adidas Gazelle 85 'Black White'
Colorway: Core Black/Cloud White/Gold Metallic · Style code: FZ5594 · Release date: December 2022 · Price: $50 · Availability: Available now
More colorways: adidas Gazelle 85 'Black White' (IE2166) · adidas Gazelle 85 'Black Blue Bird' (IG1729) · Adidas Gazelle 85 Sneakers (GY2529) · Adidas Gazelle 85 Sneakers (GY2530) · Adidas Gazelle 85 Sneakers (GY2532)
The 85 runs heavier than a current Gazelle. Its proportions are fuller through the midfoot, the sole sits slightly thicker, and the overall stance is closer to the mid-1980s pairs than to the slimmed-down version adidas has sold for the last decade. Put black suede on that shape with Cloud White trim and gold metallic branding and you get the most familiar palette in the family on an unfamiliar last, which is the entire appeal.
Black, white and gold has been the model's default arrangement for so long that the only variable left is the cut, and this is where the extra $30 over a standard Gazelle went when the pair appeared in December 2022 at $130. Suede in black also suits a bulkier silhouette better than a pale shade would, since it keeps the added volume from reading as bulk. Anyone who has worn both will notice the difference immediately at the toe, where the 85 carries more material and holds its shape rather than collapsing inward.