adidas' Definitive Dad Shoe Has Now Got A Dad Bod
Oh dear. Are we witnessing what I think we're witnessing? Could it be? The return of... the chunky sneaker? As far as adidas is concerned, the answer is yes, and that return comes in shape of its Adistar XLG.
Headed for shoe racks this February, the German brand's bulky, bouncy, retro runner mimicks a model from Y2K days, and bringing them to 2026. With some added winter weight, that is.
Not as immediately shrill as the AdiStar's leopard print or burgundy and blue iterations from before, this extra bulbous mesh sneaker recalls the heyday of Balenciaga's Triple S — a far cry from the far subtler, skinnier sneakers du jour.
The XLG is a close relative of the Pharrell Williams-linked Jellyfish style, which is also avidly pushing for a massive silhouettes like it to reclaim the footwear spotlight.
In spite of its very own family member, the adidas Samba and its chokehold on higher and lower end shoe designs of the past years, the AdiStar XLG 2.0 looks determined to bust through walls, literally and figuratively.
Because thanks to its panel that marks the border between heel and sole, it becomes all the more apparent just how stocky a shoe this is, in either its all-black, its orange-on-white, or gold-with-blue colorway.
Even though there was a point at which it felt relieving to see sneakers lose a few pounds, there's something equally as refreshing about when an AdiStar XLG enters the room now, opposite shoes so thin there's barely anything left to walk on.
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