I am a scientist which means I spend a lot of time on my feet every day, and am required by safety regulations to wear closed toe shoes in the lab at all times.  Since I just wear a lab coat every day I get to dress casually, but that doesn't mean I always want to wear my athletic sneakers every day.  I'm always on the look out for comfortable, versatile closed toe shoes that are cuter and more fashionable than athletic shoes.  I have worn Chuck Taylor slip ons in the past but truth be told they're too narrow for my feet and are uncomfortable for that reason.  When I saw these I thought they'd be perfect!  They're simple but cute and offer a great deal of support and comfort without being too big and chunky.  I have very high arches and LOVE the arch support these offer!!  That is so rare to find in a shoe like this!  They are well made, high quality shoes.  There was very little break in.  I had a little rubbing on my heel the first day and it took the tongue a few wears to be really comfortable on the top of my foot (with a no show sock underneath) but otherwise felt great right out of the box!  I always wear size 8.5 and these fit exactly as expected.  I love that the laces aren't too long and I don't have big ugly bows or tails to flop around when I walk.  Sometimes I tuck them in the shoe so they're not visible.  Once you tighten them up they stay that way very well on their own without needing to be tied super tight.  I couldn't be happier with this purchase and can definitely recommend these!  I paid full price.