About the Holmby Oxford - YouLookFab Forum

I'm still out and have walked about a mile in my new shoes. Two things:

1. While the widest part of the shoe is very accommodating, the toe box quickly tapers from there. I have duck feet, so I'm getting some blisters. I suspect this will resolve itself as the leather stretches.

2. Genie effect: I think Diana's concern may be on the money. Because the toe box tilts up slightly, I'm probably not getting support on the ground there. Kind of like the reverse of wearing high heels. I'm getting more pressure on the balls of my feet. This I don't think will ever fix itself.

Are they not worth wearing? No, but considering they're flats, they are not IMO 8-hour shoes or even shoes I'd take out for a city stroll. They're tolerable but not ideal. If this doesn't faze you, or you are not going to be walking excessively in them, I can recommend. I still like these! But am providing some due diligence for you that's too late for me. I don't think I would have known this by wearing them around the house.

13 years ago

Kristin SF

Veteran

Do you think a trip to the cobbler for stretching, plus some ball of foot cushions, would help matters?

Janet

(website)

I'm impressed (and glad!) they're working out for you as well as they are. I tried them on, and I only had one shoe on for about 10 seconds to realize they were not going to work for me. They felt very stiff and rubbed my heels in an odd spot, which is strange because I have narrow feet.

I also felt like they looked a bit more clunky on my foot than what I was looking for -- you may remember I tried some tipped black booties from Asos that didn't fit me either, but I liked the look of the tipped booties on me more than the Holmby's, even though I bet they look fantastic on you and others. Did you already post pics and I missed them?

Diana

Ah, I'm sorry about the genie thing. To be fair, most people do not have as much of a problem with it as me. I think I am one of the only people who can't wear Frye Carson boots, because they gave me the world's worst ball of foot pain even though they were super comfy everywhere else. I ended up selling mine. Putting a gel cushion there MIGHT help if it's just pressure and not your foot also sliding around.

Mochi

bumping for Una

Transcona Shannon

Oh no....I feel awful since I was the one who posted them in the first place

Oh no, Shannon, don't feel bad! Ultimately I'm responsible for my buying decisions. Also, soon afterwards they were an Angie pick so I would have seen and lusted after them anyway.

They are extremely cool looking. But I was glad to get them off my feet afterwards. Hopefully I'll get more used to them, and I think that gel cushion idea is a good one.

Kristin, I was even thinking about whether a cobbler could bend them so the front no longer tips up...but even if possible (which I wonder), I bet that would affect the integrity of the shoe construction, no?

catgirl

Thanks for the warning! I will wear them around the house first - the narrow toe issue worries me with my duck feet... On the other hand, if they don't work out, it frees up a purchase for January! Sorry they are hurting you. Would you say you are 50/50 in the shoe department with hits and misses? I hope these are a hit!

Anonymous

Ok that immediately makes me feel better about not getting them. I have the duckiest of duck feet so this would just not work for me!

Ack, I think I'm batting much better than 50/50 (am I confusing my analogies here?), but yeah, the knockoff leopard booties from China stung, as did the consignment store loafers from the summer (eventually got a credit for that, but...).....everything else has gone great.

I don't think I worded it strongly enough above. I will figure out a way to make these work as much as possible, but I am very hesitant to recommend them if you're thinking about purchasing. It was really a relief getting them off my feet, and these are not stilettos!

Okay, well I tend to be way worse than 50/50 (i'm talking trys, not keeps)... glad you are better than that! I will report back when I get them. I hate when it's your feet that have to be broken in, rather than the shoes...

Isabel

Wow, I am impressed that you guys are 50/50 and up. I have to say that 80% of the shoes that I try on are not comfortable after a while. Which is why I wear mine around the house A LOT.

But Mocchi, I feel your pain, literally and figuratively. I wore a pair of shoes in CA for Shoptoberfest that were a brand that I loved and found comfortable - usually. And though one can't really tell, they do "flip" up a bit at the tip. They are only 1.5 inch heels ( maybe ). After wearing them all day shopping, I thought that I was going to have to amputate the ball of my foot ! I had never had "ball foot" pain and blisters to boot ( or shoe....bad pun ) . So now I wear them with a slim, gel, ball padding by Dr. Scholls. It has made a world of difference for me. It was the difference between crying through the airports on the way home....and ahhhhhhh.....

Good luck.

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