Helen Toe Loop Sandal

I don't normally take the time to leave reviews, despite the fact that I devour other people's on a regular basis. But I had a problem with these sandals when I first bought them, and I couldn't find this issue covered in any of the reviews, so I wanted to take a few minutes to write my own in case it's relevant to others. I bought the Helens to replace my Birkenstock Gizeh's, which I have ruined through lots of loving wear. This is actually the better looking of the two sandals and is quite cute, despite landing firmly in the "comfort sandal" category. I bought the Camel Leather, which has a gold tone to it that I didn't expect to like (I'm a cool-toned silver kind of a girl), but I actually love. I am normally a size 8, and the 39 fit me perfectly. I don't have wide feet, but my pinky toe hung off the edge in the 38, and my heel wasn't fully cupped by the Mephisto footbed in the 38. Unless you're a small 8, I suspect the 39 is the right size for this very common foot size. So here's where things started to go wrong for me: I don't have a narrow foot, but I have a rather "thin" foot, and it was quite comfortable for me to cinch down the leather strap to its smallest hole and have the top snug itself up fairly close to my foot. When I did this, the section of the strap that held the buckle, put an enormous amount of pressure on the top of my foot and created a lot of pain. Oddly enough, there was no friction, no blister, no rubbing, just pressure and pain. So I loosened them two notches and, thus, began sliding around in the shoe, creating friction in places I don't normally get any, such as just below my pinky toe and on the side of my foot. It was odd. I emailed Mephisto asking for some fitting / breaking-in advice and they were, quite frankly, useless. I got a standard form letter response telling me where to send them for repair. When I replied that they weren't broken and I wanted advice as to how to break them in properly, they told me to take them back to Nordstrom and speak with somebody there. So, I think I'll stick to buying Mephisto at Nordstrom and not direct. But I soldiered on with bandages on my sore spots, moleskin on the pressure points and my receipt and box close at hand, thinking that any minute now, I'd give up and return them. Then about two weeks after I bought them, I brought them back down one hole to the 2nd to the smallest spot, and discovered that they had broken in and softened up enough to eliminate almost all of the pressure underneath the buckle. And this tighter fit eliminated a lot of the sloshing around, so the friction I created but wearing them too loose for a couple of weeks was almost eliminated. Just yesterday, I recycled the box and the receipt, committed to keeping them. And I hope that in another couple of weeks, I can cinch them down again to the smallest setting on the strap and discover that I can wear them in that position finally. There are an awful lot of reviews on this sandal from people who loved them from the get-go, and I wish that had been my experience, but I'm glad I stuck with them. The Mephisto footbed is superior to the Birkenstock footbed and the Helen is a touch more feminine than the Birkenstock Gizeh which is, in my opinion, the most feminine in that brand's lineup. Breaking these in has been a bit of a commitment tinged with a fair amount of occasional regret, but I think I'm firmly committed to them now and will enjoy them very much. I just hope I have the chutzpah to go through the breaking-in process again next time. I searched far and wide and didn't find another comfort sandal that was prettier.

This is my first pair of Mephisto's. I am very pleased with the arch support and cushioning they provide. I have a Morton Neuroma and am very careful about my shoe structure. This shoe provides comfort for walking with no foot pain. A note about the leather. Since this is a colorful combination of leather, it seems to be firmer than your other sandals. I used Vasaline to soften the leather area under the strap and that's worked very nicely. I love them and have already chosen my next purchase!

I was looking for an extremely comfortable shoe to wear with jeans, crops and shorts. I purchased the Birkenstock Gizeh, the Naot Tahoe and the Mephisto Helen. Hands down Helen is the winner. Having all three on at the same time, you can really tell the difference in the softer leather and more comfortable footbed. I didn't think anything could be more comfortable than my Naots, but this one wins.

I was never a practical shoe kinda gal. I wore heels everywhere until I couldn't ...because of plantar fascitis. I wandered into the Rack after months of trying expensive, and really ugly, shoes at "specialty" stores that sold the orthotic kind. None of them worked. My pronation was pretty severe. I tried on a pair of Helens by Mephisto, and I have never looked back. The BEST shoe in the world. Now I can wear heels again, sparingly, as long as I keep a pair of these in the closet and switch out every few days. They are the best walking shoes for me, as I detest gym shoes. I've walked all over major cities in the US and Europe in them. They aren't super cute, but thanks to the new revival in Birkinstocks (which are too hard for me) they are kind of fun to wear and even a little trendy. You will not regret the purchase of one of these. Once you adjust the straps to where you need them and break them in, you'll keep coming back to Mephisto sandals. This is probably my 5th pair. I wear them into the ground.

I was cautious about the purchase after reading reviews about needing to break-in the Helen sandal. No problemas. I’ve been a Birkenstock gal for 35 years. The Mephisto Helen is more narrow than the “narrow” Birkenstock, and it does run smaller. I wear a narrow 36 in Birks, but 37 in Mephisto.

This is an extremely comfortable, durable, and attractive sandal with great arch support, and I don't even feel the leather strap between my toes - no rubbing! Unlike many thong-style sandals, you don't have to "toe grip" to keep these on. I ordered the black nubuck, and the leather is as soft as can be. I tried the glossy leather in a store; however, it felt too stiff, and I was concerned about it breaking in. The nubuck is wonderful. I wear a 7.5 and the 38 fits great. The footbed may be a bit on the narrow side for some. It is narrower than a Birkenstock, but also much more comfortable and supportive. The toe bar on Birkenstocks, which these don't have, bothers my forefoot. These shoes go with almost everything and don't appear as "earthy" as the Birks. They're cute enough to wear for a night out, but simple enough to put on with a pair of shorts for the day. They come in many colors, so you can get a dressier look than the nubuck provides. You can't go wrong with these sandals!