I've always wanted to own a pair of Florsheims, but in Malaysia, a typical pair starts at around US$250.00. Plus, very few stores carry them. I was thus delighted to see Amazon carry the Lexingtons for USD 109.00. I wear a European size 10 (US 11) but I read in a review that Florsheim makes their shoes big, so I went with a size 10.5EE as I have broad feet. Out of the box, the first thing that struck me was how small the shoes appeared. Sure enough, lined up against my Hush Puppies and Scholls, the Florsheims were at least an inch shorter! They were, however a half inch longer than my favorite pair of loafers. I tried them on and groaned cos these shoes were so stiff, in fact they were hard! The first day, I wore them briefly. They DID NOT SQUEAK, regardless of walking surface. They felt well built and sturdy and had very good grip. They also had a brilliant shine, although the finish was not as great as the picture on the Amazon site. The second day was a full on affair, lasting approximately 16 hours. I came back with abraded skin on my toes, blisters over my outer ankle bone, and severe pain in my midfoot, the area below the tongue of the shoe. Hands down, these were the most uncomfortable shoes I've ever owned. The shoe had been made in such a way that the area around the ankle was narrow, with the prominent tongue of the shoe cutting into the skin there. Again, the super stiff leather didn't help, constantly prodding against the skin and ankle bones. The short shoe laces made lacing-up a trying affair, and do no favors for a premium brand shoes. Now, I've been wearing them daily for a week, and I've begun to tolerate them. They are still far from comfortable, and the hard sharp edged tongue and the narrow space around the laces still torment my right foot. The shoes are also difficult to slip on and often nearly impossible to take off! Afterwards, I'll hobble around for a bit while cursing my decision to buy these shoes. Perhaps, I should have gone with a size 11. My advice to future buyers would be to get a slightly larger size than what you'd normally buy. These, as other reviewers have noted, are not shoes that break in easily( I've never had to break in the plethora of Hush Puppies and Scholls I've owned). So, spare yourself the agony and go with a bigger size. Or better still, ignore these shoes and go for something made with a softer variety of leather. However, they do look classy and have a great shine, hence the 3 stars!
