I love the idea of this style, but it's not working great for me.  I'm keeping them because they're just for a musical with one ballet scene, but I wouldn't want to wear them all the time.  For me, the area where the suede sole is stitched to the toe area makes this shoe very uncomfortable.  It sits right on the ball of my foot nestled up against my toes.  When I walk, it feels like a rock between my foot and toes.  It's actually not bad when I dance, it might even make turning easier with a flatter base, but it's weird.  Also, I wear an 8.5/9 and I ordered a 7.5.  I could even have gone down another size as I have lots of room in the toe (could this be why it fits strangely?  Perhaps).  I never expect a ballet shoe to hold up for very long, so the price on these is great.