Superstar Boost

Every few years I buy another pair of Superstars. Black leather, white stripes, shell toe. Nothing else fits into your life the way these do. Everything else is a costume; these are just shoes.

They made a new version with Boost in the sole. That’s the foam adidas uses now—it’s softer, more responsive, makes walking feel less like a negotiation with gravity. The midsole is visible on the bottom and wraps the arch. Still clean, still minimal. Gold details on the tongue, which I didn’t ask for but works.

The shape didn’t change. They’re still completely themselves. Boost is meant to be invisible—you don’t see it or think about it, you just walk a little easier. Whether the softness matters at my age, I’m not sure. My feet don’t hurt in Superstars anyway, they never have.

This is how you do it right, though. You take something that works and you make it slightly better without destroying what made it work. You add comfort without adding identity. That’s respect for a design. That’s knowing when to stop.