New Balance, but stylish?
May 28, 2022 1:16 PM Subscribe
For some years now, I (cis-het M, 42) have stuck with a particular model of New Balance sneakers, buying an equivalent pair each time the old ones wear out. However, my wife is not a huge fan of the style of these (they look like "old man shoes" to her). I don't entirely disagree with her, but I like how these shoes fit my feet. Are there other brands or models out there, New Balance or otherwise, that have the same comfort & fit aspects as these but are more stylish?
I have stuck with New Balance for a long time because they provide a fair amount of arch support (I have relatively high arches). I have bought this particular model (the 857s) because I tend to overpronate as well, and they seem to help with that. That said, these "diagnoses" are just my own observations; I haven't ever visited an orthopedist or anything like that.
I have stuck with New Balance for a long time because they provide a fair amount of arch support (I have relatively high arches). I have bought this particular model (the 857s) because I tend to overpronate as well, and they seem to help with that. That said, these "diagnoses" are just my own observations; I haven't ever visited an orthopedist or anything like that.
Keen shoes generally have a similar comfortable fit and good orthotics with a little more added style than New Balance, although the colors and designs take a bit of a rustic tack.
posted by eschatfische at 1:25 PM on May 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by eschatfische at 1:25 PM on May 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
Do you have a New Balance store near you? I went to one a couple years ago and they have stuff to diagnose your gait and whatnot, and seemed pretty knowledgeable. Maybe they could recommend a pair with similar good feel that has a different look?
posted by sk932 at 1:28 PM on May 28, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by sk932 at 1:28 PM on May 28, 2022 [5 favorites]
New Balance is in some circles really stylish right now--the new creative director of their Made in USA line, Teddy Santis, was poached from Aimé Leon Dore, a popular Queens-based fashion/lifestyle brand.
The super-limited-edition collaborations don't usually get released in wide sizes, but the Core models generally do. It's hard to go wrong with any of the 99x series, but the 992 and 993 are probably the most supportive of the bunch. Your wife might still think they look like old man shoes, but you can rest assured they're Hypebeast-approved.
posted by box at 2:08 PM on May 28, 2022 [6 favorites]
The super-limited-edition collaborations don't usually get released in wide sizes, but the Core models generally do. It's hard to go wrong with any of the 99x series, but the 992 and 993 are probably the most supportive of the bunch. Your wife might still think they look like old man shoes, but you can rest assured they're Hypebeast-approved.
posted by box at 2:08 PM on May 28, 2022 [6 favorites]
There is a time and a place to try new things.
May I be so bold ...
posted by NoThisIsPatrick at 2:23 PM on May 28, 2022 [6 favorites]
May I be so bold ...
posted by NoThisIsPatrick at 2:23 PM on May 28, 2022 [6 favorites]
I just got a pair of NB 680 v7’s as my everyday shoes, and I like them fine. Nice and light.
posted by Thorzdad at 3:18 PM on May 28, 2022
posted by Thorzdad at 3:18 PM on May 28, 2022
It looks those are "stability control" shoes. There's only a few other styles under that category on the new balance website, so I'd look there. A bunch look more like regular sneakers and come in lots of colors. The Fresh Foam X 860v12 in particular has lots of color choices.
posted by Gravel at 3:53 PM on May 28, 2022
posted by Gravel at 3:53 PM on May 28, 2022
Do not let your wife of anyone put you in uncomfortable, or even less comfortable shows for a 2km round trip or anything else.
No hoof, no horse.
posted by Lesser Shrew at 4:08 PM on May 28, 2022 [13 favorites]
No hoof, no horse.
posted by Lesser Shrew at 4:08 PM on May 28, 2022 [13 favorites]
My husband also has the same pair of shoes that you linked (they almost look like orthopedic shoes to me) but he mostly wears running shoes -- like Asics and they don't look too great after a while either. The advantage of the New Balance shoes you wear is that they have leather uppers. The running shoes I've purchased for myself in the last few years do not hold up as long. There is more mesh and less leather or suede. The soles wear out quicker and there are lots of terms like "fresh foam" instead of a real shoe with a sturdy outer sole. I can't explain it well.
