I normally wear 9 or 40, but the 8.5 had a great price and reviews said it ran big, so I thought I'd take a chance. The length was right but they were too tight (I have pretty wide feet)... but then they stretched out in just a day! They look great and are very comfortable! I would agree they run 1/2 size big. 9 would probably have worked as well, but just been a little long.