I love high heeled shoes and I own hundreds of them. I am a person who wears 4" arched heels every day and barely owned a pair of tennis shoes. I fell and broke my ankle in 3 places this past February (on roller skates) and after having surgery, all I wanted to know is if I'd ever be able to wear heels again. I hate flats! But now I have approximately 20 pair of flats to wear while I recover. I am now at the point of recovery that I can arch my foot at a 3" height, but I have bad balance on that leg (working on it in therapy). I have been searching high and low for stylish shoes that have height but not much of an arch. These are PERFECT! The arch is actually only 2" maximum, even though they lift me up 4" off of the ground! YAY! My un-injured foot is naturally narrow, whereas my injured foot is slightly wider now. I wear a size 10 and these shoes fit perfectly in length. This shoe is perfect if you have a narrow foot or just a bit wider like mine is now, anyone with fat feet shouldn't attempt these because the front edge would likely dig in like prior posts say. On my feet, they are just fine with no gaps. They are comfortable to stand or walk in, even for my injured ankle. I ordered the black. The bottom is that microsuedeish material and is a little darker black than the leather upper. The sole is full rubber with textre for grip. I don't see glue or any thing that would make it look cheap. The buckle is dull gold and square. Otherwise, the shoe is really plain, but it makes a statement due to the shape. I would get all colors but they are sold out in my size.