It seems that year after year, a new staple streetstyle shoes comes to surface. In 2023, it is no question that the Adidas Sambas gained an extreme amount of traction and popularity. It seems that without a doubt, Sambas and its sister shoe the Gazelle, are the it girl street shoe of 2024. You will most certainly see these shoes in spring and summer transitional outfits. The most popular color in the Sambas are the white, however what makes them really fun is that they come in very unique and fun color ways like bright neon pink which has taken Pinterest by storm.
One of the struggles that come with these shoes however, is that people are finding them more difficult to style compared to other shoes. I’ve gathered 10 of the best ways to put together an outfit that highlights and compliments the versatility of the Sambas.
Loose Cuffed Denim and Button Up
This is a easy way to use basics from your closet to build around the Sambas, and it would work with any color way. Cuffing the jeans dresses up the casual feel of this look a little bit, instead of letting the bottom of the denim hit the floor. Both looks here are great options for using capsule wardrobe pieces you may already have.
Maxi Denim Skirt
The denim maxi skirt has climbed its way to the top of the 2024 trends list. In the fall of 2023, we saw knee high boots and denim maxi skirts begin to dominate the season. As we transition out of winter and into the warmer months we can keep the denim skirts and rotate in street shoes like the Sambas. I love the way this look ties in both denim and leather, but is so simple at the same time. The Sambas keep this outfit casual and sporty, while another style of shoe could certainly dress this up.
Leggings
One thing you will find when looking for how to style Sambas, is that crew socks are a staple way to pull the shoe together with the rest of the outfit. This is a prime example, as an ankle sock here would just not do the job. The socks helps to connect the look of the leggings with the shoes, and goes along with the athleisure vibe. This is a great way to style Sambas right now while we are still in the chilly winter months.
Floor-length Baggy Jean
This look is the most street style coded of all. Pair any color way of Sambas with your favorite wash of floor-length baggy jeans and a track suit top to create the epitome of streetwear outfits. This look is what this shoe was meant for in all its glory, and its so easy to throw together. The key to make this look right is making sure that your jeans are hitting the floor. The outfit will look off if your jeans aren’t quite long enough. The denim trends in 2024 are real – the baggier the better!
White Linen Pants and a Baggy Blouse
Listen – baggy everything just looks great with this shoe I don’t make the rules. You really won’t see tight fitting clothing pieces worn with this shoe, it kind of kills the casual feel that the style of the shoe is aiming for. I love this outfit for multiple reasons, but the first is that it incorporates multiple colors while still tying strongly to an white summer outfit. The white is centralized with the linen pants which take up most of the length of the outfit. The green Sambas are balanced with the white and brown striped shirt, as the Sambas have the Adidas striped logo. One thing for sure, is that you can’t go wrong pairing neutral linen pants with a pair of Sambas no matter the color.
Black Mini Skirt
You’ll see the crew socks here as well. When we start to shift into warmer weather and away from pants, mini skirts are a great option to pair with Sambas. The key here again though is the socks. They shorten the appearance of the gap between the bottom of the skirt and and the ankles. Since Sambas are such low cut, is a great trick to add in crew socks to create the illusion of a high top, or at least more coverage from the shoe. Crew sock are becoming increasingly popular as an accessory for their ability to massively change the appearance of an outfit like this.
Sandwich Style with White Slacks
Again with the white pants! The key to putting together an outfit like this is to match the color of the shoe with the color of the top white white pants between. The beautiful blue Sambas work so well here because of the blue stripes in the blouse. This is also an elevated take on a casual outfit since she incorporated a slim belt and slacks that are slightly pleated. An outfit like this could easily be worn to a business casual office as long as laced sneakers are allowed in dress code. It’s giving old money / Ralph Lauren / English countryside and I’m fully here for it.
Colored Casual
This is my FAVORITE type of outfit. You might be thinking, why does this work? There are so many colors here… That is the point! The key to why this works so well is because there is one of every shade in this outfit, and the brightest two colors are at opposite ends. All other colors are muted so they mesh between the green and the pink easily. Starting with the neon pink Sambas at the bottom, they are obviously the focal point of the bottom half of the look. This means that the next piece (pants) should be a toned down or muted color, in this case brown). Following that, layer bright green tops keeps with the pattern of color – neutral – color. Over top of the green, the muted blue buttoned top keeps things on the lighter side instead of dampening the green. When you look at the full color palette of the outfit, it has only one of every color. None of the are competing with one another since they differ in not only base color but also strength of the shade. DON’T be scared of a bright colored Samba!
Denim Dress
Denim dresses are most definitely back in style, but what I love about this look is the dark wash of the dress and how it complements the dark green Sambas. For those of you that prefer skirts over pants, consider putting a denim dress in rotation for an elevated casual look like this. The Sambas are extremely versatile and are an easy option when you’re unsure what shoe would work best for the outfit.
Maxi & Blazer
For those of you that are looking for more business casual / office inspiration that incorporate Sambas, this is a great starting point. The white Sambas are the most popular colorway and for good reason. They work really well with all colors, but especially black and beige. There is no question that the blazer ties this look together in the business casual category, and the Sambas keep this casual when it could easily go another way with any other style of shoe. This is a great option to get you started with introducing your Sambas to the office.
I hope you have enjoyed these looks and gained some inspo for putting together outfits with your Adidas Sambas!