As promised, my review of the Sevilla Smith Sandy flats!

For those not familiar with the brand, these shoes are made by one individual. The uppers are hand-lasted from a single piece of leather, so there's absolutely nothing to cut or rub, no seams, stiffeners, or inserts. The hard leather soles are attached with brass nails, and the shoes ship with instructions for monitoring wear and when to take to a cobbler for resoling. They also came with a muslin shoe bag, stamped with my name.

I'm a US 10, so I ordered the EU 41. The first time I put them on, I was sure they were too small, as I had to stretch them over my feet like gloves, but I wore them around my carpeted upstairs for an hour or so and, even in that short time, the leather began to stretch and form to my feet. After just a few hours of wear, I can slip them on and off fairly easily, but they're still snug to my feet...no worries about them slipping off while walking. One afternoon of wearing them around the house, and I forgot I even had them on.

One note: there's no padding inside and the soles are hard, but they learn to flex in the right places with wear. I couldn't fit even a thin insole inside, but I have a somewhat high instep. It's possible the leather could stretch to accommodate that eventually, as it's very soft and forgiving.

I suspect these are the type of shoes that will only get more comfortable with time. The leather quality is beautiful. The color is rich, but I can't wait for them to get a little wear on them, as well-broken-in shoes are more to my taste. I have no doubts they'll age beautifully.