You might take a look at brands like Ecco, Merrell, and Cole Haan. They make sneakers and walking shoes that are more streamlined and stylish, and they have wide width options and are "real" shoes.
Cole Haan wide
Merrell wide
posted by loveandhappiness at 4:14 PM on May 28, 2022
You might take a look at brands like Ecco, Merrell, and Cole Haan. They make sneakers and walking shoes that are more streamlined and stylish, and they have wide width options and are "real" shoes.
Cole Haan wide
Merrell wide
posted by loveandhappiness at 4:14 PM on May 28, 2022
How does your wife feel about Hokas?
They are also large and clunky, but differently so than NB! (I am a wide-footed former NB wearer, current Hoka wearer).
posted by latkes at 4:55 PM on May 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
They are also large and clunky, but differently so than NB! (I am a wide-footed former NB wearer, current Hoka wearer).
posted by latkes at 4:55 PM on May 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Do you have a New Balance store near you?
The two nearest stores are each an hour away and I didn't find the staff all that knowledgeable at either one when I visited, but maybe I just caught them on a bad day.
posted by Johnny Assay at 6:06 PM on May 28, 2022
The two nearest stores are each an hour away and I didn't find the staff all that knowledgeable at either one when I visited, but maybe I just caught them on a bad day.
posted by Johnny Assay at 6:06 PM on May 28, 2022
FWIW, if you want less sports and more walking style, I find that Propet shoes (available on Amazon) seems to offer some decent support while looking like regular shoes instead of fashion statements.
But then, I'm a typically NB Black sneakers kinda guy myself. :D I wear 813 and 626 myself, both in black. Sometimes I wear them with insoles.
posted by kschang at 6:14 PM on May 28, 2022
But then, I'm a typically NB Black sneakers kinda guy myself. :D I wear 813 and 626 myself, both in black. Sometimes I wear them with insoles.
posted by kschang at 6:14 PM on May 28, 2022
New Balance has a dress shoe line called Dunham. Zappos still sells several designs in wide width.
posted by blob at 6:26 PM on May 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by blob at 6:26 PM on May 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
I recently went on a comfortable-shoes-that-have-arch-support quest, and I found Hokas and Brooks to both be really great fitting and unbelievably comfy for my large, wide feet. I honestly didn't expect how fantastic they'd feel (and I have loved NB and Salomons in the past). I went to a running shoe store (Fleet Feet, though any runner's store with a variety of brands is surely fine) and literally tried on a dozen or more pairs while the salesperson waited patiently nearby. All of the shoes at the store came in wild colors as well as more subdued designs that I picked through as I circled around what pair was most comfortable. If you don't want to go to a store, order a bunch from each of those brands from Zappos and send back all the ones you don't like. It was game-changing for me to pick entirely based on my comfort rather than the style of shoe or familiarity, and my feet are so happy now!
posted by luzdeluna at 6:29 PM on May 28, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by luzdeluna at 6:29 PM on May 28, 2022 [4 favorites]
My husband wears these. I wear the same model in womens'. I don't know if they're more or less stylish than what you've got, but he and I both have super high maintenance feet for various reasons; I have high arches and very wide feet and a bunch of old fractures and a whole sad-trombone's worth of trouble; and these are wonderful. I can walk for miles, on cement, with these.
posted by fingersandtoes at 8:36 PM on May 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by fingersandtoes at 8:36 PM on May 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
+1 for Brooks if you like NB. Mizuno Wave are nice, too.
Check runrepeat.com for reviews (which often mention sizing and fit quirks. Like for last year’s model of the Brooks Ghost, most people needed to go a half size up).
I’m bristling a bit at your spouse’s disparagement of shoes that work for your feet. True, most runners aren’t fashionable, but if you’re in your 40s and feel like you need NB or whatever, you probably do. Wouldn’t we all like to wear lovely fashionable footwear, yes we would, don’t we prefer painless mobility, probably.
