Welcome to Robb Recommends, a regular series in which our editors and contributors endorse something they’ve tried and loved—and think will change your life for the better.
For most of my adult life, I have not been on speaking terms with sneakers. I’d lace a pair up to run in the morning (I’ve gone through many, many iterations of Tracksmith’s Eliot runner for this purpose), but when not actively exercising, leather-soled footwear is my norm. It’s another of my fogey tendencies, albeit one that’s been recently challenged by the existence of Berluti’s Shadow sneaker.
Another example of the rise in sporty footwear from established fashion houses, the Shadow features a knit upper made from over 376,000 individual stitches, a pliable construction that moves fluidly with the foot, rather than against it, as is so often the case with my beloved calfskin or cordovan loafers. Perhaps even more importantly, it allows my feet to fully breathe, another advantage that my traditionally constructed footwear just can’t compete with. The design does incorporate a strip of patinated leather at the heel, but luckily, it’s not trying to be one of those unfortunate dress shoe/sneaker hybrids. Even at its unsubstantial price point, it’s still a sneaker that knows it’s a sneaker.
Its recently redesigned midsole is made from a plush EVA that gives it a wonderfully bouncy lift underneath, tempting me to jump with every step I take. Relatedly, the EVA helps keep it incredibly light—they’re advertised as weighing the same as an apple, and while I had no fruit on hand to test this hypothesis, I don’t doubt it.
The Shadow is secured by a simple, three-eyelet lace-up system, but I found that the stretchy upper allowed them to be pulled on and off without any fuss. Like a pair of boat shoes, they could simply be tied once and never be bothered with again. Also, the shoe’s higher, ribbed topline gripped my foot like a sock, allowing me to remain sockless (my approach to loafers 6 months out of the year) without any discomfort.
Now, I can’t say that my tassel loafers and chukkas are headed to the bin. But the Shadow has at the very least cured me of my sneakerphobia.
Authors
Eric Twardzik
