These are my favorite
kids shoes and my daughters have been wearing them, in various colors (red, black, silver, purple, pink), for years now. We've gone through Toddler into Youth. They last well, look smart, are easy to put on (
velcro), and are sturdy enough for them to run around and play in (ie they're not just
Mary Janes for party
dresses) The only damage they are susceptible to is toe-scuffing (I had to teach my
girls to use the brakes on their scooters instead of their toes; until then their shoes suffered). We will keep on buying them until my
girls (now 4 and 6) are old enough to insist on a new style; until that day I can't think of anything more versatile and all-purpose for
girls. I can't really comment below on the true-to-size questions since these shoes have set our idea of what a size should be.