This was a very challenging shoe to size for myself, and I wasn't sure I'd make it. Generally speaking, my shoe size is usually an 8 or 8.5. (I wear a lot of Clark's, and in that brand, I get an 8.5.) Because my foot is somewhat wide, I do have some difficulty with certain brands, even when I get what they've labeled as a 'C' width. Also, I have a bunion on one foot (TMI?), which can make shoes with too narrow a toe box quite painful after a short time of walking around in them.

For this particular shoe, people were commenting that it runs small, so I suspected I'd need at least an 8.5 wide. When the shoe in this size arrived, I couldn't even get my heel in! It certainly didn't look like a wide, and it was the smallest 8.5 I'd ever seen. I sent it back and ordered a whole size larger (a 9.5, which I'd NEVER have expected to wear).

When the second pair arrived, I was pleased to find that I could at least get my foot in. Sadly, the shoe was now flip-flopping all over the place, because it wouldn't grip my heel. Given that the 8.5 was so small I couldn't put the shoe on, and the 9.5 was so big that it wouldn't STAY on, I assumed that the shoe was simply not designed to work on my feet. Consequently, I didn't bother ordering the in-between size. (Scoff if you will, but it seemed I was not destined for this shoe.)

After spending several hours looking for a classic women's leather penny loafer in the brick and mortar stores in my large hometown, I went back to the Web to see what else was out there. I'd read some less than stellar reviews of other brands' quality, and finally decided I had little to lose by ordering the in-between size 9W. I'm so glad I did, because that shoe fits my feet perfectly!

In a nutshell:
- This shoe DOES run small. My usually 8 - 8.5W foot needed the 9W. (So, it's not really THAT small.)
- The quality of the shoe seems to be quite good. Time will tell, but the stitching seems very solid.
- This shoe has classic lines, which I really like. (I didn't want a shoe that looked too much like a moccasin. I wanted an actual penny loafer.)
- The first two pairs I ordered were not brown, but rather the more reddish color. I am glad I opted for the brown on the third try, because it's more like what I was looking for. The burgundy color is quite shiny and plastic-looking, whereas the brown looks like actual leather. (If you want a patent-leather look, however, you may like the other colors better than the brown.)
- I've been able to wear this shoe with everything from jeans to chinos to skirts. It's very versatile!
- I didn't need any break-in time at all for this shoe to be comfortable.
- The return process with Amazon was quite painless. If you've got a UPS store relatively nearby, don't be afraid to just give it a shot and order your best guess at a size. You can always send it back!