I almost always wear a 9 or a 9.5, so given the reviews I ordered the 9.5. Fit like a glove, went out of the box and on to my foot. The straps look great, if you want them tighter you just need to punch 1 new hole in and tighten them. Otherwise, they have this cute floppy look to them that goes great with tights or jeans. The shoe itself is comfortable. I was worried I was just buying a doc martin type combat boot but these are exceptionally comfortable. The leather is so soft.