I still reserve judgment for the overall longevity of the shoe, especially since it’s classed as a “winter boot”.

Grip

The “Continental” rubber sole is the most noticeable upgrade from the typical Stan. It’s truly more beefy, and affords much greater grip. (Please see below for an array of side by side pictures of the boots vs a standard Stan Smith tennis shoe.)

Insulation & Gusset

The ankle-high backing, and gusset provide nice warmth and protection against water and snow.

Lacing System

Maintaining some resemblance of a winter / weather proof shoe, I greatly appreciated the lacing system adopted by Adidas. The metal D-ring eyelets keep the laces on the outside of the shoe, and minimize perforations into the shoe and thus keep water out.

Box

Just the bog standard Adidas box. (Note, I’m a size 14, and as per usual the shoe is just too large for the box…)

Winter Boots V Standard Shoe

Below you’ll find ten comparison pictures of the Winter Boot Vs the standard Stan Smith shoe.

 

Overall Impressions

Overall I’m very happy with the boots.

The initial concern of a loss of sleekness was in fact unfounded. The major pros of the shoe are:

• Warmth
• Grip from Continental rubber sole
• Gusset
• D-ring lacing system
• Additional option for all the Stan fans out there who have it “all”