The New Balance 9060 isn’t a surprise anymore, and maybe that’s exactly why I left this version on the shelf for so long. “Slate Grey” sounds like the safest pick in the rack. It was only when I saw it next to a few louder colourways that I noticed how much is actually going on in that grey.
There are at least three tones running through it. A light, almost sandy grey on the toe and side panels, a darker grey at the heel and around the lacing, and mesh with a clear grid pattern in between. The big N is off-white with a grey outline, so it sits back into the shoe instead of jumping off it like the brighter versions do. The midsole is cream rather than white, with a thin black rim along the outsole and a small grey-green accent on the side. The laces are cream too, not white — a small thing that softens the whole shoe. No pink anywhere this time, which is my only complaint, and that says more about me than about the shoe.
Would I wear it?
Yes, and probably more often than I’d admit. The 9060 silhouette is big: a wide sole, wavy lines and a heel that sits visibly higher than a normal low sneaker. In a bright colour that’s an instant statement. In this grey you keep the volume without the noise, which makes it easy under a straight jeans, a wide trouser or a long skirt. What I’ll say honestly is that this isn’t a shoe you forget once it’s on. The sole is thick and it weighs more than a classic runner — fine for a day around the city, less so when you need to move fast. It’s listed as unisex, so you can hold your usual sneaker size and otherwise try before you order.
One thing for the search bar: a number of shops write this colourway out in full as Slate Grey/Raincloud. Search only for “Slate Grey” and you’ll miss part of the offer. The style code U9060EEE is more reliable than the colour name, because that’s the same everywhere.
What it costs today
The retail price is €190. On Solezilla.com there are eleven active listings from nine shops, all running in euros, from about €106 up to €270. That’s more than €160 between the cheapest and the dearest for exactly the same style code, with little logic to it beyond who happens to have stock. The lowest number comes from a resale platform — GOAT at €106 — while the regular shops cluster higher, with the likes of Sneakeregeer and Farfetch between roughly €234 and €249. For pounds there’s a single listing, Stadium Goods UK at about £115; in dollars, Stadium Goods US at around $153.
More important than the lowest price, to me, is whether your size is in it — a low number that only exists in one outlier size isn’t really a low price. The Hypescore sits at 82, in the ATOMIC band, which is high for a version that’s been around a while and explains why the top of the market runs up so far: there’s enough demand to ask those numbers. You just don’t have to pay them. Compare the shops by size and price on the Slate Grey (U9060EEE) page, and while you’re there, see what else New Balance has in the same greys on the 9060 page.