Hybrid New Balance sneakers? Talk about a breeze. The New Balance Flat Breeze shoe is a breath of fresh air that looks nothing like the NB dad shoes you're used to.

Borrowing from the world of pirouettes and pliés, the Flat Breeze is a dainty ballet flat that abandons tradition in favor of innovation.

An elastic strap and bow mechanism take the place of the standard laces, and the exposed foot area gives the Flat Breeze, available on the New Balance website for $100, its elegant essence.

Contrasting mesh and leather paneling, borrowed from the 990-series, also bring in some textural dissonance, which adds a nice, albeit subtle, touch of ruggedness to the Flat Breeze.

Underneath, New Balance reminds us that the Flat Breeze is still an NB sneaker with its rubber outsole that isn't as thick as some of the dad shoe purveyor's chunkier makes, like the orangesicle 990v4 or the berry cute 1890 sneaker. Yes, NB has flavors.

But even though the Flat Breeze isn't as decadent or chunky as some of its NB brethren, it's still a hybrid shoe, so yes, it has a sporty essence that can't be extracted, no matter how comparatively dainty the Flat Breeze sneaker might be. 

Dainty and durable? That's that Flat Breeze duality.

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