I've been buying and wearing this style for 15 years, it's by far the most comfortable competition dress I've had, it's probably my 4th or 5th pair I've worn them for 2-3 years . That's good, now the bad: the bottom of the sole comes off the shoe every time. It usually takes several months to wear them. I keep buying them because they are so damn comfortable. This time the breakup started almost immediately, very disappointing especially since they don't come cheap. It's actually too late to send it back now, I got it for Christmas, but I'm thinking what I can do better next time, even if it costs more. But they are so comfortable.