Customer Reviews Aetrex Essence™ Erica Ballet Flat

These shoes are extremely comfortable but not appropriate for anyone under the age of fifty. Why can't shoe companies make shoes that are this comfortable but look normal/stylish/cute? People in their twenties also want to wear comfortable shoes. The toe box shows zero toe cleavage giving these the appearance of clown shoes. I am always looking for good flats with arch support because I do a lot of walking. However, I am not yet ready to sacrifice style for comfort. The search continues.

Looking for a comfortable flats/wedge to wear with suits and do my NYC subway commute in. I'm an 8 1/2 with super high arches and small bunions. I have a Borne Julianne on one foot and the Aetrex Essence Erica Ballet Flat on the other. These shoes are nearly the same. I am keeping the Aetrex (about $100) and returning the Born (about $85) although if I didn’t have the two to compare I would keep either one and I’m really tempted to keep both. The Aetrex have more cushion toe-to-heel including a cushioned feeling heel. The leather is a bit stiffer, but in comparison it feels more substantial. The stiffer leather is also on the heel, which does not rub, but has no give and so pulls pressure on my heel when I walk. I hope that will soften over time. Aetrex has a nice striped blue fabric lining, which makes the shoe look higher quality when you walk and can see it ever so slightly. The Borne have this great elastic band around the opening that makes it hug your foot. And it does NOT slip on the heel while not being too tight either. The Born looks slim and delicate. Born has a nice little puffy arch support built in. But the heel feels like I’m walking on the hard ground. I’m keeping the Aetrex. It’s a more substantial shoe and I do a lot of city walking. But I really would keep both, but don’t want to spend that much on two identical shoes.

This is, hands down, the most comfortable ballet flats I have ever worn! I do a lot of walking and standing on my feet every day at work, and these shoes have been a life saver. Amazingly comfortable and very stylish. I plan on owing a pair in every color!

This shoe is AMAZING! I absolutely recommend it to everyone in need of a stylish yet supportive shoe. I have tried EVERY comfort ballet flat you can imagine, all the top brands and could not stand having them on for more than 1/2 hour without pain. I have FLAT feet and need support and cushion. I don't know how they worked it, but these shoes have both. You can feel the difference right away. So far I don't even have to put my orthotics in! The leather is very nice and soft. These shoes will go with EVERYTHING! Cannot say enough good about them and I am very picky! Try these, you will not be disappointed. Wish they had the green, I'm going to order those, too.

Soft leather with a rubber sole, the perfect walking shoe. Fit perfectly on my wide foot. I love the red color, highly recommended.

They're super comfortable and have a cute shape, but the leather seems *too* soft. The leather conforms too much, creating a noticeable cleft in the toe box when I'm standing. I'm sad to send them back, since the arch support is so good.

This is comfortable right out of the box. Good cushioning and moderate arch support. I will use an aetrex orthotic arch support with it to support my extremely high arches and arthritic knees.

These are my go to shoes. Great orthotic.

This shoe runs short. My big toe touched the front of the shoe in my normal size 6. However the 6 1/2 fit fine. Although I have very narrow heels and find it almost impossible to find a shoe that does not slip off, the 6 1/2 did not slip. (I do not wear stockings with this shoe.) Good cushioning and Very nice arch support, great for walking. Its pretty, too. Does not come up too high on the foot. (I did not get this shoe from Zappos - they did not have red.)

I really liked these basic shoes for work and substantial support. If you are questioning a half size or whole, go up to the next size.

This is a very nice shoe. Aetrex suggested going down a half-size when one is between sizes. I did this, and the shoes were too short. I believe the larger size would fall off my foot. Sadly, I have to return this pair.

Beautiful shoes that cover a bunion bump...but do not believe they run large. I ordered the recommended size 9 and regretted it...too small! The leather is soft and gives gently but the crowded toes created bumps on the front of the shoe. Had to go back! So sad...the blue color is amazing; a great match for jeans.

