Customer Reviews Gentle Souls by Kenneth Cole Bay Unique

Maybe I am missing something here but if I pay this much for a pair of flats I expect to be wowed. I expect to be able to walk in them all day. If these were cheaper I probably would have rated them a little higher, but for the price, these are not worth the money. Here is why: As far as comfort, yes, these are better than your average flats. However, since they are priced well above your average flats, there is a huge deduction in rating. Comfort is a three to me, because for this price, I should not feel the zipper. Does it rub? No. Does it fit the description another reviewer gave as a "medieval torture device?" No. But, you can feel it. And it is kind of annoying. It is like a hard lump. As for the footbed, it looks lovely. It has those nice little pillows. It is very flexible, but it is not worth the money. You can get similar shoes for considerably less. For this much money, I should be walking on memory foam. I have slippers that put these to shame. If only I could wear them outside. I do not care if this amount is like nothing for you. That is not the point. The point is, for this much money, they could do much better, and I am a firm believer in getting what you pay for. I will pay for a brand name if it has got quality to back it up. These sadly do not. That's not to say they are not quality, they are. They just are not worth this price. And as someone who has a few pairs of cowboy boots that cost a small fortune, I do know what I am talking about here. I do dig the style. And these are very well made. The suede is gorgeous, and that is going to make it very hard to send these back (I am still undecided as to whether or not I will). The comfort, though, that is an issue. I know flats are not the most comfortable shoes in the world, but these boast many promising qualities in comfort that fall short. I guess the jury is still out. Beautiful shoes, just not the package deal.

Love these shoes! The soles and footbed are extremely comfortable. The back of the shoe rubs a bit but will be okay once broken in. The straps provide some support and structure to the shoe. I was worried that the strap would be unflattering cutting off your leg at the ankle, but these are very flattering and as someone mentioned very feminine. Will look adorable with capris or skirts and dresses. Already one of my favorite pairs of shoes!

I lve the zipper in the back. It is easy on easy off and it is true to size. A 6 is a 6. There is no sizing up or down

I live in these shoes! I bought them in black and in gray, and aside from the fact that they are lightweight, roomy, and stay on my feet while I work all day, I get bombarded with compliments because they are adorable. Gentle Souls has become my favorite brand of shoes. Well made, comfortable, and beautiful!

I thought about ordering these shoes for a long time (due to the cost) but finally decided to try them. I absolutely love them! If you like the look of ballet flats, but find you can't wear them -- then these are the shoes for you. I have very thin, delicate feet with small heals and arches that need some support. Typical ballet flats just don't give my feet and ankles enough support, and constantly slip off my feet. These shoes solve that problem, because the ankle strap and high back keeps you right in the shoes where you belong. I wore them today to work, and so many people told me they loved them! They are super cute with skinny or boyfriend jeans. I love Gentle Souls -- it is my new favorite brand. Also love the Gentle Souls "Gabby".

So, once again Gentle Souls nails the 'comfort/style' thing. Ballet flats often slip off my narrow heels, making it hard work to keep them on. The soft, comfy elastic straps take care of this, making them a dream to wear. One thing to note though, for the price, the zipper up the back of the heel, should be a metal one like the other similar styles from this company. The nylon zipper does perform well, but like I said, for the price... Part of the appeal of the shoes from this company is the little design details, and a metal zipper would have been better. Still, they're a 'thumbs-up'.

Love this shoe. I have a wide foot and this shoe fits me well and is quite comfy. I have a difficult time wearing ballet flats because they need to be wide enough for my foot but then my heel comes out of the shoe. The strap is both cute and keeps the shoe on my foot. It is adorable with skirts, dresses and pants and it is easy to put on and take off without having to touch the zipper in back. I am extremely happy with this purchase!

Great shoes. I even had enough room in them for orthotics because of the high back. Soft,comfortable and very stylish. Got lots of compliments. And great Zappos' service as always.

I bought a pair of these shoes about 5 years ago- I remember because I needed a pair of versatile and comfy flats while visiting my friend in Mexico. Fast forward to... last year? I'm still wearing my shoes that feel like gloves until one day once of my beloved high school students pointed out- "Ms., I'm not trying to be rude but your shoes are dirty," slightly grimacing. Alas, it had been an especially challenging school year and I wasn't exactly trying when it came to my wardrobe. However, out of blind love I hadn't noticed that indeed, they had lost their shimmer lol. I have since retired them to my closet out of shame and cannot bring myself to toss them lol. These shoes were worth the cost as they lasted longer than any other pair of shoes I've ever bought (though I don't believe I paid full price when I got them). They're still in great physical shape outside the cosmetic factor. I might just dye them while also investing in a black pair because that's how much I have loved these insanely comfortable shoes!!! I have wide and sweaty feet so flats are almost impossible for me to find comfort in. Most, if they do fit, are lined with a synthetic sweat- inducing lining. Others are synthetic, others' leather is too hard to mold to my feet without significant pain, others' sole too or too little flexible. These are perfect with an insanely comfortable lining and just the right amount of cushioning. Gentle Souls please never stop making these and please make them in more colors!!!! (I have attached before and after 5 years of very frequent wear for reference).

So, so comfortable. I usually find most ballet flat type shoes to be barely tolerable (I wear them to work and stuff like that, but I would never wear them on days I plan to do a lot of walking). These however... I could walk for hours in these. I don't even get blisters (I am crazy prone to blisters on my toes and heels, but with the super soft leather lining these have, I'm totally fine). They're also super cute, although I would prefer a single ankle strap to the cross over thing, but that might be part of what makes them so comfortable.

