Everyone In The Vogue Office Is Wearing These Samba Alts

Everyone at Vogue HQ has fairly different style. Some (me), like to go full cosy mode, whereas others tend to lean more glam. On occasion, though, there are specific style choices that a lot of people seem to make in unison (like when everyone showed up to work in the same summer trainers have become extremely ubiquitous. I’m talking about the Adidas SL72s – slim, lightweight trainers that have become a mainstay within these air-conned walls.

A large majority of Vogue editors own the maroon and yellow colourway (including myself). But I’ve also spotted a couple of pink and reds, while Associate Fashion Editor Charlotte Rutter (pictured below) and Contributing Shopping Writer Julia Storm have both been known to frequent the corridors in the bright green style. Part of their appeal is that they’re airy and a little delicate – Charlotte wouldn’t usually go for a dresses.

Like Charlotte, I’m also not into narrow styles (I wore my Asics). My colleague Ellie Davies wears hers pretty much every day. “For the last seven months my brown SL72s have become the hardest working shoe in my wardrobe,” she says. “They’re sturdier than my Handballs and sleeker than my Air Forces – and they look weirdly good with almost everything. I’ve now got my eyes on the green colourway having spotted them on Julia…”

And as for Julia, she styles her SL72s like any other lightweight shoe. Today in the office she’s wearing them with a denim skirt and a simple black sweater. “I like my shoes to be either dainty or clumpy – nothing in between,” she says. “SL72s fall firmly into the former camp and feel almost like an ergonomic version of my favourite ballet flats. A subtle sneakerina, if you will.”

Though SL72s have been knocking around for decades – the running trainer was first launched in 1972 for the Olympics – they’ve become a popular Samba alternative over the past year or so. This is largely down to Bella Hadid, who was pictured wearing them in February last year before they promptly sold out (you can thank her for the omnipresence of the maroon colourway in particular). Since then, they’ve only soared in traction. And while my black OG Sambas are gathering dust in the closet, my SL72s are already getting kind of worn-out.