I couldn't even last five minutes in them at home... could barely walk from my bedroom to living room, and my poor little toes were ✨throbbing✨ even whilst sitting on the couch with them on and being elevated... However, when I impulsively asked in store if they happened to have any So Kates in my size (EU 43) - I was able to walk around the store, and had them on for a good 25 minutes, did a mini photoshoot with them on, etc., etc. - I then impulsively bought them because they were relatively affordable for a pair of shoes that were so iconic, and promptly returned them the next day after realising I would never step foot out of the house in them... and to think I was going to wear them whilst in drag for Halloween!
Although I only owned a pair of So Kates for about 12 hours, here are the pics that will be forever iconic... and opened the gateway for me to find pointed toe boots in the women's section (because men's boots are never as pointy as I like them to be, and if I can fit into a pair of So Kates, then I can fit into anything, but that's another story...)
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Just for lol's the men's loafer was the same price as the So Kate, and I know if I brought those home, I would still have them in my shoe collection, but look at how boring, and unsexy they are compared to the So Kates...
The So Kates are so very, very tricky. First, you went with the patent leather, which I've never had the nerve to try (I also have a personal preference for the Nappa leather; to my eyes, those are a little more classy and elegant). However the Nappas will work but it takes a little juggling (and I've got the hole in my purse to prove it!).
When I first decided to get a pair of So Kates, all I managed to read was a few entries about how tight they were, so I got a half-size larger than my normal, 39. The toes were killing me, so I figured no way could I get anything smaller.
Within a week of wearing them at home every day, they were sliding off my foot. Needless to say, they were too worn at that point to return them, so I waited a year like a good little girl and then bought them in 38.5. Those broke in just as fast (though obviously they hurt even more at first), but, once they were broken in, even in those I would occasionally experience heel slippage, particularly toward the end of the day (my feet are not like normal human beings; they get SMALLER during the day and are at their largest in the morning).
So, a year later, I bit the bullet, and bought a pair of 38's.
BZZZZTTTTT. No, no dice.
There were days when they actually felt pretty good, and it was great to be able to literally run and jump in them without having to worry about them falling off. I've never felt so stable and secure in a pair of ultra high heels in my life; it was a wonderful feeling -- for a while. But after almost four months of sticking with it, I was still experiencing unbearable pain at times, and the areas that needed to break in, particularly around my little toe, just WASN'T BUDGING.
And I think I know why.
Though you can't actually see it, I think there's a difference in the leather between the extreme point and the area just in back of it. The extreme point is hard as a rock and will never mold or break in or budge. But just behind it there's an area where the leather is very soft and will break in almost immediately. That was the case with the 38.5s; but, in the 38s, my toes were just too far forward; they were met with this implacable resistance where the leather absolutely refused to budge. I tried everything, vaseline, etc., but there was no improvement; I hit a brick wall after about a month and it just stopped improving.
So I guess I'm stuck with the 38.5s; they're fine most of the time, but I'd love that little extra bit of stability and security of the 38s if I could get it. I guess my correct size in So Kates are 38.25!
