Customer Reviews adidas Originals Gazelle

Classic - Great shoe. Pretty comfortable. Traction is good unless the surface is dusty. Tongue of shoe is like a vinyl fabric and they squeek a bit, but not too bad.

Hot shoes - You can't tell from the picture but the front of the shoe is tapered, which I personally don't like, but it's a minor point most people probably don't even notice. The tongue is a weird material that's kind of stiff. On another side note the shoes reek like plastic and other chemicals when you first get them. After a couple weeks of breaking the shoes in, most of the problems go away, and you got some nice kicks.

Classics never change - Same fit and look I remember from 35 years ago, and same odd tuna smell from the soles, but you can get over that for this retro-stylish and comfortable lounge shoe.

Good, but smelly... I love the way the gazelles look. They fit well too, they're not narrow or anything like that and I ordered my normal size. But they do have a strange scent to them- fish like in fact. It's fairly strong too. You don't need to get up close to get a good whiff of it. I don't know what it is, but I think it's the suede or something that is used because the stench is particularly on the outside of the shoe. But whatever it is stinky and it hasn't faded since I first wore them. That's the only problem with these shoes. The smell takes away from how the shoe looks and feels a little bit, for me anyways.

Gazelle, campus, samba .... they all squeak horribly when you walk. If you like sounding like an old lady with squeaking orthotics then knock yourself out. The tongue of the shoe rubs on the lining creating a very Lou d an annoying noise. Only when they are ancient smelly and old does the noise subside. Adidas needs to find a way to solve the issue.

This is my third pair of Gazelles. My previous pairs lasted years, worn daily. These fit me a little small, whereas the same size on my old ones fit fine. Worst feature by far is the squeaking; my previous ones did not squeak. I tried treating the tongue with talcum powder. It worked for a week, but now they're back to squeaking. Have been wearing them every day for six weeks, thinking they will surely stop with time. In the meantime, it's annoying and embarrassing.

These shoes were close to being awesome shoes which is why I'm so disappointed in them. They look great, don't get me wrong, but the tongue of the shoe is ridiculous. It's made out of very cheap material and SQUEAKS SO FRIKN LOUD. I had to slip on black ankle socks on the tongues to get rid of the squeak. With that being said, I really do like this shoe besides that one major flaw. If your willing to put socks on your shoes to make them better than this shoe is for you.

I have never had a pair of shoes so squeaky! Seriously obnoxious... tried baby powder on the tongues, only lasted a day, tried a spray of wd40 and its lasted almost a week so far. Great shoes otherwise!

Great looking shoes, but awful squeaking with every step! Like another reviewer mentioned, the tongue is made of plastic and it rubs up against the laces and just sounds awful. I had to stop wearing them after a week or so because the noise was embarrassing and it was driving me crazy. It's a shame, but I do not recommend these shoes for that reason.

Not for my foot. Several people indicated that these fit narrow. I agree. Plus the toe is short. I will admit that they are cushioned.

Great look, but snug - Comfy shoe with style, but it's a somewhat narrow shoe in my opinion.

This is a classic and I have owned dozens in my life but recently they have changed the tongue to a cheap plastic material which creates a loud squeaking sound when you walk.

25 years old, I've been buying these shoes from Zappos for the past few years. They look great in almost any situation and they hold up well. Adidas made some horrible changes recently though...they cut out most of the colors and they replaced the color matching suede upper with bright white rubber which SQUEAKS LIKE CRAZY even after broken in. I have to start looking for a new shoe because those uppers are a joke. Oh well. Buy these if they ever return to normal.

There is a God-awful squeak coming from the tongue in the marine/white color. I'm not sure what the material is constructed from, but every time I step it makes noise. It's unbearable, and it's so frustrating since I really want to like these shoes. They do look nice, but try another model or color.

