Yeezy Boost 700 Salt

A pale bulky shoe needs a trouser that respects the volume. Recipe one: light grey wide leg sweatpants with the hem stacking on the shoe, plus a white heavyweight tee, an easy tonal fit that leans on texture. Recipe two: mid wash straight leg denim with a navy crewneck, where the grey keeps the outfit from reading too classic. Avoid skinny cuts entirely. Good for daytime, long walks and travel, less good for wet weather given the mesh panels. Take your usual size and lace with a little slack across the instep. Suede and mesh in pale grey stain fast, so apply a protector spray before first wear and brush after every outing with a dry suede brush.

The 700 is the model most responsible for the wave of oversized, layered trainers that took over the market in the late 2010s, and Salt is the version that made that shape wearable for people who did not want the multicolour original. It belongs to a release culture the brand created, where scarcity, bot buying, queues and resale turned drops into events. adidas terminated the partnership on 25 October 2022 following antisemitic public remarks by founder Kanye West, and remaining stock was sold through afterwards, so pairs available now come from that supply or the secondary market rather than continuing production.

The 700 is a layered build rather than a one piece knit: mesh, suede and synthetic panels overlaid across the upper, with a moulded heel counter holding the back of the shoe. In a monochrome grey, those layers register as changes in texture and sheen instead of as colour blocks, which is the whole trick of this colourway. The midsole is thick and softly sculpted, with a Boost unit inside providing the cushioning and a rubber outsole below for grip. Lacing runs through a conventional eyestay, so unlike the sock models this one can be dialled in for fit. No exterior logo appears on the shoe.