These shoes do run big by about 1/2 size. I normally wear 6 or 6 1/2 and with these I had to get size 6 and then add a pad to the back of it and also one for the sole. The effort is worth it, once I got these to fit right, they became my favorite pair of black shoes. They look great with jeans, work pants, skirts, and work dresses. I have them in red suede as well.