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New Balance gives the 1906L a refined makeover with glossy Red Croc texture

New Balance continues to upgrade its sneaker-loafer with a premium look

By Leslie Leon Published November 4, 2025

new balance 1906L red croc — New Balance

When New Balance first debuted the 1906L, there was no doubt that the silhouette caused a significant stir. While some loved the statement fusion design, others didn’t appreciate the new silhouette’s bulkiness. However, since then, the sneaker-loafer design has transcended New Balance and landed in other brands’ lineups, including Reebok, Hoka, and more. Furthermore, the hybrid trend has gone beyond sneaker-loafers and now includes slipper hybrids that can be easily worn outside.

While the footwear industry has learned to embrace the versatility of a hybrid shoe, New Balance is staying true to its impact model with a new version of the 1906L. Although it may feel like there have been many iterations since its first release, New Balance’s latest unveiling sees the 1906L in a new ‘Red Croc’ upper—a sleeker, more elegant version of the silhouette we’ve seen.

Get festive with New Balance’s 1906L in Red Croc

While not made specifically for the season, the latest New Balance 1906L in Red Croc undoubtedly makes its case for the holidays. Donning a glossy, patent leather upper in a red crocodile skin-inspired texture, the sneaker-loafer hybrid is a statement piece ready for the seasonal parties. The midsole and outsole remain in their traditional black hue, offering a contrasting look from its bolder top half. Still retaining the technology of previous versions, this ‘Red Croc’ hybrid includes a full-length N-ergy system that provides shock absorption in every move. Pricing for this iteration is $170 and will be available on New Balance’s website in December. Although the sneaker-loafer hybrid remains a divisive silhouette for many, the continued work from brands like New Balance has convinced many of its versatility and its ability to serve both form and style.

Leslie is a Los Angeles-based writer and content creator. After attaining a bachelor's degree in journalism from California…

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Fashion & Style

Breitling’s new Top Time is a wearable tribute to the Aston Martin DB5

The new watches rep the iconic Bond car right down to subdials shaped like its dashboard gauges.

Car, Watch, Man

Breitling just released a trio of heaters: the Top Time B01 Chronograph 41 Tribute to Aston Martin DB5, a three-edition collaboration with the British carmaker. The connection between the Swiss watchmaker and the British car company runs back to 1965, when a Top Time ref. 2002 appeared on Sean Connery's wrist in Thunderball, worn alongside the DB5 — the first Q-modified watch in the Bond series. It's a nice bit of trivia that the DB5 and that Top Time shared the screen in the same film, and both went on to outlive the movie by decades.

The car cues go deeper than the "squircle" gauge-shaped subdials: a wooden inner ring nods to the DB5's steering wheel, and each edition rides on a hand-colored gradient calfskin strap meant to read like automotive upholstery. All three run on Breitling's in-house Manufacture Caliber 01, a COSC-certified automatic chronograph with a 70-hour power reserve, visible through a sapphire caseback and finished with an Aston Martin-engraved rotor. The case measures 41mm. The editions are divvied up by material and rarity. Stainless steel with a silver dial is limited to 1,022 pieces and sticks closest to the original ref. 2002, while steel with a platinum bezel and black lacquered dial drops to 315 pieces.

Fashion & Style

Look to the sky for these space themed watches

These 5 space themed watches will have you seeing stars

Accessories, Strap, Wristwatch

It was the 1960s. We were in the middle of a Cold War with Russia, and instead of escalating to an actual war with bullets and bombs, we took the conflict to the sky. We created a war of economics, science, and morale in a race to the sky to be the first nation to reach the moon. While the race picked up throughout the decade, it came down to the wire before the USA won the race by landing on the moon (if you believe that sort of thing and don't believe Stanley Kubrick directed the greatest ruse of all time). In any case, no race can be run without a good timekeeper. And watches were a must-have for all involved. Ever since, chronophiles like me have been obsessed with space-themed watches and, in particular, moon mission watches.

That is why I happened to have this list in my head. Five watches that bring the space race and the great beyond to the forefront of thinking to build a collection that is out of this world.

Fashion & Style

Legendary designer has a project coming up you may not know about

Legendary designer, Tom Ford, is writing and directing a film adapting the Anne Rice novel, Cry to Heaven

Accessories, Formal Wear, Tie

Tom Ford is a name that every fashionisto knows well. He is the top of the top when you talk about famous suit makers. He began his career changing the landscape of multiple brands, including Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, before launching his own self-named brand of his own in 2005. The brand has remained a mainstay in the industry for the last 20 years, including the acquisition of Estée Lauder in 2022 for an estimated $2.8 billion. For the movie buffs in the room, you also likely know about Tom Ford because he became the exclusive tailor and suitmaker for Daniel Craig's James Bond for Quantum of Solace in 2008. He carried that gig all the way through the series and defined men's style for two decades.

Now, for the real cinephiles in the room, you may also know that Tom Ford himself is a movie buff and entered the industry as a writer and a director in 2009 by directing A Single Man with Colin Firth and Julianne Moore. Then again in 2016 with Nocturnal Animals with Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Michael Shannon. Of course, the wardrobe was stellar in both, and we will get a chance to see his talents onscreen again this fall with a new Anne Rice adaptation, Cry to Heaven.