The Look: This will be the first pair of platforms reviewed and so deserves a special comment. I’m almost 5’7″ tall, which in countries like The Netherlands is relatively short, but in the southeastern part of the United States, where I spent a good many years, is more normal for a man’s height than a woman’s. Therefore, I tended to avoid wearing platform shoes and often reverted to flats in order to seem a more ordinary height. Except that I love the look of platform shoes, especially those with a separate heel, like these. You look at the heel and it seems really, really high, this pair at about 4 1/2 inches. With a 1 inch platform, though, the foot only feels 3 1/2 – quite comfortable even for a small foot like mine. In addition, the silver and the woven strands make this a very attractive shoe.
The Fit: A common theme, that of being available only in a B width, and this shoe is no exception, so I scaled up to a size 7. I have mild bunions and, unfortunately, the strap comes down right at the start, which makes for a small knob right behind it. It’s not really noticeable unless you’re looking for it, but I notice. It’s also maybe just a little snug across the little toe, but other than that the fit is quite good.
Comfort: The category overlaps the fit and I’ve been trying to think of another 3rd point to write about because of it. And this pair actually has an overlap with the look as well. The downsides aren’t enough to make this a dinner date only option; I could wear them for a full day. But the strap just at the bunion will leave a red mark that isn’t easily erased by a little rubbing after I take them off, so I probably won’t use them for full day wear.
