"Shoesability"

So, the side of me that likes looking at photography, and reads far too many blogs on design, and is always, always drawn to anything mixing amethyst and turquoise, really likes a certain brand of shoes.

And the thing is, if I wanted to, I could not buy other stuff and buy those shoes.

I think, by the way, the bright red sole was a freaking genius branding move.

However, I can't see wearing those shoes.

They lack in usability.

They are spikey, and tottery, but I could deal with that.

Most of all, though, they seem ill-suited for walking through puddles, avoiding ice, and occasionally stepping in the mud.

So since I live in a place that has lots of mud and occasionally ice, and I'm often balancing a laptop on my hip, those red-soled shoes just won't do.

Additionally, I have funny little feet. Not wide all the way, not narrow either.

I finally stumbled upon these shoes, and bought 3.

The top, what I and others see? Looks like a designed dressy shoes.

The underside? 100% grip.


It's usable AND pretty, so I buy lots. It's not quite as pretty as the utterly impractical product, but the advanced usability skill on the design team make up for it.