I love these shoes!  The Crocs name almost made me not buy them, but my feet are SO glad I did.  Perfect for multiple days at theme parks, with jeans and a casual dress.  I haven't had the issue of the patent cracking, so maybe I just got lucky.  Put aside your doubts about ordering Crocs due to their less than fashionable reputation- people are shocked when I tell them they are Crocs because they are so cute!  I am a 7.5 to 8 and the size 8 is perfect- just a touch big- good for ventilation, but doesn't slide off.