I like shoes that could, in a pinch, handle more than what they were designed for: something comfortable enough to run in if necessary, but not so athletic-looking as to foreclose other possibilities. To this day I can’t part with a pair of Lacoste Mary Jane flats with a rubber sole that I wore for an unreasonable number of years; it was not an athletic shoe, and neither was the Jessica Simpson Mandalaye ballet flat with the elasticized straps that I forced on so many of you over the years. But both were comfortable enough to run in if the occasion arose (and occasionally it did) without making an outfit look like it had already committed to a destination. That quality is harder to find than it sounds: most shoes announce their intentions.
The Mary Jane sneaker trend is, in some ways, a formalization of this: the strap that kept a flat on a moving foot has always functioned as retention as much as ornament, which is why pairing it with a sole that earns it turns out to be a natural one. The Samba Jane makes the case by housing the combination in the adidas Samba, a soccer training shoe first worn on frozen German pitches in 1950 that has long since outgrown both its original context and its original silhouette. Grafting a velcro Mary Jane strap onto it is either an obvious idea or a clever one, depending on how the execution lands. In practice, it reads as a lifestyle shoe that wears its athletic heritage loosely: extra-low profile, gum rubber sole, velcro strap across the instep; it’s more at home with wide-leg jeans than with anything it might share a gym bag with.
The adidas Samba Jane Shoe costs $100. At this price, the execution is uneven in places, but the shoe has enough going for it to warrant consideration, particularly for those who typically struggle to find sneakers with adequate toe room.
Size & Fit
While the Samba Jane is more true-to-size compared with the adidas Superstar, it still runs large and wide: a combination that will delight some and require adjustment from others: sizing down half a size is a reasonable starting point, though for narrower feet it may not be sufficient, and a full size down is worth attempting before committing. Measured at the widest point, the Samba Jane in size 6.5M is 3.5 inches across, among the widest in the nine Mary Jane sneakers I tried, and roomier than most. The length, at 10 inches, is mostly in line with other shoes in this size; however, the round toe box makes the shoe read larger than its actual dimensions.
While the cushioning softens the landing, the arch support does not do much beyond that, which is worth noting for anyone with specific support requirements. But the shoes are comfortable immediately out of the box and require no break-in period, but I’d still recommend trying them with a thin pair of socks–even better if they have ruffles. The sock addition both elevates the styling and also slightly improves the fit, taking up just enough volume to make the roomier sizing feel intentional rather than imprecise.
The adjustable hook-and-loop velcro closure makes for easy on and off, and the hold is secure, but with velcro I always wonder how that adhesion holds up over time and repeated use. It works well now; whether it continues to is the kind of thing only months of wear will confirm.
Design
The Samba Jane is available in a range of colorways, from scarlet red to metallic gold, all with contrasting adidas 3-Stripes. The colorway reviewed here pairs a white leather upper with the alumina and black detailing that gives the shoe its visual structure.
The strap, for what it’s worth, has been doing this job for longer than sneakers have existed: the flappers of the 1920s wore Mary Janes to dance the Charleston in, and the strap that kept the shoe on a moving foot was part of the appeal. The Samba Jane’s velcro closure is a less elegant solution to the same problem, but works just as well.
That structure does considerable work. The round toe, on its own, tends toward the dowdy end of the sneaker spectrum; the T-toe overlay and serrated 3-Stripes in complementary contrast colors give the shoe enough visual interest to read as thoughtful. The extra-low profile is among the Samba Jane’s most useful styling qualities: it disappears cleanly under wide-leg jeans and works with slimmer cigarette pants as well, though it flatters the former more than the latter. The gum-rubber sole provides adequate traction across surfaces and has the added virtue of aging well aesthetically, in the way that gum rubber tends to.
The Samba Jane is, in this sense, a departure from its source material: unlike the original Samba, which reads as a straightforwardly athletic silhouette, the Jane strap tips the balance firmly toward lifestyle wear; it is harder to imagine pairing with athletic clothes, but easier to imagine pairing with almost everything else.
Quality
At $100, the quality is acceptable but not exceptional. The leather upper creases quickly, within minutes of initial wear on lighter colorways (though the T-toe overlay obscures much of the toe box crease that would otherwise accumulate visibly). More notable is the foam padding in the insole, which is visible along one edge on the pair reviewed here; a minor issue in isolation, but one that reads as a lapse in quality control at this price point. Neither flaw is disqualifying, but neither inspires confidence in the shoe’s long-term durability, and buyers with lighter colorways should go in with realistic expectations about the leather.
IS THE SAMBA JANE A KEEPER?
The adidas Samba Jane is a well-conceived if imperfectly executed update on one of adidas’s most durable silhouettes. The fit runs large and wide–size down, and size down again if your feet run narrow–which makes it an unusually good option for those who typically sacrifice toe room in sneakers, and a more complicated fit proposition for everyone else. The design holds up: the Samba’s heritage detailing translates naturally to the Mary Jane format, and the low profile earns its versatility. And the quality could be tighter for the price. For those for whom the fit works, it is an easy shoe to reach for; for those who are already skeptical of adidas sizing, there are more forgiving options in this category at similar prices.
The adidas Samba Jane Sneaker retails for $100 and is available at adidas, ASOS, Dick’s, Foot Locker, Journeys, and Nordstrom.
