I like the look of these shoes but the quality is lacking. In particular, the stitching on these shoes is very bad. With the 1st pair I ordered, the seams in the right lace area (see picture) started to unravel after a few weeks. I returned them and the same with the second pair, only this time it was the left boot. Very frustrating. The size is normal. I wear a 13 in all my shoes and ordered them in a 13 and they fit great. Steve Madden, embroider right!