Nike Moon Shoe: The Waffle Iron Racer Now in Jacquemus Colorways

Nike Moon Shoe: The Waffle Iron Racer Now in Jacquemus Colorways

The Nike Moon Shoe began as a waffle-iron experiment by Bill Bowerman, and this edit sorts the OG colorways, the seasonal and Leather Pack pairs, and the Jacquemus versions. I say when I would reach for each one and what to check in the fitting room.

Nike's own history of the Moon Shoe starts in a kitchen. Bill Bowerman, the Nike co-founder, was struck one morning by the pattern of his wife's waffle iron and poured liquid rubber into it to make a new kind of sneaker sole. A small batch of early pairs debuted at the 1972 U.S. Olympic Trials, and then the shoe never went to market. I love that. The most copied sole in running began as a kitchen experiment that nobody could buy.

That is why the Nike Moon Shoe feels different from a normal retro reissue. It is a low, slim, nylon runner with a waffle sole, and it was never a hit the first time around, so there is no single "correct" color to be loyal to. The sole later fed into the 1973 Oregon Waffle and the 1975 Waffle Trainer, but this shape is the quiet ancestor. I am happy to see it finally worn on actual feet.

In the first group, the Moon Shoe OG in Malachite is the one with some drama: emerald green, satin-like, a cream Swoosh. I would wear it with straight gray trousers. The Sail and Black pair is the easy one, cream with an oversized black Swoosh, great with blue jeans. Baroque Brown and the Off Noir pair are my dark, work-friendly picks, and the Mystic Dates and Tough Red pair with its brown suede panels is for a camel coat. The Black and Safety Orange pair is the loud one, so keep the rest of the outfit plain. Tip: this is a slim shoe, so try it with the exact socks you plan to wear.

Collage of OG nylon waffle-sole runners, seasonal and leather sneakers, and ruched nylon and satin sneakers, with a mood photo of a cream Moon Shoe worn under a white skirt.

Nike Moon Shoe colorways

Reading the sole, then the color

Look at the sole before the upper. On every pair here the gum waffle tread is the point, and the cream or black Swoosh just decides how serious the shoe looks. Flip a pair over in the fitting room and check that the rubber sits flat and even.

The Sail and Chlorophyll pair has a bright green Swoosh on a cream upper, and it is the one I would wear with white denim. The Italy Blue pair is a bold, leather-look blue with a gray toe, a good answer to a plain gray sweatsuit. The Leather Pack gets calmer: University Red is a bold red leather with an oversized black Swoosh, and Flax is a soft tan leather with a pale ivory Swoosh, lovely with cream knits and wide trousers.

For everyday wear, I would reach for the darker seasonal pairs. Cacao Wow is a deep brown, Midnight Navy Sail is navy with a sail Swoosh, and the Vintage Green is a dark forest green that works with olive pants. The Anthracite pair is tonal and quiet, almost a loafer substitute with black tailoring. Several of these are listed as unisex, so check the size conversion before you order.

What I would skip: white socks that peek out over the collar of a slim shoe like this. They break the line, and the low, torpedo shape is what you are paying attention to.

Moon Shoe OG SP and seasonal colorways

Jacquemus pairs and the satin one

Compare the two ideas side by side, because they wear differently. The Jacquemus Moon Shoe is a ruched nylon shoe with a leather Swoosh and a Nike Grind waffle outsole, and it sits closer to a ballet flat than to a racer. Nike says it is the fourth footwear collaboration between Nike and Jacquemus, after the Air Max 1, J Force 1 and Air Humara.

The Multi-Blue pair is the most playful: sky-blue nylon, a mint-green Swoosh and a lilac heel panel. Aluminum Pink is pale pink with a matching Swoosh, and I would wear it with a gray slip skirt and a plain tee. Soft Pearl is cream and tonal, which makes it the easiest on this page to wear with white jeans. Off Noir is black with a white Swoosh, and University Red is the bright one, nice with a navy trench.

Fauna Brown has a cream Swoosh and a white-and-gum sole, and I would pair it with chocolate or camel. Alabaster is white and black with a leather Swoosh. The last pair, the Moon Shoe OG SE Satin in Pencil Point, is a smoky gray satin, which is dressier than anything else here. I would wear it to a dinner with a straight black trouser.

Check the ankle: the ruched shape should hug without pinching, and the heel panel should not slip when you walk across the room.

Nike x Jacquemus and special-edition Moon Shoes

How I would pick a pair

Pick the color you will wear on Monday, not the one you would post. For me that is a dark pair from the first group: Baroque Brown or Off Noir, worn with jeans until the sole turns honey colored.

Then, if you want some fashion, try a Jacquemus pair in a color that matches something already in your closet. Soft Pearl and Aluminum Pink are the quiet ones. Walk across a room in them, sit down, and look at your feet from above.

A shoe that began as a rubber experiment in a kitchen deserves a little room to be strange. Choose the pair that makes you smile when you look down. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Nike x Jacquemus and Nike Vomero.