These booties are wicked-looking with a pair of skinny jeans or quietly fierce with slacks at work. Volatile shoes manage to provide impressively comfortable wear for being so attractive as well, and the functional factor of these is definitely beyond expectation. I wore my black pair to Mardi Gras this past weekend, and not only did they stand up well to hours of walking around in a harsh environment of mixed asphalt and cobblestone streets, repeatedly trekking up and down stairs, sporadic dancing, and even a hurried run thru a gravel surface alley at one point, but I would not have remembered I was doing all this in stiletto heels, except for all the compliments I was getting on them, and oh yeah, being asked several times if my feet hurt (answer: no, surprisingly, they don't!). Some of the previous reviews indicated there might be a little discrepancy in the sizing, but...I wear an 8, ordered an 8, and both, the black and brown pair, fit perfectly in length and width, AND around the ankle area. The buckled straps, which don't seem overly stiff to me, sit just above my actual ankle bones, where the circumference of my toned and shapely American leg is right at 9 inches. With some slight adjustment to the laces, thick or thin socks are easily accommodated. Only thing I would suggest as an improvement? Offer these boots in more colors!