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- Verified Buyer
Looked great, but too tight for me. I have wide feet, so the problem was me, not the shoes.Surprisingly it did feel comfortable for my hard to fit feet (flat, wide in the middle, bunion on right feet plus narrow heels/ankles -- usually try for 6.5 wide shoes but except for boots the heel area almost always too loose in wide size). I tend to avoid smaller strap in shoes that might bite into sides or across top of feet when the leather is not soft or doesn't flex comfortably. With these sandals the leather feels supple and have enough give to accommodate my mid-foot comfortably without feeling constricting and the back strap with velcro adjusts to my narrow ankles (approx. 7 inches circumference).Two important things to note -- 1) these are not heavily cushioned shoes; the low heels help but not sure they will be comfortable for long distance walking on concrete for those who put a lot of weight to the forefoot (additional cushions/inserts may help); and 2) depending on the shape of your feet the straps on the outer sides might snag on the small/pinky toes depending on where your toes sit in the shoe (wearing stockings or half stockings to cover the toes help for me).3/17/14 update: Decided to return in the end. Really liked style but really prefer a far more comfortable sole. Also noticed that either my narrow heel (or maybe height of my ankles?) causes the side straps nearest the back to bulge outwards as I walk and tends to stay that way unless I bend down and smooth it manually. Maybe the back might fit better for others.These are beautiful shoes. I've gotten dozens of compliments and I've only worn them twice. My only complaint is that the detailing in the center strip is not as clearly visible as in the photos. You can barely see the design or any of the white area that appears in the picture of the shoe on the pair I received. The center strip looks mostly brown and if you hadn't seen a picture of the shoe, you wouldn't 'know there was a design along the center of the shoe. The rest of the shoe looks exactly like the picture and fits comfortably. I think the design/detail issue might not be representative of all of the Flourish Sandals in brown, but maybe just with this particular pair. I've purchased about eight L'Artiste shoes with bright, colorful designs and this is the first one I've received where you can't see the delicate design. Still, I decided not to return them because they are beautiful, well-crafted, comfortable and I wasn't sure if the detailing/design on the next pair would be any clearer. I definitely recommend them.These shoes are very stylish and comfortable. I typically wear a 6 or 6.5 in a sandal and ordered a 37, which was a half size too large. I sent them back & am waiting on a 36 to arrive. I love gladiator shooties, but they all seem to have a high heel that kill my feet after an hour. The heel height on this shoe was perfect. Very comfortable. The leather upper was very flexible and comfortable, and the adjustable Velcro strap around the ankle helps tailor the shoe to your foot. I agree with other reviewers who've written that the ankle strap is very roomy. I have thick ankles (ugh!) and I had to overlap the straps quite a bit to get a proper fit. If you have narrower ankles (lucky!) this might be tricky for you. I ordered the grey, but the color looked more like taupe, which I preferred since it matched the color of my foot better. The shoes had a great edgy look...not dowdy at all, even with all the comfort details built in. They look awesome with my ankle pants and skinny pants and jeans. Give them a try!Arch support is not the most important thing to me - I have strong feet so I don't look for arch support much except in athletic shoes. I get lots of compliments whenever I wear these shoes. They are my second pair of Spring Step brand shoes and I am now a convert and "poster child" for the brand as I am truly taken with their uniqueness, style, comfort, and workmanship. And there are so MANY, MANY different styles out there! I will pay more for them than I used to pay for shoes, but I will continue to happily seek them out because I think they are SPECIAL! Had it been an option, I would have only taken off a half star for the slight variance in size - it isn't very much.I would have given four stars, but when I opened the box, they are more orange than "natural" in color. However they still go with a lot and are very cute so I'm keeping them. They are extremely comfortable and I have already ordered two more pairs in different colors. But if it's tan you are going for, this isn't it. I am a shoe addict and think the color is fun, and really does go with a lot. I wore them with olive green pants and a burgundy top and it looked great.I saw this sandal and I was very excited about the style, but apprehensive about the color. When it arrived, ( in a matter of days) I was very happy with the way it was made and the color is amazing. It has a light turqouise tone with shades of blue on th strip down the middle.(Just like the picture) I wear a 6 1/2 so I purchased a 37 EU, which is suppose to be a US 6 1/2 -7, and I'm glad I did. It fits snug, closer to a 6 1/2 than a 7, but it is leather so it will stretch. The heel is the right height. Well made, good quality, nice cushion in the foot bed. Perfect for sun dresses, shorts or pants.If you wear a wide width shoe or sandal, I would not suggest you buy this one, as I said before it does fit snug.,These shoes fit like a glove and look great. I got them in brown so they are subdued enough to go with many outfits but fancy enough that I feel dressed up. I have already gotten several compliments. One caveat: for them to be comfortable, make sure to secure the ankle strap tightly, which keeps your foot above the padding in the sole. The padding in the sole is very precisely placed, so if your foot shifts in the shoe you can be walking on the hard wood, which gets painful pretty quickly. If you are worried about this being a problem you could consider inserting one of those stick on padded insoles, but there is no extra room for me in the 8.5 so I couldn't do that--if you want to do something like that you may consider ordering a half size up.These shoes are very comfortable, I love them, they are really beautiful. The only small thing... the pictures make them look like a beautiful, radiant blue, but they really are turquoise. So don't expect to receive blue shoes. That being said, I'm very satisfied with my purchase!Really disappointed as it looked beautiful in the photos, but it was not made well.
