New Balance drags their heritage kicking and screaming into the modern era with the Warped Runner. Createdbyfusing industry-leading FuelCell technologywith the looks of a bygone era the Warped Runner is a departure from the norm for the Boston-based brand.

Thesleek upper isreminiscent of NB's break-out modelsfrom the 1970s, with shades of the featherweight 205 marathon runner from 1999. Although the inspirations might be retro, the execution iscontemporary. Only a handful of suede panels flowacross the mesh upper, with their compound curves akin tosomething formed by nature rather than a designer's pencil.

The organic forms work well with the FuelCell-equipped sole tooling, where atall stack height makes for a bold look with function to back it up. As itturns out, whatworks in a marathon isn'thalf bad for casual wear either...