I love the look of Birks, but they are way too hard and uncomfortable for me. I have very narrow feet and the Madden Girl's work out great since they are adjustable for width, plus the heel bed and inner sole are padded and soft.  Also, I've had a bad case of plantar fasciitis for months, and wearing these have been helpful to the point that my foot is almost completely healed. Many shoes have arch support, but these seem to have a full mid foot support. Very happy with these. The run small, so I got a half size up but a full size up would have worked too.