The saga continues. If you’ve been following along on Instagram, you know I’ve been testing out a a few shoes the last few weeks. The problem with doing that is if they shoes aren’t good, my feet are ruined for the next week. So it takes a bit between my shoe experiments (if you will). So here are the latest findings, spoiler! There are some good outcomes here. 🙂
The Next Contenders
So, next on the docket are a few different shoes: Tieks Ballet Flats, Franco Sarto Susie Loafer, Dr. Scholl’s Find Me Espadrille, and Birdies The Starling Flat.
The Price Point
Tieks: $175 for their “Patent Leather” colors. Can range up to $295 for some styles.
Franco Sarto Susie Loafer: $60 at DSW
Dr. Scholl’s Find Me Espadrille: $50 on sale right now
Birdies, The Starling Flat: $120. Use this link to get $20 off!
Initial Thoughts
Tieks: C
Originally, I wasn’t going to test Tieks out. You kind of just get that gut feeling that says, “No! Code red! Turn back!”But when my Instagram DMs went wild with comments after I said I wasn’t going to try Tieks, I decided to give them a shot. So I did. And the results are in…
DRUM ROLL
They’re not for me.
When they arrived at my doorstep, they came in a SUPER small box. I think the small packaging is to show that they’re compact shoes and can travel easily, which is great, but I needed more than just that.
That sounds amazing on paper, but they were jammed in their packaging and it were so difficult to get out. (But they did come with a cute carrying bag so forgive and forget.) Once I finally got them out of their box, I slipped them on and holy cow…
They.
Were.
Ugly.
I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt; I have longer toes than most, but the Tieks were not a good look for me at all.
Franco Sarto: A
I was sold the second I saw these on the stand at DSW. The pointed toe and the slightly raised heel with a hint of metal, love it. I tried them on in the store and thought they were pretty comfortable. I wore them around a bit and decided to take them home.
Dr. Scholl’s Espadrille: A
I have to make a cavet that these were essentially in a race of their own. I’ve been wanting an espadrille for a bit and when I saw the color and design of these I was basically sold. I could definitely see myself wearing these to work, but these really aren’t in the running for the best work shoe title. But regardless, first thoughts were “SUPES CUTE, HOPE THEY’RE COMFY!” And then I stepped into them and it was literally like stepping into a cloud. I didn’t realize they were Dr. Scholl’s until I looked at the sole and then I understood. It was literally softer than memory foam. And because they’re espadrilles and have the raised footbed, there is a LOT of cushion.
Birdies: A
It’s a funny story how I came to order these. To be honest, I get these and Allbirds confused. I don’t understand why so many shoe companies are using the word “Bird” in their names lately, but I’ve heard good things about both companies. My friend Tina got served an ad on Insta for them and sent them my way to check out. This was after a few people have shared the company in my DMs on Instagram already and when I saw the Slate color, I was hooked. One of my favorite bloggers, Caitlyn Covington recently did a post about their slides and raved about their comfort as well, so I wanted to test them out. Your first purchase is 10% off and if you use my code fbuy.me/v/rachelberzins you can get $20 off! The next day, someone else had DMed me on Insta saying I should get them! So it was meant to be. Okay, first thoughts. I LOVE. They are literally like walking on cushions. The sole is so plush and thick and has some great support. They are a little snug at first go around but I did read that in the reviews so I wore them around the house with some socks on just to stretch a little bit and it really helped.
The 1 Mile Test:
I have since moved into my new place, but turns out if I walk to the train station instead of taking the bus, it’s still 1 mile! So the test holds true. Let’s see how these contenders held up.
Tieks: Failed
These shoes didn’t even last to make it to the 1 mile test. I put these on and walked across my kitchen and I was in pain. I do not understand how these have a cult following. The sole is literally a piece of wood. I bet after breaking them in they would be fine, but as someone who sometimes suffers from planter factious, I need some substance to my sole. The leather that made up the rest of the shoe was comfortable but with the way it looked on my foot and the uncomfortableness of the sole, these were out before the test even began.
Franco Sarto: Failed
I had high hopes for these guys. High high hopes. I went back and forth in the store between 8.5 and 9 and ultimately went with the 8.5 since my heel was slipping out of the 9. I walked around the store for quite a bit before deciding to purchase and my feet were very comfortable the whole time. The next day or so I wore them to work. I walked the mile to the train stop and was fine. It was when I stopped walking and was standing on the train when it hit me how badly my feet hurt. My heels to be exact, of course. The bottom of the shoe was quite comfortable and provided a good amount of support, but my feet were quite red and blisters were a-brewing. Once I made my way from the train to my office, I was limping and I had to switch into my backup shoes once at my desk.
Dr. Scholl’s Espadrilles: Passed
I was very excited to try these out because I had a good feeling about these. They literally felt like slippers. So off I went. I will say that I first wore these with several bandaids on each foot from other shoes so my heels were very padded for the first day I wore them. I loved them. They were very easy to walk in and my feet were fine! I will say that once I took the bandaids off a few days later to try and wear them barefoot, my heels did hurt a bit so I put bandaids on, but every time I have worn them, its gotten better and better, so I’m chalking it up to a breaking in period. I can now wear these shoes without bandaids and have absolutely 0 pain.
Birdies: Passed
I was nervous because of how good the sole felt that it would rub on my heel, but alas, no such thing happened. There isn’t really any additional padding around the heel, and after slightly stretching them out with socks, they fit perfectly. They are a big snug in the toe area as well, which caused me to question if I should have gone half a size up from my normal size, but after wearing them a bit more, I decided to stay with the pair I have. I did more than the 1 mile test with these, I probably walked like 3 miles total and my feet were fine. It was like I was wearing tennis shoes, that’s how soft they were. I do wish they had some holes for more ventilation since they are suede, but my feet weren’t too sweaty at the end of the day to really bother me.
Return Policies
Tieks: A
Very easy. Free to and from shipping. You do have to submit a form in order to get a return policy and someone has to approve it, but mine processed by the next day and was very easy to do. It did take a little bit of time for me to actually get refunded, but I won’t dock them for that.
Franco Sarto + Dr. Scholl’s: A
This was a DSW and Nordstrom Rack buy, so it’s not reflective of Franco Sarto or Dr. Scholl’s brands. Obviously DSW and Nordstrom Rack both have great return policies, so they kind of get a free pass.
Birdies: A
Birdies gives free to and from return shipping which is always a plus.
Final Thoughts
Tieks: I am not a fan. They went back.
Franco Sarto: I tried to give them another go, but my feet hurt faster than they did the first time. They went back.
Dr. Scholl’s Espadrilles: LOVE! This is the first pair I kept! I’ve worn them so many times since and they’re just as comfy, if not more.
Birdies: I AM IN LOVE. I think these are the ones I’ve been looking for. The price point is a bit high, but when you walk as much as I do in the city, you are willing to pay a bit more for some quality shoes. I won’t be returning these and have already worn these time and time again. The other styles Birdies has look so cute as well, the slip-ons? Adorable! I’ll probably be getting those soon too.
And that’s it for the 2nd installment of my journey to find the perfect work flat! Of course, if you haven’t checked out the first installment make sure you do so! Just because I’ve successfully found the perfect work shoe, doesn’t mean I’m done shopping for shoes, so if that’s your thing, I’ll still be sharing!
