I've always loved Adidas sneakers, but when I saw their Adidas Gazelle Bold sneakers in April of this year I fell in love. I actually grabbed them in 2 colorways but only kept the green.
At $160+tax (Canadian), these don't come cheap–considering they're a fashion sneakers vs a functional one for walking or running. But, as we all know, fashion don't come cheap 😉
Women's Adidas Gazelle Bold Sneakers Review
After 2 seasons of wear, and many thousands of steps later, here are my–honest, as always–thoughts on the Adidas Gazelle platforms.
Above are the two pairs of sneakers I purchased at home to try on. This is them looking spiffy right out of the box, prior to wear.
Adidas Sneakers Overview
Adidas' Gazelle Bolds sneakers are the chunky sister to the regular rubber-soled ones. They come in a variety of color, materials and a great shoe for transitional months in particular, to take you from summer to fall and winter to spring.
This particular green pair has a real green suede upper and what I believe to be white faux-leather overlays.
They've been my go-to sneakers to make any of my outfits, no matter how intricate or plain–trendy. However, being an Adidas Originals revamp, I don't see these going out of style for a very long while.
Before wear I added a dose of waterproof shoe spray, as I do with all my new shoes. This helps create a protective barrier to make for easy dirt removal and stain prevention.
Sneaker Quality
On initial inspection, the construction of the heel tab sewn on the yellow ones, was horrible. Literally should not have passed quality control so I returned them.
Yes, the teddy-like plush secondary material is hard to sew on properly, but this material should have been nixed in the sampling process and never gone into production.
Another issue on some of the Bold sneakers, is the construction of the outsole, where it doesn't seem to be fully fused together, which may mean a machinery gaffe.
How big of existent the gap was depended on the individual shoe. So please check out your Bolds' platform and upper construction before buying, so you don't get a lemon, so to speak.
I sifted through a couple pairs before finding one that I thought worthy of purchase!
Comfort and Fit
In this pair of shoes I opted out of wearing my high arch insoles at first, just because. And I completely forgot to add them in, but I felt no different due to the footbed padding. I noticed later that the insoles are not removable–in theory.
In practice, it's just tacked on by a light amount of glue and can be very easily taken off. It is very thin, so I don't believe a specialized insole like the ones I have would have fit, unless I went up a half size.
The man-made textured tongue material did feel oddly crunchy and plasticky at first, but once they're on, that wasn't an issue.
SIZING
I had trouble with sizing. I know these fit at least a half size too big, so I opted for a size 8 (usually I'm an 8.5). However, they fit extremely wide as well. As a narrow-footed person that routinely wears a regular width shoe when I can't find a narrow fit, I consider these to be a wide fit.
I finally settled on a 7.5, as the length was decent and the width was acceptable-ish. Yes, I should have likely opted out, but these were too cute and I could not resist. And they were fine for my feet until I went for an extra long walk.
COMFORT
The actual footbed is well cushioned and comfy. Great for standing in all day. The platform is not hard and is bendy vs unmovable like many platform shoes, so high points there!
I believe they would also be great for longer walks *if* you get the correct size and you have a regular to wide width foot.
Is say this because they were comfy until I went on a longer walk. Like 12,000 consecutive steps, which in all fairness these sneakers aren't designed to accommodate.
This hurt my toes like crazy. Why? Well, the platform outsole does creep up onto the shoe upper, giving no wiggle room to stretch. In addition, the insole is slick and slippery, making my feel easily slide forward and repeatedly hit the hard rubber coated part of the toe box.
I would recommend an insole swap that has some grip, preventing shoes from sliding or grippy socks.
That said, after approximately 5 months of wear, I have had no blisters, with or without socks.
Durability (after almost 5 months of wear)
These platform sneakers have been holding up well so far. I've worn them to various events, to the park with my kids and for longer walks. The upper looks fresh and the soles show no signs of wear.
Below, is what they looked like after about 5 months of light wear (and a quick clean with a damp cloth). Of course, spraying on a waterproof coating like I did prior to wear does help!
I'll update the post with more photos and comments once winter starts and I've had a chance to wear them throughout the fall.
Style and Versatility
The overall design of Adidas' Gazelle Bolds is fabulous. They have an interestingly designed 3-tiered rubber stacked outsole in a gum color that adds depth to the shoe.
The top layer is partially see-through so you can see the white stripes underneath, adding more interest.
As one of the main reasons for buying them, they're fun, stylish and relevant to my current outfits and general fashion trends. I know most people would reach for the black version, but these green shoes are incredibly easy to wear.
Check out my styling post featuring these green sneakers as proof! You can wear them no-show or crew socks and they look equally fab.
I have long feet compared to my small ankles/calves, and these platform sneakers are extremely flattering. I even included them in my post as a shoe style that makes long feet look shorter.
My only design issue is the while heel counter at the back of the heel seems lacking. Unlike many of my other similar sneakers like my Puma Suede Classics, this one is left without a logo embossing or design, leaving it feeling very bare.
Maybe because they have a 3 tier logo on the outer rear side of the platform?
But if you're wearing longer skirts of full length pants, this will go unnoticed. Also, as a former shoe designer, I'm likely the only one to notice this!
Pros and Cons of Adidas Gazelle Platforms:
Pros:
- Comfy Footbed -Although a wide fit, the footbed is comfy enough that my high arches didn't ache without my special insoles.
- Make Feet Look Small: I huge win for someone with small ankles and long feet (in comparison).
- The Updated Look – statement-making and trendy, these will give any outfit an updated feel.
- Durability – so far they look great, show no signs of wear or deterioration. I'll update this part, end of fall.
- Versatile – they really do go with everything, from dresses, to shorts and sweats and easy to wear during any season.
Cons:
- Fit – A very wide fit that will not suit any slimmer feet like mine. I can wear regular widths easily, but this is considerably wide.
- Insole – Is thin and not technically removable, so will not accommodate any orthotic insole.
- Comfort – not great for long walks, as I sized down too much to make the width lesser. The slippery insole doesn't help, as they make my feet slide down and toes stub onto the hard front.
- Potential Quality Issues – but only with a certain colorways and fabrics. This green pair I picked with a suede upper has no issues.
- Price – at $160 Canadian a pair, it's not too bad if they're a good fit and can wear them more than I did.
Shop Adidas Bolds & Adidas Platforms:
Final Thoughts on my Adidas Gazelle Bold Sneakers
I hope my Adidas Gazelle Bold sneakers review has been helpful! Yes, I have been a bit critical of this lovely looking shoe in this post, but I do not regret my purchase.
My only regret is not going only 1 half size down and adding my high arch insoles to make up for the width. So don't be as silly as me!
They look great overall, make my feet look shorter (huge win for me!) and do their job as an athleisure (ie, NOT athletic) shoe for shorter walks.
Have questions? Ask in the comments below, or join my Free Facebook Group for styling, shoe, and fashion feedback!
Keep your eyes open for my upcoming review of my Puma Suede Classic sneakers…coming soon!
Photos: Bruna Rico Photography
xo Cristina
Cristina is the chief editor, fashion & shoe expert here at ShoeTease. As a seasoned stylist and women's fashion & shoe designer, she boasts over 20 years of experience in the fashion industry. She loves crafting effortless outfits for ladies both online and off and believes that styling advice should be accessible to everyone. Whether you're a styling pro or just starting out, Cristina's here to guide you on your fashion journey! Learn more.
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