Birkenstock Women's London Comfortable Leather Slip-On Shoes - Casual & Work Flats for Women - Perfect for Office, Travel & Everyday Wear

I use them for kitchen and work for confortabiliry I may have to change the soles to make non slipIm a Exec Chef with over 25 yrs on the field. I have use plenty of shoes in my career. Back in the days I use to wear the birkis, I have seen these but never pull the trigger to buy them. Why I waited so long IDK!!!!! This are the most comfortable shoes that I have wear for the kitchen. The first week or so they are a little snug to your feet and they are slightly unfortable while they are getting break in. But once they do OMG!!! They are super, super, super comfortable. Go ahead and buy them. You will not be disappointed. They are not slip resistant but I haven’t had any issues walking in wet floors, greasy floors or freezer floor. Don’t hesitate like me for way too long. I will definitely will be buying only this for now on.For you novice purchasers there are a few caveats. When brand new, they arrive too stiff; you have to break them in. This London-style are especially stiff. There is a lot of substantial leather and the soles were made for long-time wearing so people be patient. Upon my first fit, I had difficulty buckling them and when I did it was hard to bend my feet for walking, but because I've been wearing Birkenstocks for 45+ years, I know what to do, take the time to break them in. After 19 days of wearing for an hour or so 2 to 3 times a week, the buckle now knows where to go, I'm now comfortably standing and walking for several hours a day in them, but I still can't wear them all day, yet. I know that day will come. My only disappointment is the heel counter rise (aka Achilles tendon protector) is weird feeling. I still don't know if I like this protection. Also, there seems to be too much space between the arch and the heel counter, but my experience has been once they are broken my feet will mold to the cork inner sole. When I start to wear my usual thick socks, I'm confident that one day soon, I'll have another pair of Birkenstock shoes that will last for a good 20 years.I've had over a dozen pairs of Birkenstocks, with at least five of them being Londons. I have always had jobs where I was on my feet a lot, including bartending and teaching, so comfortable shoes are very important. (Teaching also explains why I have had so many Londons - sandals just don't look professional enough for most teaching positions.) I'm now starting to battle gout, so the need for comfortable shoes has just jumped exponentially. I've tried wearing athletic shoes and light hikers, but the Birkenstock cork sole quickly conforms to your feet in a way that no other material can and you quickly have a shoe that fits your foot like it was made for it.I've seen a lot of reviews that complained about how tight the London feels when it is brand new. This is normal because of the materials the shoe is made from. Both cork and leather will break in, providing the perfect amount of space in the shoe for your foot. If the shoe came with an already perfect fit, it would quickly feel too large as the material broke in. Remember, the Birkenstock's secret to comfort lies in the fact it will conform perfectly for your foot! Agreed, the break-in is uncomfortable, but quick. When I wear the shoe for years of blissful comfort, I barely remember the break-in.A note on Birkenstocks in general: I have had one pair of Birks that I didn't like. It was the Arizona, which does not have a heel or heel strap. When wearing a heal-less shoe, I had to curl my toes all the time to keep the shoes on my feet. This was the only time I've found a pair of Birks uncomfortable. I recommend you always get a pair with a heel of some kind.As far as durability, I wore Londons when I taught in a native village near the Arctic Circle in Alaska. I have found that as long as you keep the leather protected (I use a beeswax product) it does just fine in occasional wet conditions. I make sure they're sufficiently dried every night. They're not as durable as hiking boots, but who would expect them to be? When worn for teaching, I expect a pair to last a few years. I have had several pairs resoled (just the rubber part replaced) and worn them even further.If you're up for a few days of break-in, I think you'll find the London an amazingly comfortable, professional shoe. I bet my feet on it!The leather is stiff and I have high arches, so they just did not hit my foot correctly. They are well made shoes, it just is not a style that fits my foot.I thought I would need one size larger since I was wearing socks. That was not the case. I could not get the brown ones, frankly the black is ugly to me. So, I returned them (easy) and bought a brown clog. They are lovelyI was worried that these would not fit. I wear a 36 in sandals so I ordered the 36 in these. I have to unbuckle then to get my feet in and they are like gloves on my feet! I have enough room that my toe doesn’t hit the front of the shoe and the arch support hits just right. I wore them with socks and didn’t have an issue with rubbing. I was able to put them on and not have an issue with being uncomfortable. They of course will take some time to be SUPER comfortable, but in no way were they worse than some of my sandals that took a few weeks to break in. Maybe it was the socks? I think that it’s probably personal preference and also width of your foot. I have a narrow foot so I had zero issues with them being overly tight. I wouldn’t say they were fashionable ha ha. My husband now calls me a foot hippie, but my happy feet don’t care. No more heels for this gal!Length and width are okay but shoe is loose around the top with no way to tighten it. Kinda bummed. Also arch support isn’t great. I need a pair of respectable black shoes to wear at work and just am not willing to smush my toes any longer. Hoped these would be the ticket. Not sure. Might return.They are so loose around the top, I think I will end up with blisters since they don’t conform to my foot.Comfortable for being on your feet all day. I ended up getting a size larger than my normal Birkenstock sandal size to give the shoe enough room for my foot to move in. These are actually "narrow" fit, which I didn't realise until I'd worn them in. The advert doesn't tell you this and the Birkenstock UK website only sells them in "regular", so just be careful what you order! This oversight is why I give them 4 stars not 5.There surpose to be black there not they are grey & sole are black . So customer is disappointed as they don't blend in with work uniformthey are like 2 different shoes as buckle on one side have to use last hole but not on other shoe, one shoe is very hard to do up, customer not happy as alot of money for faulty goodsAs expected long working hours in standing position is a piece of cake now. Well made, quality leather shoes. Takes a week to get used to it but after that cant work without it. Very important that feet doesn't sweet in these, don't have to add that is very comfortable in daily usage. Regular 45 is bit too width for me, length spot on (same like ecco brand can't go wrong with that ). Highly recommend.These shoes are great - however, this particular listing is offering the 'narrow' Birkenstock fitting (which I personally don't feel is made very clear in the listing). So if you are looking for a regular fitting, you will need to look elsewhere. Once I finally resolved my mistake and got a pair in the regular fitting, I am pleased to say they are very comfortable shoes and I love wearing them!My feet would like to say thanks to Birkenstock. And you have improved their quality of life immeasurably, ordered another pair of cloggs