After I discovered the pleasure of wearing Smartwool socks, I bought these as a Christmas gift for my mother who walks to work daily at a professional job. She is prone to blisters, and I wanted her feet to be warm and comfortable on the way to the office. Since these are black, she can wear them under slacks or slip them over tights/hose and still look reasonably professional until she gets to the office and changes into dress shoes. I bought her multiple pairs so that she doesn't have to waste time sorting socks on laundry day. She loves them and has been more comfortable since she started wearing them. Eventually, I'd love to get her some additional colors as I can afford to, but black was a good basic to start with. As far as I know, she is happy with them (although she might not tell me otherwise, since she is, after all, my mother).