New Balance 574 'Brown Light Blue'
Colorway: Brown/Light Blue · Style code: U574OO2 · Release date: August 23, 2023 · Price: $80 · Availability: Available now
More colorways: 574 (U5747FE) · 574 (U5748DF) · 574 (U5748SB) · New Balance New Balance 57/40 'Lunar New Year - Black Poppy' (U5740CNB) · New Balance 57/40 'Lunar New Year - Eclipse' (U5740CNN)
Brown and pale blue is a combination borrowed from clothing rather than from sport. The brown covers the suede overlays, mid-toned and slightly warm, and a washed light blue fills the panels behind them, cool enough to sit clearly apart without turning the pairing into a contrast exercise. The effect depends on the blue staying pale, since a saturated one in the same position would read as a team colourway instead.
New Balance released the pair on August 23, 2023 at $85. ENCAP sits under the heel as always, foam cushioning bounded by a harder polyurethane rim, and the outsole still turns up over the toe, a detail carried across from a shoe meant for uneven ground. What this colourway demonstrates is how much range the model has by virtue of its age. The 574 predates almost every current styling convention, so it belongs to none of them, and a palette drawn from knitwear works on it as easily as a primary sports scheme does.