With all of my treks across campus, standing and pacing while lecturing, running errands, and attending long conferences, it’s undeniable that I am on my feet quite a bit. For someone who is on the go as much as I am, comfortable shoes are a must! One of the difficulties with comfy shoes is that you often have to sacrifice style. That is certainly not the case with Tieks ballet flats. Today, I am going to share my experience of why I love Tieks from purchasing to wearing them!
Tieks are exactly as the company describes: the most versatile flats in the world. Tieks are the most comfortable ballet flats I have come across. They’re made of leather and are designed to stretch and mold to your feet as well as fold and fit in your bag. The sole is a pop of a bright teal (totally grabs others’ attention!) that is thick to provide support, shock absorption, and is non-skid. The midsole is leather and is flexible and durable so it can be worn and bent, plus folded and unfolded over and over again. Tieks come in a wide variety of colors and styles!
When I first started teaching and presenting at conferences) I would constantly make the mistake of wearing heels for hours thinking that the pain of sore feet was worth the price of looking stylish. One reason I would opt for heels was that I was very picky about flats. It was hard to find flats that were stylish, comfortable, durable, and most importantly, worth the price. One day during a Pinterest session, I came across an ad for Tieks. The pop of teal on the sole of the flat drew my attention and I needed to know more. Fortunately, there are many other Tieks fans who have posted their thoughts, plus tips for breaking them in and general care. Based off of reviews, it seemed that Tieks met all of my criteria for purchasing flats.
Tieks have especially been great for solving my “sore feet from wearing heels all day” dilemma. I still like to wear heels when I am teaching or presenting at conference because they go well with my outfit and heels typically make me feel more confident (and taller because I am so short!). With Tieks, I no longer have to suffer in heels all day just to “look the part” for a brief presentation. Now, I wear my Tieks all day and when it’s time to present, I conveniently fold my Tieks, store them away in my bag, and switch over to my heels. As soon as I finish presenting, I am quick to kick my heels off and pop my Tieks back on! Lately, I have found myself not opting to wear heels (not only because of the pain, but because they take up too much space in my bag!). The classic style and incredible comfort of Tieks have converted me to the wonderful ballet flat life.
As a graduate student on a budget, the price of Tieks made my heart drop and my wallet crawl away to hide in the corner. However, I realized that the reason many of my flats weren’t stylish, comfortable, and (especially) durable was that they were cheap. All of my flats in my closet were meant to just “look cute” rather than function the way I needed them too. My Mama has always told me that even if the price of something is a little steep, it’s better to invest in something that is high quality. Otherwise, you’ll end up wasting money on things that you never end up using or things that only last for a short amount of time. A lot of people expressed that Tieks are definitely worth the price, so I took the plunge and decided to give them a shot.
For my first pair of Tieks, I ordered a size 7 in Classic Matte Black. I usually wear a size 7 and sometimes a 7 ½, so I was pretty sure (based off of reviews and such) that a size 7 was right for me. My new pair arrived in an adorable box with the sweetest personal note. I started wearing my Tieks and they fit perfectly. Although, even after I broke them in, for some reason my pinky toes would start going numb after several hours of wear. I was able to solve this problem by stretching them out some more, but I found that going up a size completely solved this issue. Other than that, my new Tieks became my go-to pair of flats!
It’s been a few years since I bought my first pair, and since I love my Tieks so much, I decided to get another pair and give an up-to-date review on purchasing, breaking them in, comfort, and sizing. This time, I decided that maybe I should size up to an 8 since I was having “toe-numbing” issues with my 7’s. Thankfully, Tieks has GREAT customer service and I was able to get both a size 7 and 8 and try them on together. *NOTE: If you are trying on Tieks, make sure you only wear them around the house and don’t wear them outside because then you cant return them!* I decided to go with an 8 in Classic Metallic Gold because I knew they would match pretty much anything in my closet. I received them in another cute box the week before I had a practitioner training. I figured that I should break them in and then give them a good run the week of the training. I wore them a few times the week before to try and break them in as much as I could. The week of the training, I already started to feel my new Tieks forming to my feet. I was SO happy going up to the size 8 because I didn’t have numb pinky toes at the end of the day. I was a little worried about the bigger size because I know that leather stretches as you wear it, but I found that, even with a little wiggle room, the Tieks formed to my feet. The cushions on the bottom are so supportive and make me feel like bouncing around (more than usual). As the week went on, I actually forgot that I was wearing shoes at all! I can’t stress enough how comfortable these ballet flats are!
As someone who used to pain through presentations and conferences from sore feet, I can now say these days are no more! Even if I opt to wear heels during my presentations (to give me a little boost of confidence), I wear my Tieks up until I start to present, pop them off, fold them away, and stash them in my bag. Immediately after the presentation I switch back over to my Tieks!
With the holidays coming up, I plan on purchasing a few more (or convincing the hubby to gift them!), to add some more pop to my outfits!
Cheers!
Kelly
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