(FORTUNE Magazine) – Who knows what evil lurks in the soles of men? Gordon Thompson III, for one. As head of design for Nike, Thompson logged hundreds of thousands of miles flying around the world. The result: sore feet. So he lobbied Head Swoosh Phil Knight for a move to Nike's moribund Cole Haan subsidiary, claiming he could do the impossible--make a comfortable, versatile dress shoe.

The outcome, called the Studio line, is Nike Air technology wrapped in four styles (including the loafer below, $245). The shoes mark the first time Cole Haan has used sneaker airbag technology--clover-shaped, in the heel. With the airbag visible from three sides, the shoes have a whiff of the fashionable. "It's hard, as a man, when you're putting your ass on the line by what you're going to look like," says Thompson. "People need a lot of help to dress casual."

--THEODORE SPENCER