After a visit to my podiatrist, I was told the pain in my big toe joints was arthritis, and that I needed shoes that would keep me from bending those toe joints. He recommended MBT shoes. When I saw how expensive they were, I decided to hold off until I could actually try them on in a store. A few weeks later on a business trip to Seattle, I happened to pass a shoe store that sold MBTs and went in and tried them on. Wow. Very comfortable. I bought 2 pairs: the Lofa in brown microsuede, and a black leather oxford. Later, I added a pair of MBT tennis shoes for casual wear. Took a day or two to get used to walking in them, but I can now walk without pain and I am totally sold on this brand of shoe. They do look a little different, but it's more important to me to be pain-free than fashionable and hurting. I have decided I like the brown Lofas the best and they still look great after almost a year of continuous wear!  I would recommend these shoes to anyone who is experiencing foot discomfort. But beware: the brown Lofas might be discontinued -- I wanted to buy an extra pair and I am having trouble finding my size online.