Even though it's "only" 20 years old (just consider how old some of its Flimby-made contemporaries are) the 577 feels like the elder statesman of New Balance's heritage artillery with its distinguished looks and arched, stealthy silhouette that takes well to premium materials and classy colour schemes. That's not to say we haven't seen the shoe given some wacky makeups - putting say, a Safari theme, or extrovert colours on this model is like putting sunglasses on an aged Airedale Terrier; novel, but kind of unnecessary. Unless it's UK-made, generally we don't mess with the 577. Some versions spotted in the States in sport shop chains just felt fake. We'd like to see the Mossad military-issue versions put out again, complete with Hebrew box lettering, but you can be assured that the 577NG (navy/grey) and 577CB (charcoal/black) will still be readily available in the new year. The 577CBG makeup had a palette akin to the white/red/brown versions (577WRB) but the white/green/brown 577WGB version however, feels fresh.

That colourblock, adding a correlating shade to the midsole's dual-density gives both a different look to the majority of makeups. The sole unit makes or breaks this mode - a totally white unit on one underrated '07 SNS version caused some confusion, and on the size? versions they made getting buckwild with the midsole a theme of sorts.That faux-reptile effect on the side panels, rather than making us sigh in that pensionable manner we're prone to when adidas reel out the lizard textures, is striking here too. We can safely assume that NB won't labour the point when it comes to future releases. The build, with leather, suede and mesh that trounces the competition merrily marking up their luxury sub-ranges beyond reasonable pricetags, and as a duo, they look sharp. Both drop in March 2010.