Lily Collins Has Found a French-Girl Alternative to the Adidas Samba

Lily Collins is on annual leave from playing a loveable demon in the fourth season of Emily In Paris—someone who has made it their life’s work to provide an American perspective for a French marketing firm, and yet spends most of her time in business meetings saying the words “Répétez, s’il vous plaît?”—meaning she also seems to be taking some necessary psychic leave, too.

I imagine all those “Paris, je t’aime!” berets, polka dot rockabilly dresses and Audrey Hepburn capes begin to wear on the soul after a while. And so, the actor was yesterday afternoon photographed strolling through Rome—with her filmmaker husband Charlie McDowell—while dressed in a crumpled shirt, high-waisted shorts, and a practical backpack. I.e., the kind of normal person outfit that would cause Emily Cooper to launch an urgent and overly enthusiastic rebrand.

She would perhaps be inclined to be a little more forgiving given that Collins is still wearing something French: a pair of hiking sneakers from the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes-based brand Salomon. “A little ‘Bonjour’ goes a long way!”, after all. Those shoes—though originally engineered for trekking through the Alps—have been swiftly appropriated in urban centres with EmRata, Hailey Bieber and Sophie Turner among a new generation of metropolitan fans. Consider them an alternative to the ubiquitous Adidas Sambas, which, though beloved, have perhaps crossed the rubicon once and for all.