Inde Navarrette walked through Manhattan on Monday, 2 November in an Adidas track jacket, Adidas shorts and Adidas socks, with a tailored charcoal coat worn open over the outfit. A photo agency was there, and the pictures went up on Instagram the same day, captioned as a morning walk.
Almost nobody appeared to take that description at face value. 'Out and about, yes...sure...totes candid,' read one of the most-liked replied on a busy discussion thread. Others followed with similar observations: 'Out and about, just wearing her Adidas shirt, shorts, and socks.' Another added the detail that finished the joke. 'And pumps.'
The sceptics had a theory and they were not shy about sharing it. 'This has gotta be a paid appearance by addidas or something,' one wrote.
What the Clothes Actually Cost
This is where some commenters appeared to get the details wrong. 'Girl, 80% of us could not afford that jacket let alone the entire outfit,' one reader wrote. The jacket is the Adidas Adisignature Vista Wind, from a line overseen by the designer Willy Chavarria, and it sells for about $120 (£89). The shorts are roughly $32 (£24).
The most expensive elements of the photograph, however, had little to do with Adidas. The pumps are Jimmy Choo Scarlett 95s, black patent with corset lacing, priced at about $1,075 (£795). The bag is a Dior Cigale, tucked under one arm. Neither item carries a visible logo. The three least expensive items were also the three displaying clear Adidas branding, which appeared to be what readers were reacting to, even if some had misjudged the pricing.
Why the Photos Prompted Staging Claims
What seemed to heighten suspicions was not just the outfit itself but the way it was presented. One reader pointed at the styling of the moment rather than the outfit. 'Casually holding the bag like that while her coat is wide open for the brand to show,' they wrote. Another zoomed out further: 'I'm so sick of everything being an ad. Even paparazzi shots are ads now.'
Others found the combination of pieces visually incoherent, which they interpreted as the evidence of planning. 'She's either going on a jog or starting a PI agency, hard to tell,' one wrote. One of the sharper replies noted that mismatching is not an accident at all: the idea that every part of a look belongs at a different event has been running through street style for several years. It was not an accident in a more literal sense either: the stylist Enrique Melendez was credited with dressing her that day, in what was described as a high-low look.
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Not Everyone Minded
A decent number of readers pushed back, and their reasoning was simple. 'Just because it's a pap walk doesn't mean she's not out and about,' one reader wrote. Another pointed out that photographing people walking is, in fact, the job. A third was blunter about the complaining: nobody is forced to look.
One reply broadly summed up that perspective. Staged photographs and brand deals have been part of the celebrity business for decades, and treating either as a scandal is a bit late.
What Has Actually Been Confirmed
Navarrette does take brand work, which is not in dispute. She fronted a Gap denim campaign this autumn alongside the musician Malcolm Todd, and in June appeared in her first commercial for the protein brand David, in a campaign tied to her film work.
What has never been announced is an Adidas partnership. She wore the label to the US Open in late summer and again here, which may indicate a personal preference for the brand, but does not in itself establish a formal commercial relationship.
The volume of photographs may also have a plainer explanation than a sportswear deal. Navarrette, 25, had made her hosting debut on Saturday Night Live two days earlier, on 31 October. She broke out this year in the horror film Obsession, after 13 Reasons Why and four seasons of Superman & Lois, and she has been cast as Rogue in Marvel Studios' X-Men, which is scheduled for release on 5 May 2028.
That is a run that produces photographers whether anyone arranges it or not. Whether this particular walk was arranged, nobody involved has publicly stated that it was arranged, and no evidence has emerged to confirm that it formed part of an Adidas campaign.
