Agreed – I grabbed that image tongue-in-cheek – mine are plain ol’ navy blue. Though I first wore them when I was a phlebotomist, so perhaps the way people overreact to needles might have made that pattern work 
As for the breath-ability… yeah, definitely need socks with them. But for me the loose fit allowed for a lot of air circulation. I also alternated in running shoes and Danskos.