These shoes fit well, are comfortable and appear to be well made despite the fact that they were clearly designed by a sadistic fiend.  They could have gotten away with it if the laces that come with the shoe were an adequate length. Unfortunately, they are only 39 inches long and come untied constantly because they are too short to tie twice.  Unless you want to spend your time bending over and retying your laces every time you turn around, you'll need to buy longer laces - at least 42".  And that's when the fun begins.

You can't just lace up these shoes.  No-o-o.  You have to deal with these ridiculous little loops that have no function other than for looks and frankly, they aren't that attractive. (See photo)  First you have to put the end of the lace through the usual hole and then through these pointless loops.  The loops are fed through a slit in the shoe to hold them flat.  Of course, said loops don't all stay put once the shoe is unlaced.  They slip back out of the restraining slit and dangle by the sole of the shoe, making the shoe appear to be coming apart.  I had to use a crochet hook to get the loops back through the slits and to hold the loops open while I inserted the end of the lace.  (See photo).  I have mild arthritis in my hands and by the time I finished replacing the laces, my hands ached and I had to trot off for some ibuprofen.  And this is all for stupid little loops that serve no function, whatsoever.

I'd recommend that anyone considering these shoes purchase a pair of 42 inch laces and a crochet hook (size H-G or smaller) except that since I bought my pair 3 1/2 months ago, the price has gone up by $26.65.  Whoa!  That's a lot of money that could be spent elsewhere, like on a different pair of shoes, for example.

It's not all bad, though.  I've worn the shoes almost every day and they are extremely comfortable and holding up well.  But those loops?  Bah.