HOKA Bondi 9: Cushioned Colorways, Plus the Hokas Worth Wearing Next

HOKA started in 2009, when two former Salomon employees, Jean-Luc Diard and Nicolas Mermoud, got fed up with their shoes while hiking in the French Alps and decided to make their own. The first Bondi followed in 2011, built around extremely lightweight materials and maximal cushioning. A brand born on a mountain ended up famous for a road shoe that feels like a pillow. I love that.

The HOKA Bondi 9 is the current chapter, and what I like is how little it tries to change. Inside Retail quotes the company's president saying the update had to be better but still a Bondi, and the new EVA midsole is lighter, softer and more responsive. The early crowd was ultramarathon runners, and then a fashion-forward crowd moved in. I am firmly in the second group, so this edit is about the shoe you wear to the airport and the farmers market as much as the one you run in.

Start with the neutrals, because they go with everything. The Women's Bondi 9 in black and the all-white pair are the easy ones: black under wide trousers, white with a denim skirt and a boxy tee. The Frost / Black is the in-between, a soft gray against a dark outsole that hides a little street dirt. Then the creamier ones. The Vanilla / Birch and the Rose Latte / Rose Cream look like they belong with a camel coat and a slouchy bag.

The color pairs are for when you want the shoes to say something. The Mellow Lilac / Purple Fog and the Lilac Cream / Tangerine Glow are happy with plain gray sweats, and the Mineral Blue is a lovely match for pale jeans. My tip: try them with the socks you actually wear, because the collar is padded and the fit changes.

Pick the job before you pick the pair. Hokas are not one shoe, and this page has a few different personalities, so decide whether you want soft, snappy or steady.

Soft is the Clifton 11 in Faded Navy / Glimmering Blue, a plush everyday trainer with a chunky midsole that goes well with navy trousers or black leggings. The Rincon 5 in Alabaster / Mineral Blue is the light one, sleek and streamlined, and I would wear it with a run-club cap and white socks.

Snappy is the Mach 7 in Carbon Black / Cosmic Purple, with a creel jacquard upper, and the Mach X 3 in White Alabaster, a plated speed trainer with a PEBA-topped midsole. Those are for tempo days. The Skyward X 2 in Squid Ink / Neon Dragonfruit is the tall, dark one with neon accents, which looks great with black shorts.

Steady means stability. The Arahi 9 in clean white and the Gaviota 6 in navy both use an H-frame to guard against overpronation, which is worth knowing if your ankles roll in. The Mach Remastered in Frost Cosmic Grey is the lifestyle one, a retro Mach shape that I would wear with straight jeans. In the fitting room, jog on the spot and check that your heel stays put.

What I would skip: the plated racers if you just want a walking shoe, because the stiff plate is built for speed and not for strolling.

Recovery shoes are the ones nobody photographs, and they might be the pair you use most. Pull them on after a long run, a flight or a day on your feet and your arches will say thank you.

The Ora Recovery Slide 3 comes in solid Black / Black and in White / Neon Yuzu, both with a thick molded foam footbed. Black goes with everything and the yuzu one is a fun hit of color with white socks. The Women's Ora Recovery Flip in Black / Dark Gull Gray is the one for the pool bag, with arch support in a flip-flop shape. Press your thumb into the footbed in the fitting room: it should feel springy, not squashy.

For the outdoors, the Women's Challenger 8 in Midnight Blue / Grout is built for road and trail, with a lugged outsole, and the Women's Mafate X in Mountain Fog is the big, plush trail racer with a forked carbon plate. The Transport Hike GTX in black adds a waterproof Gore-Tex upper, and I would wear it on a rainy city weekend with cuffed trousers.

For plain walking, the Transport 2 in Alabaster is a clean everyday sneaker, and the Skyward Laceless Recovery Sneaker in white is a slip-on with a plush rocker midsole. That one suits anyone who hates tying laces at the airport. What I would skip: the Mafate X unless you really will be on a trail, since it is a lot of shoe for the sidewalk.

Here is what I would actually do. I would start with the HOKA Bondi 9 in the color I already wear most, black or white, and live in it for a couple of weeks. Then I would add one color pair if I felt like having a little fun.

After that I would pick one more shoe for a real job, whether that is a Clifton for easy miles or a recovery slide for the end of the day. Wear each one for a full day before you decide to keep it.

It still amazes me that two guys annoyed with their hiking shoes in the Alps started all this. Wear your pair somewhere you actually need to stand up for a while. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Hoka Shoes.