I'm very happy with these shoes. Based on their slim appearance, I was a little worried that they might be too snug in the toe area, as so many shoes these days seem to be. (Why do shoemakers do that? Are there really that many vain masochists out there?) That wasn't the case, though: these are shoes shaped like feet, not shoes that reshape your feet in their own image. Personally, I don't place any value on shoes making my feet look tiny; on the other hand, I do like the light, unrestricted feeling of a low-profile, non-clunky shoe, and these definitely have that going for them. They are quite flexible and required minimal breaking in. Again, despite the streamlined profile of the shoes, they do in fact have a decent amount of cushion in the soles - the heels in particular.