I've been buying Clark shoes since 1995 and these shoes are terrible. They are so stiff that I wore a pair of thick, soft socks underneath my black socks to wear when I went out to dinner with friends. They were "new" and I thought. they just have to be broken. The material does not flex/flex like the current Clark shoes I own. After dinner I got in the car and undressed them. came home in socks! They must be added to the description. "Fits like a pair of Dutch clogs". (I don't want to offend the people of Holland with a dress code)