I recieved these as a gift last Christmas. I thought that they'd be good for occasional costume use when I didn't need to stand for long periods of time, but I was wrong. I was able to wear these boots for several hours first time out! The "buttons" are actually snaps, the one's toward the ankle can be a bit tricky to get closed, but once fastened don't come undone. All in all I'm very happy with these shoes!