New Balance knows dad shoes but the New Balance Allerdale walking sneaker takes the American sportswear giant's elderly footwear to the next level.

Newly launching in a hazelnut colorway, the Allerdale shoe features a buttery, pebble-grain leather. It’s the kind of leather that’ll darken, crease, and only get better with age, just like the shoe's built atop.

Up close, the details land. The Allerdale's rolled edges and clean stitch lines make this shoe read more like it came from a leather-goods atelier than maker of running shoes. 

This tan “hazelnut” makeup leans into the subtlety of it all, keeping the entire New Balance shoe one neutral shade. It's as sweet as a (hazel)nut, as the Brits say.

The New Balance Allerdale is a relatively new silhouette, introduced earlier this year and named after the Allerdale district around New Balance’s Flimby factory in England where every pair is made.

It's designed as a premium walking shoe that blends refined, dressy, leather uppers with hiking-inspired details like a rugged sole grippy enough for all modes of terrain.

Even for a famous maker of dad shoes, this is a model that feels especially elderly.

The New Balance Allerdale reads like a meaty NB 550 gone semi-formal (that sneaker occasionally moonlights as a dress shoe, of course).

Stack it next to New Balance’s sportier sneaker staples like the NB 990v6 and the Allerdale leans harder into grandpa-core territory than performance-runner.

The New Balance Allerdale is hand-made in the UK and priced accordingly at $290, and will soon be available on New Balance’s website. 

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