The shoes are lovely, although they would probably favor slender legs due to the "caged" look. I ordered a 1/2 size larger based on the countless reviews here as well as Nordstrom's recommendation to size up. I should've followed my gut and trusted my previous experience with Valentino shoes (I own two pairs). Yes, you could size up and the shoe with still look good and be more roomy and comfortable. However, please note that these shoes have a very low vamp cut; so, if you do size up, you could end up with a horrible toe cleavage, depending on how long or short your toes are. I've never had this issue with the other two pairs of Valentino's that have a similar cut and are in my correct size (6.5), so the issue I had with ordering a 7 has to be related with the size of the shoe rather than the model. I just re-ordered my true size and I'm sure the issue will be resolved.
I am not sure why, but I can't seem to wear these shoes without any discomfort. They are beautiful shoes, for sure, but in terms of practicality, I can't seem to make them functional for me. They just hurt my feet so bad!
