The Nike Calm slide was released on July 1st in various colors with both men's and women's sizing. The release was supposed to occur later in the month, and many consumers were surprised to see them load up early. With summertime in full swing and slides being a popular wardrobe choice, the Calm slide seemed like a solid choice.
With a minimalist design and sleek construction, the Nike Calm slide looked like it could have filled a void left in the market when the Yeezy Slide was discontinued. I secured some pairs and provided a detailed review to help you decide if they're the slides for you.
PACKAGING & DESIGN
The packaging on the Nike Calm Slide was straightforward. A clean cardboard box with a cutout swoosh on top and plain white tissue paper on the inside. Not much to it, but then again, it's a slide, and no one is keeping these boxes like it's a Jordan Retro.
The slide had a simplistic design with a single structure build. The sole shape of the shoe is a rounded-off rectangle with no contouring to the standard foot shape like nearly every other piece of footwear out there. The top side of the sole is ribbed front to back with a debossed swoosh on the heel and has rather significant arch support. The foot strap is also much bigger than a standard slide, so much so that it rubbed against my ankle.
SIZING
For comparison, I wear a size 10 in Air Jordan 1s, a size 10.5 in Nike SBs and Yeezys, and my Yeezy Slides and Foam RNNRs are a size 11. I ordered a 10 and 11 in the Calm slides as they only come in full sizes, no half sizes.
That being said, the sizing of the Calm slides is where things get confusing. The size 10 was tight, and the length of the shoe was good, but the footstrap part was extremely tight. So tight I could see my toes' knuckles bulging through the rubber. No big deal; I ordered 11 as well for this reason. The 11 was big, real big. It felt like it would fall off with every step I took.
COMFORT
Not only was the sizing extremely confusing, they were very uncomfortable. The arch support was so high that it caused me pain. I understand some people need this type of support, but it's not for me. The rounded rectangle shape also was a factor in the lack of comfort. The shape doesn't hug the foot and causes it to feel tighter on the outside of the foot than the instep.
There was little give and cushion in the Nike Calm Slide, but the shape and size instantly negated any comfort it gave. Maybe it just takes them a while to break in, but I don't see any upside in trying to wait it out. While this was my experience with the Nike Calm Slide, it doesn't mean it will be for everyone. Everyone has different feet and needs different things from their footwear. I typically prefer a flatter sole in my shoes, and I was hopeful for the Calm Slides based on the pictures, but sadly, these are not for me. Check us out on Twitter and Instagram for more reviews and all the latest news on sneakers.
Images via Nike