Tesoro Penny Loafer (Men)

Love ToBoot.... have been waiting for a new leather soled loafer and this was worth the wait. As great as the brand is - sometimes their sizes are strange.... loafers are always hard for orthotics as they can pinch in the wrong spots or be too loose. These are fantastic. They look great. They’re light weight and flexible. Super comfortable. And they fit just right......

First, the box these arrived in was in really tough shape. Nordstrom just wrapped it in their signature plastic bag. One entire section of the box was actually torn and ripped when taken out of the bag. The tissue paper in the box was thrown all about, and just looked tired. I believe the store they were shipped from (Mall of America was on the shipping label) knew this, too, as they had two rubber bands around the box. I overlooked this, however, as I ordered the shoes, not the box. Still... presentation DOES play a part in things when coming from a store such as Nordstrom. Upon opening the box, I was surprised at how the shoes appeared to be "cheap." Not sure why they looked this way to me, but they did. I've had shoes at half the cost of these not give me that impression upon opening the box. They felt good when putting them on, and even with an orthotic inserted, they fit well, so I was pleased with that. HOWEVER, and it's a big HOWEVER... when I started to walk and test them out on a carpeted surface, I could tell the cushioning in these was very poor and my right foot started to ache rather quickly. I do realize with my orthotics that this issue can come into play, especially with my right foot. However, I haven't felt a reaction so quickly with new shoes before as I have with these. I put them back in the box and tried it again a few hours later and the same thing happened. I grabbed a pair of my older dress loafers (the ones I intended to replace with these new ones) and felt fine. I really like the style of these and the color options, too. Believe it or not, it's sometimes hard to find a pair of shoes in a style that suits our tastes and then want colors beyond a standard black or brown. So the color options here are definitely good, but the cushioning--or lack thereof--in these is seemingly really poor. Of note, the brand's own website mentions nothing about cushioning/removable insole, etc. Needless to say, I sent them back.