I had high hopes for these as I’ve heard so many good things about American Duchess shoes. Unfortunately there were problems with the shoes I didn’t expect;
1) needs to come with sizing options for the strap as it is just slightly too small. I do not have thicker feet as you can see in the pictures, but the strap just is not long enough & cannot be adjusted as it’s one continuous strip of leather on the shoe.
2) the shank of the shoe should flex with the instep but it’s totally rigid. Shoes were built to flex with the foot, which is why people were able to wear heels all day without them becoming painful. I have pairs of vintage heels that have flexible shanks, and ones without. I’ll let you guess which ones I can wear all day without any problems…
The fitment of these shoes is nice otherwise. Unfortunate that I cannot further test them as I was really looking forward to wearing them out.
Hi Molly,
We do recommend that customers use a button hook for all of our button shoes, even ones like the Anna Mays that only have one button because our straps are designed to fit snuggly... even if it looks impossible to button, sometimes that's not true when you use a button hook!
That being said, button boots and shoes are just by their very nature less easily adjustable than a ones with laces or buckles. If the strap almost reaches, but not quite, moving the button is an option, we leave extra room just for this! You can have buttons moved professionally by a cobbler, or we have instructions on how to do that yourself here: https://www.americanduchess.com/pages/how-to-move-shoe-boot-buttons
We don't currently make shoes with flexible shanks.
~The American Duchess Team
AD shoes are not cheap, and I’ve invested hundreds in several pairs because I want to support small brands, and love the concept of offering vintage styles.
Again, I purchased these in November, and they are not daily shoes, so I’ve worn them occasionally over a 4-month period. In that short time, the elastic was a flimsy string about to break. I took them to my cobbler, and he pointed out it was impossible to replace the elastic without cutting into the strap. See pics. Also, why the button that constantly unscrews, can be lost, and then offer replacements online? It seems these were crafted not to last without putting more money to fix poor quality design choices.
We're sorry you had trouble with your elastic! If the elastic is becoming prematurely worn, you should check that the strap is fitting properly and not putting too much strain on the button - you can always contact us at info@americanduchess.com for fitting questions and advice! It looks like your photo is of the stitching your cobbler did, as there's no stitching in this area on the original shoes. We're not quite sure what you mean by impossible to replace without cutting through the strap, as no cutting is needed. Perhaps you meant sewing through the strap? We do recommend sewing through the leather to sew on a new button or new elastic. Buttons of any type undergo a lot of stress, and since our customers often wear our shoes for a decade or more, we also provide two free buttons in the shoe box as a courtesy in case one comes off. Some folks accidentally throw these out or lose those free extras, so we also offer replacements for sale on our site so that you can keep your shoes going for years to come!
I love the way the shoes look! I have Pradas, Versaces, and Repettos and all sorts of shoes but, after my high-heeled Mary Jane Repettos, my husband finds these the sexiest! That's saying a lot.
Comfort is a bit better than the aforementioned except my Repettos. I ordered the button hook to deal with the button and now it is easy. These are not going to be walking shoes--none of my pretty heels are--but I will wear them to a lot of special events.
I'd say they run slightly small, so I'd go up a size. For example, I am 6.5 in Prada and 37 in Repetto. I took a 7 in these.
These are perfect and so comfortable!
thank you for your quick respond 5 star to that ♡.
I got two pairs of shoes: a size 6 for myself and a size 6.5 for my sister. Unfortunately, my sister's pair (6.5)was too small for her but fit me perfectly, so she gave it to me. My own pair (6) , on the other hand, didn't fit me at all, and it didn't fit my sister either-LOL
We're happy that the 6.5W Paris boots worked well for you! If you ever need fit advice, you can email our customer service team at info@americanduchess.com and they'll be happy to help!
always size up
Happy to assist! We see you chose two very different sizes on the same order- a 6.5W for the boot and a 6 for the pump. We wouldn't expect both of those sizes to fit the same foot; did you perhaps accidentally add the wrong size to your cart for one of them?
My Wife is in love with these shoes. I bought them for her as a Christmas gift as a hope that she’d like them. She put them on and was instantly in love with them
Really it's one of, if not my most used pair of shoes I wear in general. I had a slight issue with it's button, but Duchess provided a thorough step by step on how to fix it and it worked like a charm!
PROS: they are beautiful and walkable heels.
CONS on fit:
It seems almost impossible to get the button out of hole, and I thought you could slide your foot into this shoe, and popped the button off fresh out of the box. Then I struggled to get the other strap open on other shoe, but could BARELY get the strap over my foot to reach the button. After fixing busted button with jewelry pliers, and generously spraying the straps and shoes with leather stretch, and breaking them in with socks, they finally fit. I also had to stretch and soften the button hole to get it through. They take some work and breaking in to get to the point of comfortable.
We're glad you like them! Do note that we HIGHLY recommend using a button hook to fasten the Anna Mays, and all of our button shoes. Doing it without a button hook is Extra Hard mode and impossible for some folks - be sure to use the correct tool for the job!
