Opal Bootie (Women)

I am so picky about boots, and instantly fell in love with these when I saw them. The Fit: I find I'm normally a 7 or 7.5, and get shoes in wide fit when I can, and I was IN LOVE with the brown color. The only wide option was a 7.5W in that color, so I ordered it to see how it would fit and I actually think the 7W would have been too small. In this 7.5W, the width feels perfectly comfortable; my toes have a bit of wiggle room; and my heels are neither too snug nor moving around like crazy. So maybe this means that if you tend to be between two sizes, you might want to try the slightly bigger size first. And if you have wide feet, don't waste your time trying the medium width in vain; the wide width is so comfortable that I think my feet would die with a medium width in these shoes. Last point on fit-- I think I could wear thin ankle socks with them, but thicker "sneaker" socks are too thick to be comfortable. The Style: As I said, I'm so picky when it comes to style, so I was in love with these, particularly in the brown color. If the size didn't work out in the brown, I would definitely have gone for the black and still loved them (just not quite as much as I love the brown). They really are as sleek and minimal as they appear, with just the perfect amount of style with the heel height, buckle, and brown color. The buckle does not actually seem functional--I played with it out of curiosity, and it only messes up the area with strips of fabric (as seen underneath the buckle in the picture). But the fabric beneath those strips of fabric IS stretchy, so if you need that, you've got it, and in that case it might make sense to increase the buckle length. Comfort: I will admit, I only just received these today, so I can't say much about long-term comfort. If I can come back and edit my review, I certainly will. But on first, brief, walk-around-my-apartment wear, they are perfectly comfortable. In the heel portion of the sole, there is some padding which I don't quite notice as cushiony while I'm walking, but I'm sure it would be a lot less comfortable if that padding wasn't there. All-in-all, I'm super glad I took the chance with a size I was unsure of but a color I LOVED, as the fit really worked out. Hopefully these will withstand my constantly wearing them, because there is no way I want to go another day in my life without them. Dramatic, I know. But I really love these.

I was elated to find booths in a size 10.5 so purchased these in brown. I was disappointed that the leather scuffs extremely easily. Every bump or scrape no matter how seemingly gentle, shows a scuff. There's no avoiding that if you walk, drive, scoot up in your chair at work, or cross your ankles. If you wear the boots during your life going anywhere, they're going to scuff. So, after just one wear, the leather looks worn and tattered. I'm disappointed. I had hoped the boots would maintain a newer look, longer. But, since I've worn them, and they are scuffed, I cannot return them. I was also somewhat disappointed in the narrow toe box, but thought I would be able to make do. But what disappointed me most was the quality of the leather.