Aetrex Women's Chloe Comfortable Slip-On Loafers for Work & Casual Wear - Breathable & Supportive Shoes for All-Day Comfort

I've never bought shoes that didn't come from WallyWorld or Payless. Never spent more than $20-30. Never got ones that were made of real leather.Over the years my feet have gotten a bit wider (gasp) so the wides in the aforementioned stores don't really fit so well and the next size or size and half feel good for width, but of course they are much to long. *sigh* I did research and discovered what many know and they make Extra Wide shoes. (size XW, WW, or E).I decided on these Mary Janes for a few reasons:(1) they are MARY JANES -- loved mary janes since I was a child and have never been able to fit in a pair since being a child(2) black - cannot go wrong with black, it goes with all my outfits(3) low heel - at my current weight I can no longer have anything higher than 1"(4) pretty cut-outs -- another reviewer said she weaves ribbons to coordinate with outfits - great ideaHowever once I got the shoes they fit the width okay but they still felt "off" my mother said you need to remember that leather stretches. You really need to break them in. So after looking online I decided to try the 50/50 blend of rubbing alcohol (mine is 91% Isoprapyl) and water. Saturated the insides where my problem areas are on my toes and bunion area and stuck my socked feet in. Did this for maybe a week every morning before work (brought backup shoes just in case) never needed the backups.Now they fit fine and so far, so good. I hope to get a lot of wear out of them.I purchased these shoes with the hope that they would be wide enough so I purchased the E size. I have a high in-step. They are really cute and for the price I was willing to try the any method of stretching them. They shoe itself after stretching it is very comfortable to walk in but because of my high in-step the strap is to tight I wont use them for more than a few hours. I'm a teacher and do a lot of standing and walking around my classroom. I stretched the shoes using water in a bag and stuffing the bags inside the shoe to stretch them out when the bags froze in the freezer. This helped with the toe area. The strap is what is really giving me a problem. At the end of the strap it stretches out a little but not enough to not leave red marks.. My next step is to add rubbing alcohol to the strap and wearing it while it dries hoping that it stretches a little..I measure a 12M but always buy 12W to accommodate extra insoles. I bought this in 12W. The length and width are true to size. With the two aetrex insoles removed, my birkenstock/footprints cork insole size 43 narrow fits snugly so I am very happy to finally have properly supported feet. There is enough wriggle-room for my upturned big toes. I found the shoes with the original insoles in to offer no arch support at all, but that was what I had expected.The only problem for me was that the straps arrived stretched as if old and worn, though the shoes themselves were clearly new. This means that when done up there is no "give" to them as I walk. These shoes look good with black opaque tights and a short skirt - not at all frumpy or orthopaedic. Obviously not the thing for a cocktail party, but great for smart casual wear and long days out.I was hoping to find a pair of MJ that I could wear with pant socks. These were quite a bit too long even with socks. My normal size is 10. My other MJ are a different brand (Clarks) and style, so I'm deducing that this style in this brand is just a it longer than some others. Pretty shoes. Wish I could have kept them.The Aetrex Chloe Mary Jane shipped promptly. the fit was excellent and the inner sole is supportive. This is a good shoe for standing or walking all day. It is dressy enough to wear with a casual skirt.The sole looks like it will last a long time. overall appears to be a good choice.The shoe is a bit snug but works. I love the leather and style and sole.Very well made, supportive and very cute shoes. I have several pairs of Aetrex shoes and sneakers and they certainly do not disappoint. These are a little tight around my toes, but they are breaking in nicely.I hate wearing dress shoes. But if I have to this pair will do. The are very nice I just weather have tennis shoes on.