100% Honest Review: Toddler Adidas Superstar I and Women's Adidas MI SUPERSTAR Shoes
matching mommy and son ADIDAS SUPERSTARS
why you should trust me...
I'm a doctor of physical therapist and the mommy of a happy and healthy almost-three-year old, Phil. I only provide 100% honest reviews on this blog, and this post was not endorsed or sponsored by Adidas. Since 2010, I've written multiple highly-circulated articles on shoes reviews and had always been brutally honest with my grading.
cost...
When I shop online, I always make sure that I have coupon or promotional code to use. I also have a free Shoprunner account through my AMEX card, so I often get shipping for free from many big retailers online. I got 15% off of my pair of MI SUPERSTAR and 20% off of Phil's pair. I spent a little under 100 USD for my pair, and 35 USD for Phil's pair. The price isn't bad for Phil's pair, since most toddler sneakers sell for at least 30-50 USD. My customized pair, without the discount, is around 20 dollars more than the original pair with no customizations.
for fashionistas...
With my weak ankles and flat feet, I've never been able to rock heels, and so I don't own any heels. Imagine my joy when I discovered how trendy it is to wear flats and sneakers with almost any outfit nowadays. Everywhere I look, women have on a pair of Superstars or Stan Smiths from Adidas. I caved in and customized my own pair. Look at how cute they look on my feet! I can't wait to wear them to work, matching them to jeans, sweats, or even corporate dresses and pant suits!
shoe build and fit...
After reading hundreds of reviews and trying on a few pairs, I can safely say that Adidas Superstars run at least half a size to a full size bigger for women. I normally wear US size 8 to 8.5, and the US size 7 that I bought fits nicely, with some room for thicker socks. Phil's pair of US 9 for toddlers is too big for him now. It's as big as his pair of US 10 Nike sneakers! So try on a pair or two for sizing. Your heels will pop up if the shoe's too big for your feet.
The shoes aren't heavy and they're built pretty well. They're made in China and the new shoes have a strong LRP smell (leather/rubber/plastic). They don't look like cheap shoes, and I can't wait to break them in and see how they survive my daily and yucky NYC commute to and from work.
Though these shoes have supporting inserts (OrthoLite for the toddler pair), they also have a rigid, flat sole. I would wear these shoes in moderation, and not for prolonged walking, jogging, running, or standing. Shoes with rigid flat soles don't allow feet to do what they do best, spreading out forces exerted on different parts of the foot during different parts of gait. The soles of our feet aren't completely flat for a reason, and there's use for our arches, the balls of our feet, and the curves of our toes. If only Adidas could make the soles softer and turn them into flexible cushions, that would make these shoes way more supportive and ergonomic. I'd wear these more often, but for now, these are our "fashionista" shoes...
When I was customizing my pair of MI SUPERSTAR, I debated a long time with myself; should I get the smooth leather exterior or the snake-skin exterior? The snake-skin looks amazing in pictures online. In person, on closer inspection, my new pair already looks a bit old and worn. The "scales" of the snake skin have grayish borders, which makes the white shoes look a little dirty. Still, the pattern is very eye-catching and makes the shoe looks posh and more expensive than it is, I guess!
A word on the laces: the metallic golden tip on the flat white lace looks a bit tacky. The gold tips aren't well made. If I customize another pair, I will go for no metallic tips. Luckily, you get a second pair of shoe laces with a pair of MI SUPERSTAR.
customization...
Customizing a pair of MI SUPERSTAR is easy on adidas.com. Check out the middle of our review video to learn how to customize a pair just like mine. A word of advice: check out these shoes at a store, try them on, and plan out a design for your own pair if you decide on buying a customized MI Superstar. I spent at least two hours customizing my pair online before I decided to buy this pair. (What do you think of this design? I love the rainbow snake skin in the back, but it clashes with the gold heel patch logo a bit...)
in love...?
Admittedly, although these shoes aren't perfect, I can't help but fall in love with them. We'll have to see how my feet fare after wearing these for a few months. I can't wait to hear what people say about them on the streets! Phil's pair is still too big for him, but he'll be able to wear them next year. By then, he'll be able to interchange them with this pair of NikeiDs...
final thoughts...
The shoes fit well, they make my feet look slimmer, and they match well with any summer, autumn, or spring outfit. White shoes get dirty easily, so I'll have to keep some magic erasers handy. I won't be able to wear these shoes for prolonged periods of time, but they do look awesome when you're matching them with your child. I'd rather wear Adidas Superstars than high heels with my outfits any day. My pair is fancy enough to wear to a party, and casual enough to wear on the daily. As these shoes aren't perfect, we can't award them with 5 out of 5 pandas... so the final score is...
4 out of 5 pandas
Hope this review was helpful, and I'd love to see pictures of your favorite sneakers! Do you own a pair of Adidas Superstar?
