By Dr. Paula Bloom
As a child, I would sit with my Crayola 64-pack (you know, the one with the built in sharpener) and wonder how they came up with the names of the colors. Take orange for example. There’s a color actually called Orange. And then there’s Red Orange, Sunset Orange, Bittersweet, Melon, Outrageous Orange, Vivid Tangerine, Atomic Tangerine and Mango Tango. This list doesn’t even include some of the more brown or yellowish oranges.
The grown up version of fascinating crayon names for me are nail polish colors. It seems that, unlike crayons, some of the nail polish names don’t clue you in at all as to what the color might be. Of course, you’re usually looking at the name while holding the nail polish bottle in your hand so it isn’t much of an issue. Some of my favorite names (not necessarily the actual color) are from the brand OPI:
- Don’t Socra-tease Me!
Friar, Friar, Pants on Fire!- My Chihuahua Bites!
- Not So Bora-Bora-ing Pink
- Silent Mauvie
- Gargantuan Green Grape
- A Peony for Your Thoughts
- I’m a Princess, You’re Not!
- Tasmanian Devil Made Me Do It
- Ruble for Your Thoughts
- Who Comes Up with these Names? (yup, this is an actual name)
As I perused FootSmart the other day I started noticing the names of the shoes. It was like hearing a song you’ve heard a hundred times but, for some reason, the 101st time you actually hear the words and get the meaning. I started looking through all the shoes and noticed some trends.
One of my favorite brands, Born, seems to name many of their shoes after women:
Born Mallory Tall Boots
- Molly Ballerina Flat Shoes
- Birdie Lace-Up Pumps
- Mico Thong Sandals
- Dotti Sandals
- Maybelle T-Strap Sandals
- Mallory Tall Boots
While others are more practical and descriptive:
- Easy Spirit Women’s Travelfur Clogs
- Easy Spirit Women’s Instep Slip-Ons
- Propet Women’s Washable Walker Tie Walking Shoes
Then there’s the motivational/emotional/aspirational from Clarks:
What other categories of shoe names have you noticed? Does the name of a shoe make any difference to you? Besides crayons, nail polish and shoes, what other things have made you wonder, “Who comes up with these names?” I’d love to hear from you!
