Adidas Samba OG Cloud White Green

Green and cream sit well with denim and with tailoring. Try light wash straight jeans, a white oxford shirt and a navy knit for a clean weekend fit, or grey wool trousers with a cream crew neck when you want the green picked up only at the ankle. Short socks or none at all keeps the low profile intact. The Samba has a very thin sole and minimal arch support, so it is a shoe for cafes, bars, five a side spectating and short city walks, not for all day standing. Protect the suede toe before first wear, keep white leather away from red mud, and clean the same week.

The Samba's second career was written by supporters, not by adidas. The Superstar and the Stan Smith became the base layer of European football terrace and casual dressing, and the indoor football silhouette followed the same route from pitch to pavement, absorbed by match day crowds and then by everybody else. Its recent global run has been the largest low profile sneaker moment in years, which puts a burden on the wearer: the plain black pair now reads as the safest possible shoe. A white and green colourway pulls the reference back towards football and away from the algorithm, which is exactly why it is the more interesting buy.

A white leather upper carries the green stripes and heel detail, with the suede toe overlay stitched over the front where a footballer would scuff hardest, the detail that gives the Samba its distinct nose. Underneath is gum rubber, low and flat, designed to grip a wooden or hard indoor surface rather than to cushion road miles. The Three Stripes are sewn through the panel, the way adidas has used the mark since acquiring it from Karhu Sports in 1952 when they served as reinforcement. White leather is forgiving if you keep on top of it: wipe weekly, use a soft eraser on scuffs, and let the gum sole yellow naturally rather than bleaching it back to new.