I saw these shoes in an upscale department store and said, "These shoes were made for me".  I am an active 50+ woman who had never heard of Tsubo before, but I looked up the terrific reviews and prices on Amazon and ordered two pair for myself.  I am delighted to say that I absolutely love these shoes.  They are stylish and comfortable, two words which normally can't be used in the same sentence.  Other reviewers said that these shoes run small, but I usually wear a solid size 9 and have a medium wide foot, and these shoes are a bit too long for me.  I am concerned that the 8-1/2 would be just a tad small, so I'm sticking with the 9.  The width seems average.  The heel height and platform give enough height, and they are a nice weight.  The insole has comfortable padding and the lining is smooth.  The slightly rounded toe accommodates my wider forefoot.  They will look good with everything from jeans to skirts and everything in between. I have had no problem with the velcro catching the hem of my pants.  There are some drawbacks - the sole doesn't flex, the leather scuffs very easily (especially in the light putty color), and they're made in China, which normally is a deal breaker for me, but I have such a hard time finding attractive, comfortable shoes that I will sacrifice my principles in this case.  Overall, I would give these shoes 4.5 stars, but they got the extra half star for being my favorite comfort shoes ever.