New Balance has entered its arts-and-crafts era. The undisputed don dada of dad shoes is leaning into the wonderful world of whimsy with a ribbon cut dad shoe.

The New Balance 204L is a slimmed-down, muted dad shoe that effortlessly blends in with NB's beefy arsenal of muted dad shoes.

Inspired by both the 70s-era running sneakers and the retro-futuristic aura of aughts-era runners, the "Ribbon Pack" New Balance 204L sneakers break up the mundanity of the simple dad shoe with jagged ribbon cuts at the midfoot around the N logo.

On their own, low-profile silhouettes and suede paneling are quite regular, if not boring. But add some well-placed ribbons, and all of a sudden, the humble dad shoe becomes a self-contained gift that comes pre-wrapped.

Available on the New Balance website for $120, these fanciful dad shoes come in white and “Sea Salt” cream colorways, which show that, despite what the cottage core-esque laces and ribbon cut etching might suggest, this is still a simple dad sneaker at its core.

On the whole, though, the 204L sneaker is quite prone to a bit of whimsy and, dare I say, delight in general. Typically, though, this manifests in a more gourmet manner. Whether it's a strawberry cortada 204L sneaker or a muted mushroom take, the 204L sneaker eats, in every sense of the word.

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