New Balance's Post-550 Sneaker Is Classy Like a Dress Shoe
New Balance's Allerdale sneaker was already the perfect post-550 sneaker. Now, in all-white, the gloriously textured leather shoe is made more approachable and, dare I say, classier.
Walking shoes aren't typically associated with class per se but the Allerdale upsets this norm with its elegant upper that sits in perfect accordance with New Balance's elderly leanings.
The New Balance Allerdale takes stylistic notes from New Balance’s hardest hitters by way of its rounded build and thicker outsole but sprinkles in some elevated handsomeness. It’s the same — but different.
Where New Balance's 550 re-entered the sneaker scene in 2020 as a buzzy daily driver thanks to longtime collaborator Aimé Leon Dore, the New Balance Allerdale is a mature and unassuming addition to New Balance's elderly shoe arsenal.
It has a similar rounded build to the 550, including a beefy outsole, but the Allerdale’s textured upper gives it a layer of refinement.
It may seem odd to say that this is one of the more mature dad shoes from New Balance. After all, New Balance is the father of all dad shoes, bar none, and the Allerdale is the new kid (dad?) on the block. But its pebble-grain leather beautifully ages the shoe in such a well-worn manner that it lowkey sons other dad shoes out there.
