I rarely do these but as I’d been talking about this on twitter I figured I’d do a quick write up!

So because conference season is upon romancelandia I needed a pair of flats to wear when the heels got to be too much (or if I had to walk to the restaurant that was a bit away).  

I’ve tried many of them. Ballet flats with the elastic in the back are okay for about thirty minutes and then they feel like they’re going to chop my foot off. Plus they tend to have no sole to absorb the impact so by the end of a day wearing them (or most flats) my hips and knees hurt.I looked at so many flats. I considered sketchers or something like that (I have two pairs of Sketchers, both I’ve worn into near nothingness. But I needed something a little more dressy) but I’ve been circling Tieks for a few years now, thinking of trying them but then backing off because of the price. 

Finally, I just sucked it up and decided to try them.

I can tell you it takes “three days and 150 steps” to make a pair. Or that the company is family owned. Or that the leather feels like a warm hug from your favorite grandma. I could tell you how freaking adorable they are and how the shape is that perfect ballet flat ideal I figured only French women knew the secret to.

It would be true, by the way, if I told you all that.

But these shoes are fantastic. They are so comfortable and easy to walk in. They have actual soles that are sort of like sneakers so they take all that impact and they provide enough support that I don’t have a backache or knee trouble at the end of the day wearing them. They are incredibly well made and while they fit well and hold up at the back of the heel they do not have elastic to gouge into the nerves there all day long. And they are as advertised, easily foldable. I hate that little pouch though, so I’d only use it if they were in my suitcase or carryon, otherwise I store them in my closet opened up like normal shoes.

Just one of those “totally worth the money” things if you go through flats as often as I did and still wasn’t that comfy wearing them all day long (and had 175 bucks to spend). You can check out their really impressive list of colors and materials over at their website