Customer Reviews Mephisto Helen

The shoes are very comfortable and do offer a lot of support. However the backs of both of my shoes are falling apart and I have taken great care of these shoes. For the price of these shoes this is very disappointing.

I am usually a 41 in Mephisto and these did feel a tad narrow but not enough to get the 42. The foot bed is amazing and the shoe felt great when I first put them on. The black Straccato leather was so thin and hard that after an hour of walking around the house, it was cutting into the tops of my toes! I couldn't believe it was happening and it took 2 days for the red marks to heal. I love Mephisto and and have no problem spending the money on them. I don't usually wear thong sandals and had been concerned about the between the toe area, but that was fine! Perhaps the Nubuck would have been better. I really wanted to love these shoes but unfortunately I had to return them. Zappos customer service is by far the best in the industry!

I love Zappos. So fast, easy to order, and just as easy to return. I found this shoe to be too short and not quite wide enough. Also, the box and shoes smelled very perfume/deodorized! Maybe the mfg treats their shoes with an air freshener. I thought that was strange.

I have two pairs of "Helen". The footbed and arch support are comfortable; however, the patent leather and "hard" leather uppers are very stiff and uncomfortable. The thongs are irritating between my toes. The nubuck leather is very comfortable. I would buy the nubuck again, but I love Naot sandals so much more. If you have a choice, buy Naot sandals! They cost a little less and are wonderful.

I ordered three new Helen sandals. I love the colors but the arch support is half the height of the Helen Style sandals that I bought in 2005. The new footbed does not provide the orthotic support that I require for my high arches. Also,the placement of the leather straps were not the same across the three sandals so there may be a decrease in quality control. I am also sadden to say that though I have depended on my Mephisto Helen sandals I will have to seek an alternative with a higher arch support to wear a shoe without my custom orthotics.

I ordered my third pair of Helens from Zappos, the other two being about three to four years old and still going strong. The problem is that Mephisto have seriously changed the arch support in this shoe over the years! With the new Helen design, my arches fall within half a day (I have high arches and slender feet - a perfect fit for the original Helen of a few years ago). They are quite uncomfortable compared to my old Helens. Even side by side, the arch is clearly much taller on the old ones - the whole footbed looks different. I miss the old support and though I wear my new ones, I wish I could buy many more pairs from 2004. They were squishy, supportive, and perfect, while the newer version is hard with flatter arch support. Sadly, I need to move on to another brand of sandals...

When I ordered this shoe, it was suggested to order a size larger. I am usually a 39 but ordered the 40. I did not need the 40 in the length, but it was narrow and especially did not fit my left foot which is wider than my right due to past fracture. The right was more comfortable but even that did not feel right, partly due to the combination of the straps.

Not as comfortable as I hoped - I love the look of this sandal. The comfort was another story. The area where your big toe goes cut into the skin after only a few minutes. I think they would soften up, but I need to wear them now for vacation. The smooth leather looked like it would scratch easily. I will be returning these for a different pair. The sizing was as was described--need to size up. Thanks Zappos for your quick service, as always.!

Disappointed - I am very disappointed in Mephisto. The leather is tough and it makes a blister on my two big toes. The arch is wrong and I am sending them back. They are not manufactured in France any longer. Helen are made in Haiti. I have 5 pair of Helens and these do not come close to their comfort. I will not order them again.

At first these shoes felt great! I wore them for a couple of weeks and got lots of compliments. Then they started to hurt right under the buckle. It feels as if the buckle is bruising the top of my foot. I tried loosening it, but that doesn't change anything. The buckle just hits my foot wrong. So I'm going to have to give them to my daughter, sadly, because I loved the way they looked.

Helen - I previously wrote a review about this sandal and the fact that the thong piece is a killer. I still have the bruises to prove it. I have purchased the Birkenstock Tabora which is also a thong style and have been pleasantly surprised by the comfort. The footbed on the Birkenstock is not as good as the Mephisto though. To me the perfect sandal would be the Birkenstock upper with the Mephisto bottom which has a better fit and comfort.

Don't buy if you have narrow toes - I love the look of this shoe, but it doesn't work if you have narrow toes. It keeps falling off my toes. I still struggle to wear them because I like them so much, but wouldn't recommend them.

Mephisto Helen - This shoe is comfortable, but only once you have really broken them in. I have a regular size foot and yet these still feel very narrow on my foot. My pinky toe tends to dangle off the side at times. My sister has a pair and this happens to her to. This is a cute shoe, but next time I'll go back to my Birkenstock!

Helen - I love the look of this sandal and find the footbed comfortable. The thong area is another story. It is stiff with sharp edges and I am keeping the band-aid companies in business because of the bruising caused by the digging into my feet. If I didn't love the way they look I would never wear them again.

Cool looking sandal - I liked the look of the sandal. I saw them on vacation and was not able to pick them up. Got them from Zappos. I have a wide foot and that was a concern regarding the inside strap of the toe. They hit me funny in that area. Look great and seem true to size as far as length. I wouldn't recommend them for people with wide feet.

Good footbed on this shoe - I love this style of shoe and this brand has excellent cushioning however it is stiff and the toe insert hurt my toe. I love the shoe but am returning it.It was a tight fit even with the buckle let out. I have a high instep but this caused a problem because it runs small.

Cost vs comfort - Although comfortable, your cost are are outrageous. I am disabled and money is very difficult to come by. If would be reasonable to at some point provide a discount or sale price at some point.

The sole and bottom of the shoe was too inflexible and I was afraid that I would trip as my balance is not good

the size and fit were fine. But the leather was so stiff that it hurt the top of my foot. And I'm sure with any amount of walking I would have open sores from the rubbing. I was hoping these would be the shoes to walk me around Barcelona, but they will be returned. And I will be looking for something else.

I've had this exact sandal in the past but the straps were very flexible and soft. These definitely run small and tight arounf goes. Very different from a previous pair

usually mephistos work well for me-this one not so much. Not wide enough.

These are very cute on my feet but the arch support is firm and hits me in the wrong place. Sadly, I must send them back

I love these candles but the leather used for this gray color is hard and sharp on the edges. I tried adding moleskin and also sanding the edges because both of my feet were bleeding where the strap crossed over the top of my foot. I have tried to break them in for over a week and there is no change. I am sad to send them back. I have others in different colors and the leather is softer and curved on the edges.

I wore Mephisto Helen's years ago and prefer Mephisto over Birkenstock. However, in the past, their leather was soft and the sandal was comfortable right out of the box. Like Birkenstocks, their leather is now hard and uncomfortable. In addition the strap crossing the foot, is loose and does not fit the foot properly. The look and the bed of the sandal is still nice; I just wish they would go back to the softer leather. The best sandal...is Naot for comfort; however, they don't carry a narrow size, so if you have a narrow foot, it is hard to find one that will fit properly. But for comfort and soft leather, Naot is the best.