New Balance 574 'Navy'
Colorway: Navy/White · Style code: ML574RE2 · Price: $150 · Availability: Available now
More colorways: New Balance 574 'Pennant Pack' (ML574) · New Balance 574 'Incense' (ML574AA2) · New Balance 574 'Natural Indigo Maple' (ML574AB2) · New Balance 574 'Rain Cloud Maple' (ML574AC2) · Alpha Industries x New Balance 574 'Sedona Seige Grey' (ML574AI2)
Navy and white is one of the pairings the 574 keeps coming back to. The upper is navy suede with navy mesh behind it, and the only breaks are the white sidewall N, the white heel tab and the white midsole, so the shoe splits cleanly at the foxing line. It is also a combination that hides wear well, which matters on a suede sneaker most people treat as an everyday shoe rather than a display piece.
Underneath it is entirely standard, which on this model means ENCAP: a soft EVA core ringed by firmer polyurethane under the heel, a construction New Balance settled on to get the cushioning of one foam and the stability of another in the same part of the shoe. The 574 has used it since it was first assembled as the value option inside the 500 series, a group built for running on rough terrain rather than road. New Balance listed this pair at $85. Nothing about it is unusual, and that is the job it does: navy suede is the version people buy when they want the silhouette and nothing else.