I wore the Original Original Adidas Gazelle in the mid 1970's, so I want to go old-school and get a pair. But the vinyl material on the tongue and heel are so thin and cheap, they squeak when you walk. Can only wear them when I don't have to walk. (So when would that be?) Look good, perform badly. "Sneakers" they ain't.

The small toe box makes these seem .5 smaller than advertised. I prefer the Gazelle style over that of the Campus, however the Campus is a better quality shoe. The Gazelle felt cheap and flimsy, especially the tongue. I understand quality isn't what it once was, but these are poor and hardly worth the this price.

Beware! Tongue feels like Styrofoam and squeaks while walking. Weren't too comfortable either. Look awesome though.

The shoe is cute but there is no support and the tongue of the shoe is too long. Folding it over to be comfortable is not cool looking.

Okay, just bought these shoes and had to make a quick return. Here is why: 1. The tongue of the shoe is not leather and has a cheap feel (plastic). The white bottom of the shoe makes it look weird (cottage cheese). I wear 11.5 size and shoe was small and narrow. Do not recommend. I did purchase Converse and a Nike. They fit perfect.

These are fantastic shoes. They fit perfectly and there was no break-in time out of the box. Putting them on for the first time felt like I had owned them for a year. They look good, they feel good, and they perform well.

What did Adidas do to make these smell? I've been wearing Gazelles for well over 10 years. I must have had 5 or 6 pairs of them over the years. They've always been trustworthy shoes that last a long time. When I bought my last pair in April of 2008 however, I realized that Adidas has done something to them to make them smell bad. I'm not sure what's going on over at Adidas but they've either gotten some defective materials, or they've changed the materials, or something, because they now smell like dead animals. Adidas actually stopped widely producing this shoe a few years ago. They came out with the "Gazelle 2" which had flashy colors and whatnot. I was glad to see the old trusty black and white version back out, but now they smell. I ordered two pairs from Zappos and one pair directly from Adidas and they all had the same problem. I am positive that this is a new issue because none of the other pairs I've owned over the past 10 years have smelled anything like this, brand new or otherwise. In the nature of full disclosure, I didn't keep mine long enough to find out whether the smell wears off after a month or two. I can tell you that when I put them in the closet they smelled up the whole closet. I could also smell them when I was sitting on the couch or driving. It was just too much for me. There was no sign that they were getting better after several weeks so I returned them. Maybe I should have waited longer. Anyway, this may be one of the best models of shoes ever made but I'm not going to get anymore until Adidas fixes this smell issue. Why they keep trying to mess with perfection is beyond me.

This is the only type of shoe I've worn for years. I bought two new pairs, and Zappos was great shipping them. As other people note, something in the manufacture of these shoes changed, and they squeak. Does it go away? I have no idea because I've worn them once in the four months I've had them. The squeaking is obnoxious. I am rating these one star due to the squeak alone. I understand shoes have a breaking in period, but I've never had to break in a pair of shoes to make a sound go away. Bad job Adidas. Additionally, Adidas never responded to several attempts to ask them about a solution to this problem.

I am a proud owner of the black and white gazelles and I absolutely love them. These however, are built differently, the ankles slip, they are incredibly stiff and uncomfortable. I won't ever wear them no matter how much I may like the way they look. If you want true gazelles stick with the black and white or navy and white. All other colors seem to be made differently and poorly.

Not sure how these shoes get 5 stars. I guess those reviewing them never put the originals on their feet. I wore these in the '90s when I was in high school. So comfortable and stylish, I absolutely loved them. I now have two kids to keep up with and needed stylish shoes to do it it. Thinking I'll get what I'm looking for I ordered these, I was dead wrong. They are now "made in China" (they were made in Italy) out of cheap garbage. They look like the molded plastic trash. The soles are so unforgiving, no bend and the tongue! I can't even describe how hideous that strange piece of plastic looks (it was, on the originals, suede or something almost like it). I couldn't return these fast enough. I know most shoes are made in China but these are the apex of "poorly made" cheap garbage. Sticking to the Pumas.