This Ancient adidas Looks Its Age, Which Is Good
Is it possible that the best things adidas ever did are already done? Perhaps. Really makes you think, either way. Really makes Japanese retailer BILLY'S think, as when it was given the opportunity to partner with adidas, it opted to reach back into the Three Stripes archives to revive a rare low-top shoe.
You have never heard of the adidas Palma before. I have never heard of the adidas Palma before. But this rare, nearly 50-year-old sneaker is a certified banger that belongs in the now as much as it did in the then.
Released amidst but separate from a recent wave of "island"-themed adidas shoes evocatively named for well-traveled warm-weather locales, the adidas Palma is a subset of the adidas Mallorca which fits because Palma is a town within the island of Mallorca.
The sneaker is appropriately aligned with adidas' Mallorca, too, with both the Palma and its forebear utilizing nearly the same ageless shape: streamlined leather upper, contrasting heel tab, lightly weighty sole unit, and barely any paneling to speak of. Sleek and chic, as they probably said when these shoes were originally released back in the '70s.
The difference is that, er... uh... the difference is that... hmm. There isn't really a difference.
The adidas Palma is basically the adidas Mallorca by another name. Simple as. But it nevertheless looks pleasantly out of time, satisfyingly uncool in the way that so many great sneakers do.
You can tell from the trim upper and substantive sole that this is not a modern shoe. It's simply too uncomplicated. As such, the Palma looks its age, especially in the tonal brown colorway selected by BILLY'S. And that's great.
Admittedly, nothing beats the weirdo proto-sneaker-loafer that was the original adidas Mallorca but the Palma comes close in intrigue and handily wins in terms of wearability, which is really what it's all about.
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