'I live in comfy runners. Here are 5 ways I styled this year's cult sneaker on a budget.'

I think I was born in the wrong era. For decades, I was made to wear heels, boots and sandals to work, but these days, it's perfectly fine (if not encouraged) to wear runners basically everywhere — including work.

As a woman who has never kept on a pair of uncomfortable shoes, I have embraced this trend wholeheartedly. I value comfort above all else in my footwear and I wear runners every single day as the heels from my younger years gather dust in the storage cupboard.

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But I must admit, I get into a rut with my runners — wearing the same, safe styles again and again. I was ready for something new and was lucky enough to cop an invitation to New Balance's Melbourne headquarters to get a cheeky sneak peek at their 24/25 collection.

While down in the city of culture and coffee (which is also my birthplace), I was gifted New Balance's 9060 shoes. You know the ones. These runners are super edgy and eye-catching.

I was overwhelmed by the colour options (they're all so damn cute) but I decided to go with a bold darker vibe, which I think will make any outfit pop, plus will blend nicely with black pants or stockings as the seasons shift to the warmer months.

The iconic 9060 shoes. Image: New Balance.

These are a fun twist on the dad sneaker trend, with the curved edges and quirky details giving the shoes a feminine vibe that I couldn't wait to combine with some pieces I already had in my wardrobe.

These runners just look cool, like possibly the coolest ones I've seen. It's no surprise that they've been worn by the likes of Hailey Bieber and Sydney Sweeney.

But even more importantly (to me) is that they're extremely comfy. I haven't taken them off in a week and I don't plan to.

KIC co-founders Steph Claire Smith and Laura Henshaw are working with New Balance for their popular running club KICRUN. I asked the dynamic duo for their advice for styling my new shoes.

"I mean, we almost wear New Balance every single day," Laura said.

For her favourite pair, Laura said she, "wears them with jeans, like suit pants. They look really good. They're super comfy. They work very well with everything I find."

New Balance stylist, Phoebe Kelly, recommended that the 9060 style would pop with denim.

"What's so great about those is that I love that the shape feels very lifestyle, but the sole feels a little bit more activewear — you get the best of both. You definitely can't go wrong with denim, it is just a no-brainer that will always work," she told me.

With this in mind, this is my day one look.

I picked out the most dad jeans I could find, which happened to be a vintage wash I got from an op shop for $10.

Next up, I wanted to get a little more ~ experimental ~ as Phoebe encouraged me to break the rules.

"I feel like the fun of fashion is that there shouldn't be rules. I think there's such a strong presence of self-expression when it comes to what we're wearing," she said.

I decided to pair this black denim jumpsuit I just got from Glebe Market (for $10) with black tights and let the runners truly shine. I felt like a sexy race track engineer.

I then wanted to add a girly touch to contrast against the edgy vibe of the New Balance runners.

"Feminine chic is coming through quite a bit," Phoebe told me about the current trends. "Whether it's a pair of jeans and then a feminine blouse… that feminine chic boho look has come through."

I found an old midi skirt with a primary colour palette that matched the shoes. For my feet, I steered clear of ankle socks, opting for the more acceptable tube socks.

Laura joked about the millennial struggle of navigating sock trends.

"The socks Millennials now can't wear, well, according to the internet, ankle socks?" she posed.

Steph added, "We used to fold down our long socks, because ankle socks weren't a thing. I love the high socks, the oversized jumper. It's that Princess Diana look."

I may not look like Lady Diana but there was not an ankle sock in sight.

For a chillier day, I slid on a Kmart t-shirt, a Zara vest, vintage belt and a Kmart maxi denim skirt.

The chunky runners really elevated this whole look. Big fan.

Phoebe told me that it's all about 'butter yellow' and 'sage green' this season which she praises as 'less overwhelming' as the red trend that's dominated the past few years in fashion.

"Sage green and butter yellow, like those two colours together. It's kind of this sort of nature dressing I've been seeing."

I didn't own any sage green but I did have a new butter cardigan I got online for $40 that I was ready to show off.

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Honestly, these shoes somehow work with all my outfits.

While down in Melbourne, I got a cheeky sneak peek of the New Balance 24/25 range and I'm obsessed.

"Without giving too much away, I feel like the colour palette is really fun. For a little while, there was a lot of monochromatic looks, a lot of beige and white, whereas this season, we are seeing a lot more colour, " Phoebe told me.

"I feel like this range is definitely exciting, because we have a lot of nods to nostalgia — it's fun to see and we haven't seen it in quite a while."

Mamamia travelled as a guest of New Balance. All opinions expressed in this article are the author's own.

Feature image: Supplied.