this is truly a wonderful-looking shoe that makes people stare (i got the nude/gold)!! beautiful colors & details. quality materials & not flimsy. in fact, they are pretty heavy. but the sad thing about them is that the soles are a bit stiff, which is why i took off 1 star. the soles aren't flexible, because the style of them is hard and heavy-ish, and flat..the sides/front are fine, though. they remind me of some vintage styles i own. put it this way--they're NOT the comfortable, flexible, move-with-your-foot-immediately kind of shoes. i own a lot of poetic licence shoes and all of their soles are kind of stiff. some are thinner, so they're easier to maneuver, but most are pretty thick. i think the stiffness of this shoe in particular is probably due to the platform and the fact that it isn't curved much (which would help with walking). i'm keeping mine anyway because they're so pretty (and let's be real, it's not like i was planning on walking a marathon or doing aerobics in them).

as for the sizing, i wear an 8-9 depending on the brand but almost always get an 8.5 in everything (which is what i got). well my heels slip out of these, but they slip out of most pumps unless i get them a half-size too small (i have very thin ankles & slender-but-wide feet). i could have gone with an 8 if it were a closed-toe shoe, but this is the case with all poetic licence shoes i own. a heel pad will fix the slipping though, and i'd rather have more room for my toes or socks so i always order an 8.5 anyway if it's available. i would definitely NOT recommend purchasing these for a special occasion (e.g. a wedding, prom, graduation, social/party, etc..) because you will not only be uncomfortable walking about, you may even look awkward doing so. they're great if you don't have to walk a lot though, & if you don't mind receiving a trillion compliments!! ;)