I am on a Gentle Souls kick lately - everything I've ordered has fit like a charm, including this darling little ballet-like flat. I ordered the black floral, which is quite versatile & has a tiny bit of rusty metallic peeking through the design, just darling. I love how the shoe zips up the back, and the strap adds a different edge and very stylish and holds your foot in place. best of all, this shoe is padded and wildly, madly comfortable. I am thrilled beyond words. Love! If you can get this in your size, do not hesitate. These are worth every penny.

I love these shoes! They are so comfortable-- all the Gentle Souls shoes I've tried are actually extremely comfortable. And I get compliments on these whenever I wear them. The only issue is that they run a little short; I generally take a size 7, but I had to return the 7's for a 7 1/2, which fit great!

These shoes run half zize smaller, very comfortable and stylish. Very feminine.

Love these shoes...have them in Black and Grey. Tons of compliments and if you need more support, you can do what I did...put in another half arch support. I also used a good quality weatherproofing spray (good for suede) that I purchased in a shoe repair store. They aren't cheap, but shoes with real support, for people with flat feet like myself, it's money well spent!

These are super cute and comfortable shoes! I get compliments every time I war them! They fit true to size in the length, but they seemed wide to my super narrow feet.

Beautifully made, comfortable shoe. Runs a bit wide. My 2nd pair of Gentle Souls and I love them. Always exceptional service from Zappos.

So comfy and elegant with jeans, pants, or leggings and a tunic. I get compliments from strangers on how great these look. Good shoes for travel as you can slip them off quickly in the security line. I am an older mom and they are ageless, classic shoes. My 18 year old daughter got a pair in grey and loves them, too.

So comfortable and really cute on! Very expensive, but I'll try to save up for the black pair.

I think Kenneth Cole’s version is not the quality in leather and other materials especially inner sole and outer sole of the original Gentle Souls. I don’t have confidence in the longevity of Cole’s versions of the original Gentle Souls shoes. If the comfort and quality of Kenneth Cole’s version of my beloved original Gentle Souls, I’ll have to search for another company.

I held out on buying these for a long time because of the price - I finally caved and bought them in the gray suede. I have an extremely difficult time finding shoes that fit - I have bunionettes (tailors bunions) and most flats hit in just the wrong spot and rub the bunion or put pressure on it. I thought that the wide toe box in these shoes would prevent that, but unfortunately, the way they're cut won't work for my foot and the top of the shoe cut right across the top of my bunion, which is definitely uncomfortable. Additionally, the toe of the shoe seemed a bit puckered - for such an expensive shoe I'd expect better quality. Overall they are very cute, and I think that if you don't have problem feet like mine or need arch support they'd be comfortable. I could even fit my orthotics in the shoe, which was impressive. It's just not the shoe for me. The search continues!

These shoes are nice and wide and very comfortable...but they are way too big! Had to return them. So sad.

I really wanted this shoe to fit, because it looks great. But I am really a 10 1/2, a size that is hard to find, and going up or down really didn't work. I wanted the leather version, but I suspect that the softer, suede version would have worked in the smaller size. The footbed feels wonderful, and as long as the shoe is available in your size, I am confident you would be very happy walking in this shoe.

I really wanted to like these shoes. They are really cute for "comfort" shoes and I had hoped they could be my daily walking shoe for a trip to Europe this summer. I'm in my 20s, but I broke my foot a few months ago and need to wear more supportive and comfortable shoes now; finding stylish comfort shoes is a challenge. Unfortunately, they were not as comfortable as they appear. They felt a bit long (I usually wear 7.5, but a 7 worked better in these). The width was fine and not too wide, as I'd feared. The ankle straps fit comfortably when I first tried them on, which was a concern, since I have very skinny ankles. However, after only an hour of wearing them around the house, the straps had loosened considerably- they looked bad and felt weird. The zipper didn't bother me at all, though. I also have very high arches and the arch support in these shoes is practically non-existent. It's slightly better than a typical flat, but there was still a significant gap between the shoe and the arches of my foot, so I couldn't feel a thing. The soles are slightly thicker than typical flats, but did not offer as much support and cushioning as I'd hoped; they're still quite thin. Sadly, I'll be returning these and continuing my search.

I asked the question here about the composition of the outer sole because the video showed the black all-rubber sole but the picture showed the one I wanted: the leather sole with rubber strips. I got the following answer: "Not all color options in this series had the rubber and leather soles, but in the case of the current black leather and black suede options, they do. Brendon N. from Zappos on January 9, 2019." Uh, no. I ordered the black leather Bay Unique, and guess what I received today: the black all-rubber sole with the black rubber strips. I am so disappointed. I returned them today. Neil, the phone rep, was great. If the sole means something to you (for me, the all-rubber sometimes sticks to the floor and trips me up), know that you might not (or won't) get the leather sole that's pictured.

This is my favorite shoe EVER. It feels like wearing a sock, leaving your foot completely free and natural, but protected from the elements. It is so cute, too! It fits true to size. Since they've run out of leather, I've added a suede pair for dress occasions to my wardrobe. I hope the manufacturer brings this style back, or at least continues to offer this sort of barefoot feeling in a go-everywhere shoe.