Anyway, white running shoes are in this year, maybe get a white pair of whatever makes you feel like you can comfortably walk if it matters this much.
posted by cotton dress sock at 9:15 PM on May 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
Check runrepeat.com for reviews (which often mention sizing and fit quirks. Like for last year’s model of the Brooks Ghost, most people needed to go a half size up).
I’m bristling a bit at your spouse’s disparagement of shoes that work for your feet. True, most runners aren’t fashionable, but if you’re in your 40s and feel like you need NB or whatever, you probably do. Wouldn’t we all like to wear lovely fashionable footwear, yes we would, don’t we prefer painless mobility, probably.
Anyway, white running shoes are in this year, maybe get a white pair of whatever makes you feel like you can comfortably walk if it matters this much.
posted by cotton dress sock at 9:15 PM on May 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
Second vote for Hoka One One. They are definitely large-ish and some of the sole designs are unusual, but they have let me stay on my feet for hours again.
posted by Silvery Fish at 4:31 AM on May 29, 2022
posted by Silvery Fish at 4:31 AM on May 29, 2022
Keep the dad shoes that are good for your feet on the commute walk. If you try hipper shoes, wear them when your partner and you are going out or doing lower-impact walks, but don’t mess with your orthopedic health (feet, knees, hips, back - all areas susceptible to pain that are just going to be more vulnerable in your 40s and beyond).
posted by matildaben at 10:20 AM on May 29, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by matildaben at 10:20 AM on May 29, 2022 [4 favorites]
my wife is not a huge fan of the style of these (they look like "old man shoes" to her). I don't entirely disagree with her,
Really curious about what makes them "old man shoes" to her & you. Is it that they sort of look like plain black leather shoes only they're trainers/sneakers? "Stylish" is so vague and malleable and dependent on gender presentation & age & class, what does she want your shoes to look like? More athletic? More like hikers? More like leather "adult" shoes? Workboots? If we (and you) have a better idea of what she thinks would be better you might get some better suggestions.
that I use these shoes mainly to walk to/from my workplace each weekday, about 1.25 miles
Are you changing into different shoes for work? Are you going on date nights or to the grocery store with her in these shoes? If you really are using them almost entirely for the work trek and neither she nor your friends/neighbors/coworkers/whoever really have to see you in these shoes for hours every week then (IMO) you have more than a little justification to tell her kindly and lovingly to buzz off. Policing your health for the stake of "style" isn't really justified - if it's the only shoes you have I could see a point to finding some alternatives for the sake of marital harmony & appropriate dress codes, but if you've got other shoes for other activities, I think you're fine and she can just deal.
posted by soundguy99 at 10:30 AM on May 29, 2022 [2 favorites]
Really curious about what makes them "old man shoes" to her & you. Is it that they sort of look like plain black leather shoes only they're trainers/sneakers? "Stylish" is so vague and malleable and dependent on gender presentation & age & class, what does she want your shoes to look like? More athletic? More like hikers? More like leather "adult" shoes? Workboots? If we (and you) have a better idea of what she thinks would be better you might get some better suggestions.
that I use these shoes mainly to walk to/from my workplace each weekday, about 1.25 miles
Are you changing into different shoes for work? Are you going on date nights or to the grocery store with her in these shoes? If you really are using them almost entirely for the work trek and neither she nor your friends/neighbors/coworkers/whoever really have to see you in these shoes for hours every week then (IMO) you have more than a little justification to tell her kindly and lovingly to buzz off. Policing your health for the stake of "style" isn't really justified - if it's the only shoes you have I could see a point to finding some alternatives for the sake of marital harmony & appropriate dress codes, but if you've got other shoes for other activities, I think you're fine and she can just deal.
posted by soundguy99 at 10:30 AM on May 29, 2022 [2 favorites]
Brooks Addiction Walker is probably what you want
Can also second Keen, currently wearing a pair of their Targhee 3
posted by kindall at 2:58 PM on May 29, 2022
Can also second Keen, currently wearing a pair of their Targhee 3
posted by kindall at 2:58 PM on May 29, 2022
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I also tend to need a "wide" size when I buy New Balances, so that may also influence whether a particular brand will work for me.
posted by Johnny Assay at 1:20 PM on May 28, 2022