These are surprisingly versatile shoes and exactly what I was looking for in an all-purpose black shoe: they can dress up or down, they're funky and interesting looking, and they aren't terribly high. They seem to run large though--I had to go down a half size and they still feel roomy to me. Pretty comfortable for a heel--the platform helps somewhat. Also, though this is totally not a buying criterion for me, they make my feet look wee! (I generally wear a 10, so this never happens.)