Whitman

I live in slide sandals and this one is a keeper. It's my second pair of shoes from To Boot New York and once again the quality is very good, very solid. It's expensive but the last ones have proved worth it and I think these will too. They're actually a little bit stiff here at the beginning but I think this is in fact a good sign. Along with the feel and the weight of them, it tells me they're made with solid materials that are going to last. It's not an uncomfortable stiffness, just one that says there's a break-in period like you might have with a nice closed shoe. And unlike some I've tried, that stiffness in the sole does not lead to the leather upper cutting into the toe when I walk. That's a dealbreaker when it does happen. The leather upper is perfect - unadorned, no logo or cutout or buckle or rivet, etc. The footbed leather is very solid and comfortable. The whole thing grips the foot nicely, which means less use of toe flexing to keep it on as you walk. If there's one area for improvement, though a minor issue, I'd rather have some usable and lasting tread on the bottom of the sole than useless map of Manhattan where I'll never see it and which will wear away soon enough anyway. This isn't meant to be a rugged shoe, so it doesn't want crunchy tread, but some would be good. Otherwise this slide is exactly what I want and have been looking for for years. Tastefully simple, classy, brown, and built to last. Those are hard to find in a slide sandal for some reason, but here they are, finally. Side note: I usually wear a size 11 but have occasionally done 10.5. I bought this shoe in size 11 and it fits fine. At the same time I bought the Massimo Matteo Comfort Slide in size 10.5 because it's all they had. Yet the two shoes are identical in footbed dimension. So one of them is off... I just can't tell which!