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Occasionally you come across an item that is perfect. It’s exactly what you want in every way, as if you designed it yourself. For me, the item that tops the list of platonic ideals is the Adidas Slide.
In recent years, there has been a proliferation of slides from the brand with the three stripes. If you search “slide” on the Adidas site, you’ll get all sorts of variations, from Adilette Comfort Slides to Adilette Cloudfoam Slides to the redundantly named Adilette Lite Slides. All of them are bastardizations of the one true king, the OG silhouette that came out in 1972, the Adidas Adilette Slides.
Now, I understand what you might be thinking. Slides, in winter? And it’s true: the description copy on the Adidas site will tell you that they were originally introduced as a poolside shoe, the perfect minimalist pairing for short-shorts and pique polos, not freezing temps and bad weather.
But while my love for the Adidas Adilettes might not feel especially urgent now, it’s actually the perfect time to deliver the gospel of Adidas slide, not as a solution to snow and slush, but as the key to podiatric bliss in the home for many years to come.
First and most importantly, a good house shoe should be easy to get on and off. You want to be able to roll out of bed in the morning and step into the shoe with minimal effort, and you want to be able to kick them off and jump directly into bed at night. And when it comes to ease-of-removal, nothing beats a Bio-based EVA strap.
The next most important trait when it comes to house shoes is comfort. The Adilettes have a cloud-like softness that gives you cushion underfoot but plenty of support, and the strap across the top doesn’t constrict, assuming they fit right (I recommend sizing up one full size). The inside of the strap is an anti-chafe design to make sure the top of your poor little foot doesn’t blister, too.
“But I want a fluffy and warm house shoe! Something like a nice moccasin!” you scream from the misinformed island you call a home. Wrong. Mocs and other closed-toe house shoes are not a strategic choice because they are not year-round shoes. Your feet will sweat and create very stinky slippies; it is inevitable.
The slide, meanwhile, allows you to throw on whatever thickness of sock is required to successfully regulate foot temperature. Do not fear the sock-and-sandal look either, my friends: the comfort levels are unmatched and it is not nearly as much of a faux pas as the fashion police would have you believe. (And besides, who cares? It’s your house, not Madison Avenue.) Of course, even slides will get a little stinky from time to time, but they’re also imminently washable: simply run them under a sink with a little soap and they’re good as new.
They also travel well, if and when that ever becomes a concern again. I throw them in my bag on every trip for use as house shoes (or shower shoes, should the occasion call for it). Going somewhere with a pool? Even better. You can utilize them as the poolside sandals they were originally designed to be.
At $55, the Adilette is just affordable enough that you can buy two if you’re a stickler for inside and outside footwear. I’ve had my current pair for five-plus years, and they’re molded to my feet but show no signs of deterioration (please do not attempt to confirm this fact with my girlfriend, though). They also come in a number of basic colors to allow you to express yourself like the unique butterfly we all know you are.
They’re a shoe you won’t ever be sorry you bought.
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