Update #2: as I was finalizing my travel capsule I realized it is primarily warm colors and these pale grey sneakers just didn't seem right to my high-affinity-for-color-matching sensibilities. So, instead of "settling", I went back to Zappos.com, found the original shoe I started with in black (Dansko Charlie) also came in a light brown suede called "walnut". I would not wear suede in rainy conditions so my previous issue with the large perforations being no good in rain disappeared.
The Charlie in "walnut" is the one. It's perfect with my travel capsule, bookends my hair nicely, and I like the style just a little better than the pale grey Cozette. What a convoluted journey this was! (Maybe I'll write a humorous posting about it some time) Thank goodness for Zappos return policies
p.s. thanks so much for all the helpful comments....really appreciate all the inputs!
