Mephisto

Madalyn

Women's

I wanted to love these. But when I put them on, the toe "thong" was pushing my second toe (and consequently, all the others) towards the outside of the shoe -- obviously so. I only noticed because they were slightly uncomfortable in the toe area. When I looked down, I noticed my foot didn't look right -- all my toes except my big toe were leaning toward the outside of the shoe. Very odd. I couldn't figure out what the problem was. My big toe wasn't straining the toe strap at all. I'm guessing that if you have a gap between your big toe and the rest of your toes, this would work perfectly. For the rest of us, not so much. I did like that they were wider and more straight across the top (not almond shaped) than the Helens, but they may have been just a tiny bit too narrow for my slightly wide foot. My pinky toes were all the way to the edges of the shoes. But I also found the footbed on the Helen was much cushier, softer, and all around more comfortable than the Madalyn. If my foot had fit in the Helens, they would've won hands down over this shoe. I think I probably need a half size larger, but unfortunately, they only come in whole sizes, which I fear would be too big. I have the SAS Sanibel and was looking for something slightly different just for variety. But that one fits my size 9 foot perfectly.

This sandal is beautiful! The footbed is soft with just the right amount of squish, and the arch support is subtle. I have arthritis in my feet and a condition called tarsal coalition. Both require just the right amount of arch support (not too high and not too low); this sandal has just that. The leather straps lay comfortably across the foot and hug my fallen arch perfectly. The sandal can be dressed up or down. Sadly I have to return because Mephisto runs small and narrow. I have flat feet and over pronate so I need a slightly wider footbed at the arch area. When comparing them to Birkenstocks, I can fit a 42 easy but with Mephisto I need a 43. I find it ironic that Mephisto encourages customers to not wear shoes/sandals too small for you yet they make footwear on a smaller scale. I wish Mephisto made larger size sandals for us bigger feet ladies, I would buy them all!

These fit like a glove and have an extremely comfortable footbed. However, the stitching on the underside of the velcro instantly rubbed against the top of my foot and would have likely caused a blister or outright bleeding. RETURNED IMMEDIATELY.