Get ready! Here’s another shoe review. I had this lined up for a while and finally got around to posting:
From a purely aesthetic point of view, the Everlane Day Flat is perfect. The simple design begs to be worn every day. The subtle details elevate them within the basic category. Modest, sophisticated, are words that come to mind. I love the buttery matte leather and the barely noticeable monotone stitching that reinforces the edge. A strong shoe never looks cheap. The soles are surprisingly thick too. You wouldn’t know because the soles are inverted into the shoe; they look paper thin from the outside but theres actually a 1/2 inch rise.
The main reason I bought these: I wanted a flat that rises high on the forefoot, which is not an entirely new idea, but the thickness and structure sets these apart from the floppy “glove” flats you might have seen elsewhere. And the price was right. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the elastic heel, but wasn’t deterred when the folds flattened out when worn.
I wore these around the Everlane show room and they felt a tiny bit snug along the sides, but I figured they’d stretch out like the reviews had suggested. When I actually put these babies on the road, my feet felt strangled, and I have skinny feet so if you have even medium wide feet, do not even bother with these. Then the blisters came along the heel! And even with skin tape, my achilles tendon was sore from the pressure. The elastic is much too constricting and after a few steps, the elastic propels your foot forward within the shoe causing the toes to get smushed. Painful!
I went down a youtube rabbit hole on how to properly stretch leather shoes and decided to bring them to the cobbler to get them widened. It took two treatments and 4 days, and still they feel snug! Not as bad as before, but still annoyingly tight. The cobbler put a layer of vibram along the entire length of the sole. It’s thin so you can’t see it from the side. This made a big difference in how stable I felt walking in these. I’d highly recommend you do this with any shoe you plan on wearing out a lot. The elastic heel is still a problem. When I’m not wearing them I stuff the shoes with socks to gradually loosen the elastic. A proper shoe tree would probably work better, but I didn’t want to shell out $20 at Nordstroms… In the meantime, I’m using moleskin to protect my heels.
This sounds like a whole lot of fuss over a pair of shoes doesn’t it? It looks effortless, but has required a whole lot of effort to get a tolerable fit. Maybe I’m crazy, but I still love them and determined to break them in!
[outfit: eileen fisher linen top*, levi’s 501 ct, everlane day flat (US 9)]
UPDATE: After cutting the elastic band at the heels with a tiny pair of scissors, these shoes feel perfect! The elastic band was much too constricting and pushed the foot forward. When the band is cut, the shoe maintains its structure and does not fall off the foot.
Please do a 100 wears update. Everytime I mention it on my blog, I get comments about the mediocre quality of Everlane shoes. From what I can see, they look wonderful.
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Thanks.. yes, I’ll report back after 100 wears (or so)! the quality of the materials is good but it’s the fit that is off.
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I feel you. I bought two pairs of shoes – perfect Italian made brogues and ballerinas – and while the first turned out to be too tight, the latter were too big but too tight with shoe inserts. I still need to break them in, especially the brogues, and thought a lot about letting them go because they have very limited use for my lifestyle if they cause me pain when wearing. But I decided not to and rather take my time to do the best I can to adjust them to my needs. Do you have some Youtube recommendations?
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On how to stretch out leather:
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Amazing! I have been searching high and low for some new pumps. Thanks for posting this.
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Question for you regarding your update: where/how did you cut the elastic in the heels? Mine are digging into my Achilles and I’m desperate! These were supposed to be my comfy shoes….
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It required using a pair of tiny scissors to make a slit incision on the interior side of the heel.. then I cut thru the elastic thats inside.
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Michelle, are you still wearing these? I love my Day flats and Day heels but the elastic digs in terribly by the end of the day and I’m also considering snipping on both pairs. Does the shoe stay on your foot well without the elastic?
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I still occasionally wear these. Cutting the elastic made all the difference. They stay on the foot and I never had a problem with the heel since. Now the only issue I have with them is feeling too swampy on a hot day.
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This is so helpful. I just bought a pair and it feels like the elastic at the back is going to cut through my foot! Did you cut through a whole elastic? Could you include a photo? I’m just so leery to snip such an expensive pair of shoes; I don’t want to screw them up!
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I wore those shoes into the ground so don’t have them anymore. I’d recommend using an exacto knife or tiny scissors to carefully cut the inner band all the way through the elastic. As long as you leave the outer leather intact, it should be good. g’luck
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