Asics Wmns Novablast 3 'Papaya Dusty Purple'
Colorway: Papaya/Dusty Purple · Style code: 1012B288-701 · Release date: January 8, 2023 · Price: $2682 · Availability: Available now
More colorways: Asics Wmns Novablast 3 'Black Sheet Rock' (1012B288-001) · Asics Wmns Novablast 3 'Black Soft Sky' (1012B288-002) · Asics Wmns Novablast 3 'Black Dusty Purple' (1012B288-003) · Asics Wmns Novablast 3 'Metropolis Violet Peach' (1012B288-020) · Asics Wmns Novablast 3 'Piedmont Grey Blue Violet' (1012B288-021)
Bright colour has always suited the Novablast, because the shoe itself is not a serious-looking object. The midsole is stacked tall, scooped at the sides and flared at the base, and it is tuned to give energy back rather than to swallow impact. Papaya over Dusty Purple plays to that: a warm orange mesh upper with a cooler secondary shade through the branding and trim.
Mechanically this is the settled version of the line. FF Blast+ replaced FlyteFoam Blast in the third generation, coming in softer and more responsive while shedding weight, and the widened platform removed much of the side-to-side sway earlier Novablasts were criticised for. The upper was rebuilt in a monofilament jacquard mesh with a thinner tongue, and the outsole rubber was trimmed back to coverage where it is actually needed.
What the shoe is not is a racer. There is no plate, and the bounce comes from foam geometry rather than from anything rigid, which is why it reads as a high-mileage everyday trainer that happens to feel quick.