New Balance Wmns 574 'Luau'
Colorway: Violet/Orange/White · Style code: WL574ILB · Price: $40 · Availability: Available now
More colorways: New Balance Wmns 574 'Sea Salt Real Pink' (WL5742BA) · New Balance Wmns 574 'Pink Sugar' (WL5742BB) · New Balance Wmns 574 'Reflection Spring Sky' (WL5742BC) · New Balance Wmns 574 Rugged 'Angora Granite' (WL574AA2) · New Balance Wmns 574 'Bright Lavender' (WL574AG2)
Violet next to orange is close to a direct opposite pairing, and it is the whole idea of this release. The two sit on separate panels rather than blending, which is what the 574's construction is good at: the toe, saddle and heel are cut as distinct pieces, so a high-contrast split follows seams instead of fighting them. White is the third tone and does the refereeing, appearing where the other two would otherwise meet.
The Luau name points at the palette rather than at any collaboration, and New Balance sold the pair at $85, standard for a women's version of the shoe. The silhouette has not been altered to accommodate the colour; it is still the shape assembled decades ago by dropping a 576 upper onto a 577 bottom, the cheap member of New Balance's off-road 500 series. Bright colourways recur on this model for a specific reason. The overlays are small and numerous, so a loud colour is broken into pieces before it reaches the eye, and a shoe that would be overwhelming in one tone stays wearable in three.