crooked tongues magazine News Features

The adidas Stan Smith 80s is the blueprint for most of our favourite shoes. Not only was Stan a gent on the court - fellow tennis nice-guy Arthur Ashe testified to his sportsmanship in his fine autobiography, but his adidas signature model is the greatest tennis shoe ever made. We say that as die-hard Rod Laver (particularly the wider Super) variation fanboys too. You can't mess with that refined look. This is a silhouette that refuses to succumb to age. Pub man and New York dwellers alike share the love of this model when it's in pristine condition. Pimples on the outsole, perforations prioritised over the vulgarities of jagged stripes and the man's face on the tongue make this classic. The sequel version shifted some serious units at high street level, but the '80s version - with the perfect shape and ribbing on the midsole is Prozac for the feet when the sun's shining. You fancy types stacking those Common Projects Achilles Lows should respect the architects who paved the way for your high-end variations, and we're not sure why we once got a press release saying that K-Swiss created the first leather tennis shoe in 1966, when the adidas Robert Haillet got there a year before.

Sadly, Robert's career never sustained, and as the final insult, his signature shoe was handed, in slightly modified form, to Stan Smith, who was ruling the US Open and Wimbledon in singles and doubles at the time. That had to hurt, but Stan repped hard through to the early '80s making this one of the bestselling sneakers of all time. Praises are due to the adidas Five-Two-3 and Tournament lines for pushing this model back into the spotlight in modified vintage form - the brand's catalogues have been riddled with makeover after makeover, but this needs to be kept simple. Green suede and the touch of matching stitching on the sole is a perfect makeup, and the perfect accompaniment to the blue suede Superstar 80s that are also set for a July release. Making way for our other favourites like the ATP Indoor Tennis, and the Lendl line, this is a classic rendered right. Keep watching the site over the next week for further adidas Originals developments, and in the meantime, check out the adidas selection in the Crooked Tongues store...