French Sole

Sloop

Women's

I am a dancer and hope to clarify some fitting questions about these lovely shoes. They are built like a literal ballet slipper, meant to wear like a little leather sock, but in this case the sole is rubber instead of suede, and the whole shoe is made to withstand more than a few rehearsals. The stretching and toe bumps are the result of the shoe's ability to conform precisely to your foot and the way you move, very like a dancer's shoe. The break-in time happens quickly in these shoes because a dance shoe needs to be usable right away, and the less it keeps its shape and takes on yours, the better. If you are narrow-footed, get your true size. I have long, narrow slippers that run between a 9½ and 10½ (with a half-size difference from one foot to the other), and am frankly astounded by the perfect fit of size 10 after only a day or so of wear. I have three pairs and wear them everywhere, including onstage. It is hard to choose, but my white naplaks are my favorites and I like patent leather that feels like it has been broken-in better than your favorite sneakers. They can take a little more wet weather, too. I live in my Sloops and now suffer less from awful foot cramps because my foot is not fighting a shoe when I walk. These are made to become uniquely yours as you wear them. I would not trade mine for anything!

I first thought these shoes were too small, but an earlier review - by a dancer - convinced me to give the fit another chance. Indeed, these "fit like a glove", but they also mold snugly and comfortably to my foot, like a good kid glove. I love them and will buy more. Does it help anyone to know I am 70, not 25?

I recently ordered these lovely shoes from Zappos, but based on mixed reviews was unable to decide which size to get. During a recent trip to New York, I decided to seek out the actual French Sole store to be properly fitted. I was very surprised to have more than one associate at the stores (there are 3 stores in NY) insist that I buy my normal size and NOT to size up as others have recommended. They say that all the time they see people go up half a size because that's what feels comfortable in the store, but that they are back within a month saying that the shoes are falling off their feet. That is because they are meant to STRETCH to accommodate your own foot, which is ultimately what leads to these shoes being the softest, most comfortable shoes in your closet. It does, however, take some break in time. I took them at their word and purchased my normal size 8. To be honest, these shoes were killing me for the first 3 days. The first day they dug into my heels necessitating moleskin. The second day my big toe still felt jammed into the toe box. By the end of the third day, however, I was able to slip them on comfortably and could finally envision these becoming my favorite pair of shoes. Personally, I preferred the wedge heel on the Zeppa to the flat sole of the Sloop, but that is a personal preference and does not reflect the comfort or quality of the Sloop. The Zeppa is actually the same shoe as the Sloop, but they've just added a small wedge heel for more support. If you love ballet flats, these will be your favorites, hands down. The beauty of Zappos is that you don't have to take a trip to New York to get them!

The manufacturer has changed the leather for the black nappa. It used to be a smooth, soft, luxurious Italian leather that just molded to your foot after you wore it several times. Loved it! I have several pairs of this shoe, and I just recently bought it for the third time in the black nappa. I was so disappointed when I received it because it wasn't the Italian leather I had known for years. It wasn't smooth and wasn't as soft. It had a texture to the leather and was totally different. If this shoe ever comes back with the smooth and soft Italian leather, I would buy it again, but because it had changed, I returned it. Again, so disappointed! Another issue was one of the shoes, had not been cut correctly across the toe area. It was noticeable right out of the box before I ever put it on. I just feel the manufacturer is cutting corners with the quality of this shoe now and also in production. PLEASE bring back the smooth and soft Italian black leather! BTW, this shoe should be ordered a half size larger than what you normally wear. It is NOT true to size.

I ordered the Black Napa in my regular size and I am very happy with the shoe! I read tons of reviews on these shoes before buying, and though almost all said to buy a half size larger (and even the company recommends this), I got my regular size because many people who upsized complained that once the shoe stretched out it lost its shape and got floppy on the sides. My shoes were snug at first, but after 2 wears they are like gloves for my feet and super comfy! Now, I do have relatively narrow feet, so this might not be the case for wide-footed ladies, but I think that when you size up in these, when they stretch (which they definitely seem to do) you end up with too much fabric, whereas if you had your normal size they start off small but stretch to fit perfectly. The shoe is like a dance shoe and does not have a stiff upper, so it really does mold to your feet. You can see the outline of my big toe through the shoe, which doesn't bother me at all, but might not be what some are looking for. I am really happy with them and will no doubt buy another pair in a different color!