For context I waited 2 years to buy these shoes. They were sold out/ not available then finally I was able to get them for myself as a birthday gift this past summer. Kind of impossible to put on. I fought with the tiny button hole on the strap for 20 minutes the first time I tried putting them on. They fit perfectly. The strap is just extremely poorly designed/ impossible to use. The shoes were borderline unwearable because of this flaw. I’ve only worn them twice and the second time I wore them the button snapped clean off. $200 for a pair of shoes with the wearability and quality of an American girl doll shoe. I don’t even write reviews normally but this was absurdly disappointing.
We're sorry you had trouble with the strap! We do advise using a button hook to put these on, as would have been done in the original era they were made. As the strap should fit fairly snugly, it can be very difficult to do up the button without the suggested hook, and you may twist or pull too hard on the button and snap it. Remember you can always reach out to us at info@americanduchess.com for advice if you're having difficulty!
Love, Love, Love my new shoes!
Bought for wedding guest outfit. I have a 10.5 in wide foot and a 11 in medium width foot. Both shoes felt tight at the toe. Wish they came in wide width. Toe deceptively pointer than picture shoes. I may get a larger size but fear 12 are just too large.
I finally took the risk and ordered the red Mary Jane's, and I absolutely love them! The quality of the finishings is classic and the fit is comfortable if a little tight, but I didn't know if if the wide would stretch to be too wide after a while so I went for the regular. Now the matching red 20's dress has to be completed!
The usual high quality is present in these shoes. I love the true navy colour as well. My only issue is as I have a narrow foot I’m slipping towards the toe. I wish narrow widths were available so I wouldn’t have to do my usual voodoo padding in the shoes to keep my foot where it should be.
We're so glad you like them! For narrow feet that slip forward, we find that ball of foot cushions tend to be the best solution. These not only add a bit of nice padding, but they act as a gripstop to keep your foot positioned correctly in the shoe without slipping forward. There's a variety of styles and types on the market; we have some on our site in the accessory section that we swear by, but depending on what works best for you and your feet, you can also find gel and other varieties and thicknesses at many stores!
A beautiful supple leather these are high heels but they fit me perfectly and look gorgeous
These shoes (which I lusted for since last year) are everything I hoped for. They look even better in the flesh, and on my feet. They are even comfortable! The button is very tight on the first outing, but just go easy. I had them on for five hours straight with outdoors walking (on pavement) on their first outing and my feet were fine, even though I have a metatarsal toe joint that has had too many old dancing injuries to be happy on high heels. I am so pleased with them.
Wow these are even more elegant in person!! Such high quality stitching and craftsmanship! But GRACIOUS the strap on top is TIGHT. I am a true size 8 and the shoe itself is a bit snug but I figure it'll loosen up once I break them in a bit. But the strap is UNFORGIVING💀💀-- It's a challenge to button it since there's not a ton of length to it. Actually it's partially why I didn't feel like I could exchange them after the initial try on, I felt like the button hole had been noticeably disturbed after id managed to secure it. Weirdly enough the strap itself isn't tight once secured but it's a challenge getting it closed nonetheless. I would recommend getting a half size up (at least, that's what I'll be doing when I purchase another pair in a different color).
All in all very gorgeous! I feel like Fran Fine from The Nanny.😆 The shoe is very versatile and goes with many outfits.
We're so glad you're loving your Anna Mays! We do recommend using a button hook when fastening the button as our straps are designed to fit snuggly and it can be very hard to fasten the button with your fingers. If the strap is still too tight when using a button hook, you can move the button closer to the edge of the shoe to give yourself a bit more room. You can take your shoes to your local cobbler to do this professionally, or we have instructions on how to do that yourself here: https://www.americanduchess.com/pages/how-to-move-shoe-boot-buttons
I own a pair of shoes from you. The MaryJane shoes are too tight and the strap does not reach all the way across my arch. I will either give them away or throw them in the trash. I am not going through the hassle of returning them. I gave the exact measurements as my first pair of shoes. I may try to get a larger pair or stop getting your products altogether.
We're sorry the fit isn't quite right! Returns or exchanges are free and easy and certainly better than throwing a pair of full price new shoes in the trash. We even supply a free return shipping label! We're always happy to help with fit questions to help you select the size that will best fit, adapt the size you have to fit, or to answer any questions about returns and exchanges - just email us at info@americanduchess.com. We never go by measurements for sizing, and we don't have any record of any past correspondence or previous orders under your name, phone number, or email, so we're a bit confused by this review; we encourage you to email us with any questions you may have!
These shoes fit me like a glove. They are beautifully made, and I love the way they look. I'm a sucker for a Louis heel, and I love the Twenties--these shoes make me very happy. I will be buying more in the future.
A great everyday heel (once you know that you need a button hook to close them) with a great silhouette. Incredibly comfortable, they feel like they were made especially for my feet.
I bought the millie oxblood and I love them however I would really like size 8 in AnnaMay Oxblood & Navy. When do you expect to restock those? Thank you.!!!
Hi Colleen,
Please send an email to our customer service team at info@americanduchess.com, they'll be happy to look at the restock lists for you.
