Lauderdale: Is Stan Smith a shoe? Does Stan Smith exist?

If the shoe fits, wear it -- and nothing else at all.

Supermodel Gisele did it on the cover of Vogue Paris.

And, believe it or not, the shoes did get noticed. She was in Stan Smith sneakers.

That was in late 2013, right before Adidas re-launched the shoe that has sold more than 40 million pairs since it was named for one of Hilton Head Island's humblest heroes in 1972.

"Most people think I'm a shoe," said Smith.

The steady white leather shoe with simple lines and green trim is experiencing an explosion worldwide, in color, glitz and fame.

This comes decades after Smith retired from the tennis circuit, where he won 39 singles titles and 61 doubles titles. And it comes long after the Stan Smith shoe bearing his name and likeness has been aced off the tennis court.

But the shoe remains a match for the masses and a love affair that won't end.

Jay-Z and Lil Wayne led its beat to the street. You'll get more than 500 hits when you search "Stan Smiths" on the Genius website that tracks hip lyrics.

And now, after being taken off the market for a couple of years, the shoe has hopped on an even hipper wave with singers, designers and influencers such as Kanye West and Cèline's Phoebe Philo, Pharrell Williams, Kate Moss, Raf Simons, David Bowie, Sky Ferreria and Momo Wu.

"Stan Smith is to sneakers as Levi's are to jeans and Kim Kardashian's Instagram is to selfies: the ultimate expression of the form," says fashion magazine i-D.

'UNASSUMING GLAMOUR'

The New York Times tried to put its finger on the phenomenon that led Footwear News to name it the Shoe of the Year in 2014.

"The simple white leather shoe is a blank slate," Troy Patterson wrote in May. Artists -- and even online purchasers like you and me -- are filling it up with color.

"Moreover, this blank slate is appealing for the very purity of its blankness, a perpetually refreshing austerity that makes a strong claim for the universal chic of minimalism."

i-D writer Rory Satran said the shoe speaks to a "larger move in fashion toward unassuming glamour. Stan Smiths make you look like you don't care, a hallmark of fashion since Coco Chanel started making daywear out of jersey in the 20s."

This is all pretty heady stuff for a quiet Hilton Head Island leader whose public persona has a hip meter reading somewhere between Mister Rogers and Mr. Green Jeans.

And it has a new generation asking: "Does Stan Smith really exist?"

'THE RIGHT TIME'

The Stan Smith shoe came along shortly after he moved to Hilton Head in 1971.

That was the year he won the U.S. Open and Charles Fraser signed him to represent Sea Pines to the tennis world.

In 1972, Smith won the singles title at Wimbledon with girlfriend and Princeton University tennis captain Margie Gengler at his side.

Adidas signed Smith that year to open the American market to its high-tech, leather shoe. And in 1974, Margie signed the soft-spoken but intensely competitive star to be her wedded husband.

Hilton Head has always been their home, but they lived on tour together, even with four children in tow before home-schooling was cool.

At 68, Smith just re-upped his contract with Sea Pines. He is a Heritage Classic Foundation trustee. Along with David Ames, he led a $6.5 million capital campaign for the Boys and Girls Club, where Margie volunteers.

Yes, Stan Smith exists. His outlook on the new life of his old shoe is as simple as its timeless design: "I was at the right place, at the right time, with the right product."

The world can have Stan Smith as a shoe. We'll take him as a good fit.

Follow columnist and senior editor David Lauderdale at twitter.com/ThatsLauderdale and facebook.com/david.lauderdale.16.

This story was originally published August 1, 2015 at 4:42 PM with the headline "Lauderdale: Is Stan Smith a shoe? Does Stan Smith exist?."