Customer Reviews Mephisto Helen

Something has changed with these shoes. I have worn these same shoes for years. And this time the size is different. I had to order a size larger than I ordered before. And this is the first time that I have had to break them in. They still are hurting my feet. I am disappointed. No problem with Zappos however as their customer service is always great!

I love the Helen sandal and have it in several colors. They can be worn immediately with no "breaking in" period needed. This navy nubuck sandal, however, is the first sandal I have had problems with. Whenever I wear them, they squeak with each step. It appears the buckle rubbing against the nubuck material of the strap causes the squeak. I'm trying to walk in them indoors to see if I can break them in, but if not, I will have to return them. First time ever for a Mephisto sandal!

These are nice looking, but they were very uncomfortable from the beginning and they did not break-in after several wears. The leather is very stiff with sharp edges. I would steer clear of the patent leather ones.

I liked the style of this shoe, so I ordered it. I have worn Birkenstocks for many years and noticed these were similar and wanted to try them. I ordered a Black Nubuck pair, having to return them as they appeared to have a broken shank. I then ordered a Black Waxy pair, which were very stiff compared to the Nubuck, so I returned them. Then I ordered a Beige pair and have the same thing happen, a broken shank - resulting in squeaking with each step. Zappos was wonderful in assisting me with all of the returns, but I still have no sandals for summer yet.

Have worn this style for many years and have had many pairs. For the first time ever, I am sending them back. They are so tight around the toe strap that I could not get them on easy and when I did they made my toes swell, because they were to skimpy. I think that the pair that I received are probably seconds and just not cut or assembled correctly.

These were a size and a half too small. You'd think a shoe in this price range, and designed for comfort, would get the basics right. If it weren't so significantly smaller than my typical size, I'd say these were comfortable, but no. Reordered a larger size twice, and gave up.

If you are looking for a gray shoe - this one is a shiny silver, not a matte gray like it appeared in the picture. It is also very uncomfortable, both in the way the arch hits my foot and the toe openings. I had a couple red marks on the top of my toes. I did order a size up from my normal size 7 as recommended in reviews, but think the 7 would have been fine, although the shoe itself would have still been uncomfortable (in my opinion).

After admiring these sandals on a friend, I finally treated myself to a pair (they're expensive!) For about 3 weeks I loved them - now, not so much. The leather pulled loose on the right sandal, at the thong portion that comes up between the toes, and now the sandal just flops around on my foot because it's so loose. The leather stretched on both of them, as well - making the loose fit even more of an issue. (They're adjustable, but I've been tightening the buckle as this got worse, and they are now as tight as possible.) They are very difficult to wear, because the flopping means you have to "grip" them with your toes to keep them on. Makes it a little bit dangerous, actually. My other issue is the workmanship. The cork at the back of both of them is beginning to shred and come out - they didn't even make it through a single season. So instead of feeling likea treat, these shoes just feel like an expensive mistake. They've ended up in the Goodwill box. Very disappointed with this "high-end" brand.

I must have gotten a defective pair. There is no way sandals could have such a rock hard and unforgiving footbed. I have an Elia and it is much more comfortable. I have faith in Zappos to give a different pair a try, maybe in nubuck? These shoes caused me huge discomfort when walking, in black waxy leather. I am shocked as most reviews are favorable. I will try nubuck and see if it is better.

I really wanted to like these. Wanted them to be my go-to comfy sandals, but, alas, they are not. My first pair were not quite right so I got the next larger size. They fit pretty well but they look funny - something about getting them bigger makes the proportions look odd.

The base of this sandal is classic, comfortable Mephisto. The bronze leather is a disappointment. It is obviously flimsier than the traditional black leather on my other Helen's. The leather around toe has stretched, causing my foot to slip forward off of the bed. If I had not road tested these sandals out of doors, I would have returned them.

Not as comfortable as silver pair purchased a year or 2 ago (so sad silver pair worn out). Thong uncomfortable, narrower than past Helens I have owned. Yes, broken in. I have worn this summer. I am returning "hazelnut" Helen (ordered with green) because color is unflattering. Expected more of a beige, tan. Brown color is muddy and dowdy (looks like a men's sandal). Please note...I did not return sooner because this sandal is extremely comfortable...was pondering compromising appearance, however, whenever I tried sandals on I was not satisfied with the way they looked with my chosen clothing for the day.

I bought these about 6 weeks ago. While the fit is excellent, it is taking forever for the leather to soften, and this is taking a great toll on my feet. I have had a succession of blisters between the toes and under the upper strap. Now looking for a different pair of sandals, this is enough punishment!

Pinched my toe - I have 3 other pairs of Mephistos in the same style, but this year’s yellow Helen was brutally flawed. The leather is too hard and pinches, especially the left toe- my toe on the top got a blister within 30 minutes of wearing (unfortunately outside so I could not return them). They are also harder and with less padding, less arch support than Mephistos generally has. All in all, a much lesser quality of shoe. I will hesitate before buying Mephistos again.

Proceed with caution if you have bunions. The strap over the toe hits me at precisely the wrong place on my left foot, which has the beginnings of a bunion. That was the second thing I noticed when I tried these on. The first was how supportive the foot beds were. I had never put on a shoe that felt like this -- almost like it was molded to my foot. And that's why I'm so disappointed to have to return them. After trying the shoes on and walking around the house for just a few minutes, I had to face up to it -- that the friction from that strap rubbing along my bunion would have caused a blister. It didn't appear that they would stretch in a way that would make that one shoe more comfortable so I just packed them up to return right away. Your mileage may vary, of course, even if you do have bunions. I had no problem with the right shoe during those few minutes of wearing. I don't really like the look (too hippie-ish), but I had only comfort in mind when I decided to try these.

Mephisto Helen - The top grain model that I purchased is stiff and caused multiple blisters across my instep, bruises and after three weeks of wearing them, they still hurt my feet. I don't think that I would ever purchase it again. A shoe that costs this much should not hurt your feet!

Sorely disappointed - I guess I have a wide foot, because they didn't suit me at all, had blisters all on the side and arch of my foot. The footbed was not comfortable, it scratched a lot. This is overall a great brand, so they are allowed a slip up every now and then.

Tan grain Mephisto Helen - Loved these shoes in nubuck, however the tan grain leather is uncomfortable between the toes even after wearing them several times to try to break them in. I do not recommend them in leather however highly recommend them in nubuck

I wanted to love to sandals as they are very cute. However, the leather was very stiff and irritated the skin near my big toe as well as where the buckle hit the side of my foot. I was very disappointed with the rough and stiff leather. I own several pairs of Mephisto sandals and in comparison these are terrible.

It wasn't wide enough

Felt too narrow and not long enough.

Fit was great - as expected. Color was more a gold than a light sand.

color was darker than expected, hated to return - had Mep Helen in past and they are great but camel color looked lighter on computer