First pair of Birks. I wear a 9 in sneakers and the 8 in these are just a little big, if they made a 7 1/2 they would fit perfect. Have not had to break in a pair of shoes in many years, but is worth the effort. Very supportive shoe. I have flat feet so the high arch was welcome. After 3 full days of wearing these they were mostly broke in, only the big toe area of the right shoe felt like it had a ridge that wanted to give me a sore spot, I took a hammer to that spot and they are perfect now. The first week, when I put them on in the morning they hurt like heck, but then after 20 minutes they start to feel good and then feel better and better through the day. Never had shoes do that, usually they start out feeling good and then start to hurt as the day goes on, weird. If you can get through the break in period with these you will be happy you did. My only complaint is the soles are not very grippy, and you can slide to easy in these.