The 1906L takes the 1906 running silhouette, a late 2000s technical runner that got rediscovered around 2022, and replaces the upper with a loafer. That is not a styling exercise: the ABZORB and N-ergy cushioning underneath is the same hardware the running shoe uses, which is why the thing is so comfortable and why it looks so strange. It arrived at the moment the market decided that formality and comfort were no longer a trade-off, which is the same shift that produced the sneaker-sole Mary Jane and the padded ballet flat. What it replaced, functionally, is the commuter trainer people changed out of at the office.

Rosewood and Monarch Burgundy Croc are the warmest tones and the croc is the most textural of these new balance loafers. Triple Black with black leather is the most formal and the closest to reading as an actual dress shoe. Magnet, Phantom and Inkwell and Silver, Shadow Grey and Turtledove are the two grey builds, and they differ mainly in how much silver is in the panel. Silver Metallic with NB Navy and Pink Heat is the loudest, Silver Metallic with Dark Juniper the most unusual, and Black with Metallic Blue the most restrained of the metallic group.

The sole is thick and it changes your height and your stride noticeably, so if you are used to a flat loafer expect about a week of adjustment. Suede and mesh panels on most colourways mean these are not rain shoes despite the running heritage. The cushioning compresses over roughly a year of daily wear and cannot be replaced, unlike a leather sole. Croc embossing hides scuffs better than any smooth finish here. If you take one thing away, buy the black leather build if you want it to pass as a dress shoe and anything metallic if you do not care. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Loafers For Every Day Of The Week and YSL Loafers Dupe.