Nice shoe, good looking basic ballet flat - very cushioned and nice leather. Wide enough through the toe box, though the shoes seem to run just a bit long...I also found that the front was cut just a little low for my foot, so the band hit right at the bone at the top of my foot behind the big toe. Since they are sturdy rather than very thin leather, I was not certain if that would stretch out with wear or not. I will admit that irritation to this area is often a problem for me in a shoe with less deep fronts, and these were actually comfier in that arena than many others I'd tried. Also, the back is cut a bit high, and rubbed slightly at the top..also a particular problem I typically have with high cut backs. I tried insoles, to lift the heel slightly and take up the slack in the length, but with the great cushioned insole that comes in the shoe, that caused the shoe to slip off when I walked, so it didn't help. They might break in fine with a little wear. I was tempted to try them 1/2 size smaller (I usually wear 8 in sandals and 8 1/2 in closed shoes and ordered these in an 8 1/2), but I found another style (walking cradles Flicks) that met all my criteria for a cushioned, basically flat shoe, plain enough for jeans and leggings, and that was immediately comfortable on my foot. Overall I think this Aetrex Shoe is a pretty well made, nice shoe,and one of the better ballet flat type shoes I tried. It likely would be very comfortable for many folks...just not the perfect fit on my specific foot.

Beautiful shoe. I ordered a half size down per the recommendation. There was not enough room in the toe-box, especially when wearing ped stockings. Will try a 1/2 size up.

I always order a 7B (med.), but this shoe felt too short in the toe box. If I had exchanged it for a 7.5, I think it would have been slipping off my foot, because I have a narrow heel. Had to send it back.

Soft and beautifully made. These shoes were exactly what I wanted. But they are too short. The soft leather actually bulged where my large toe nail and second toe pushed against it. Have to go back.

I should have ordered half a size down -- I'm usually a 7.5 or an 8, and I think the 7.5 would have fit me. I ended up not liking the style anyway, but otherwise it's pretty comfortable.

I ordered these shoes in size seven which is my normal size for flats. These shoes were to small but the cushioning was like a sneaker which made the shoe very comfortable. I have never seen so much padding in a flat. The sides were a bit to high for my taste. The top area that covers your toes was also to high for me so the top and sides rubbed into my feet. Also p, in person, they were not the most stylish

They were not as supported or comfortable as I had hoped/expected. Metatarsal support minimal and arch less that hoped for. Good looking dressy shoe but 3 hours of wear and my feet HURT.

For me these ran super small! (They're out of the next 2 sizes so I guess I'll never know exactly how small, but I'm pretty consistent and these were tight). They are NOT sexy, they're just a plain pair of ballet flats which is actually what I needed.

I really tried to make these shoes work but the toe box was too narrow and they don't come in wide. I went up half a size thinking that would make it better but my feet just moved around and the toe box still crunched my toes. I usually wear a M in most shoes but these just don't seem to work. Wish Aetrex made them in wide.

Love the style - classic Ballet shoe. Alas, I have got narrow feet with high arches. This shoe is way wide and hard. Tried it with my medical orthodic but still had no luck. Really wanted it to work. The gold metalic would have been such a lovely classic easy to dress up or down shoe.

These shoes are stiff and clunky. Disappointed.

I was very disappointed with this shoe. Based on the other reviews, I thought these would be soft and comfy. They weren't. I thought they were kind of stiff, and because of the significant arches, my foot was lifted up so much that my heel kept coming out of the shoe. I'm desperate to find comfortable ballet type shoes, but these didn't fit the bill so unfortunately, I'm sending them back.

I desperately needed an ballet flat for commuting to work that had arch support and enough cushioning for trudging around NYC, while looking polished in skirts and pants. I had high hopes for this shoe, since I love the Aetrex sandals with the orthotic memory foam footbed. When they arrived, they were attractive and had the look I wanted, but I was disappointed that they didn't feel more cushioned in the footbed. The sole felt flat to me, like I was too close to the pavement. However, they were fine. Had the story ended there, they would have rated a solid 3 stars. The real disappointment came about 2 months into using this shoe when complete inexplicably and out of the blue, they gave me such a bad blister during my morning commute that my heel was bleeding by the time I got to work. Since I didn't have anything else to wear instead, I slapped a bandaid on my heel and wore them again the next day when, for some reason, the opposite shoe kept falling off my foot. I had to do a bizarre foot clench/limp to walk the final few blocks to work so I wouldn't lose the shoe (mind you, with the other shoe rubbing up against my bandaged heel). All this drama from my "comfortable" commuting shoes. I wish I could return them, but I've worn them for a few months. No idea why they would turn on me all of a sudden, but now I must resume my search for a decently supportive and attractive ballet flat for commuting in, money in the hole for these now useless shoes. I gave them two stars because they look totally fine, and I did get a couple of good months out of them.