I've had these for several months now; even after going a bit crazy this season with buying a dozen pairs of fun boots, these TSUBOs are easily one of my most comfortable and attractive pair.

The good: First, if you've read reviews here and many other sites, you may worry about the laces. People tend to complain they hang too long, click too loudly, or are hard to lace at all. This confuses me as the lace design is very flexible--you merely wrap the excess around the ankle and tie a loose knot. If you're married to the idea these HAVE to be tied in a bow so they look exactly like photo, well you can still do that too....tho it's a less attractive look IMO. But if you've ever laced toe shoes or figure skates, there's little mystery here and you have options about how long you want the 'dangle' and if you want to knot in the front, back, or side. My mom has a pair of Sidons too and she solves the lace issue just like me. Easy peasy.

As far as comfort, I can wear them for hours, though after a bit the sole feels a little hard...there's not a super cushiony pad feel. But TSUBO has such a quality design, the overall structure of the boot makes up for lack of cushion. Ordering a size up and using an insert would make these feel even dreamier. My foot is long and narrow; my mom's is short and wide. Yet we both find this a very comfortable fit. Says something about the quality I think. The heel height gives you a boost but thanks to the slight platform, your foot is not shoved forward. You won't feel like you're walking on stilts. The roll forward toe, slightly upturned, is a great touch too.

Oh, they look pretty gorgeous. You'll get compliments. They look expensive.  Lol, I guess they are, depending on what you like to spend, but the look matches the pricetag...something I cannot say for other boots I've recently purchased.

The not so great stuff:  my pair is brown. I wanted to see the detail of the lacing and that's not as evident in the black. The brown is lovely, not quite chocolate but a deep grayish brown. But the third color option, the "gray" is just weird. It's like a muddy taupe. And while still technically a neutral, it just doesn't compliment the colors most women wear. Take my word on it, the gray is NOT slate, or charcoal or just, well, even gray. So those went right back. The hardware on the laces and and eyelets on the brown is a nice expensive looking muted brassy gold. On the gray it's shiny-- think fake gold costume jewelry.

Thinking of a walk in the rain? Don't do it in the Sidon!! A card is included that water will damage the boots...but more frighteningly, the card states water can seep right into them. I assume this is due to the leather-wrapped platform heel. Stay on dry land in these. I forgive them this flaw as they're just that attractive.

Back to the laces. Although lacing them is simple, the leather is thin on the straps. On my mom's pair you can see a seam where they've added a piece, lengthened it. This could be for reinforcing but I'm not sure why one continuous piece of  leather couldn't have been used. My pair doesn't have this issue. But I wouldn't advise yanking them with all your might.

So the bottom line is this is a quality but fragile boot; thry're a real head-turner while not sacrificing comfort. And because the Sidon is modem rather than trendy, you can wear them for several seasons. While gladiator sandals and sky high platforms come and go, the Sidon is just...cool.