Esplar Sneaker (Unisex)

I loved these shoes when they came in but beware that the “platine” color doesn’t hold up. Put them on today for only the 3rd time and as soon as I did, noticed there was a large silver spot on the head where the coloring had rubbed off. For minimal wear (and no intense activity), I was very surprised this would happen.

I am a size 8 and decided to go with the 8. Shoes are definitely on the bigger side and have a little bit of a “bowling shoes” look but I think if I had gone down to 7 they would be uncomfortable. The tongue being stiff is true but some people have suggested slipping it to the side so it hasn’t bothered me too much. Otherwise, beautiful shoe but with some issues.

I have these in extra white, which I love. I like that the leather is easy to wipe clean. They go with everything, and they dress up and down effortlessly. Having read many reviews, I was prepared for the break-in with these shoes. The tongue is indeed very stiff, and it rubs—actually, digs—into the front of the ankle. But it’s leather, and it can be broken in. I recommend wearing the shoes with thick tall socks (dampened in the spot where the tongue rubs to speed up the breaking in process) and walking around the house until the tongue softens.

I wanted to love these Given the company and was looking forward to their arrival. Unfortunately, the fit was really off. I downsized per the fit guide lines, but they were still enormous. I typically wear a 7 1/2, downsized to a 7 but likely would have needed to downsize to a 6. I didn’t try for a different size because of the tongue being uncomfortable and these had zero arch support. If these were priced inline with a chuck taylor, I might have pursued the 6 to see if I could make them work but honestly I didn’t think they were worth the $120 price.