Heels are wonderful. They make short women taller, give the illusion of toned legs, and allow an air of elegance whenever worn. You’re never not impressed by a girl who can walk well in heels, but most of the time, they hurt. Badly.

I’d love to have that elegant air going for me all the time, but my pain tolerance isn’t very high, so I resort to other types of shoes to bypass the “no shirt, no shoes” rule. But that, too, is hard. In the summer, cute sandals are great, and in the winter, boots are awesome, but sandals fall apart and you can’t wear boots when the Texas winter is 80 degrees. There are many more types of shoes, but the other big category left is ballet flats.

I’ve always had mixed feelings about ballet flats. My feet are wide and my arches are tall, so it’s hard to find ballet flats that are both comfortable and cute. I’ve always thought that they were a myth, so when I started seeing Tieks ads everywhere, I was suspicious.

Tieks by Gavrieli are a ballet flat that is supposedly perfect. They’re made with durable Italian leather and strong soles split in two so they can fold up and fit in a purse. They even have a vegan collection.

After my initial research, I still wasn’t convinced, so I let Tieks slip out of my mind. Until I saw an article the next day reviewing them. I clicked and read it, which spiraled into googling “Tiek reviews” and researching everything about the company. Be warned: they’re expensive. However, I made the executive decision to get a pair to try anyway.

This is what I got in the mail.

Adorable, right? Teal is actually one of my favorite colors, and the little flower and card made the box interesting. I’m a big fan of good packaging, and this was great. I’m also a fan of reaching out to the individual, so the handwritten note they sent me was a happy surprise.

They came folded up, compact enough to fit in a purse, along with a stretchy storage bag and a second bag to store alternative shoes in! They smelled like new leather and were incredibly soft, with promising squishy insoles and everything. They were more than thorough, and I was excited to, as the Tieks Team said, see where my blueprints took me.

Day One

I ordered taupe because they go with just about everything. I was happy that they didn’t show much of the spaces between my toes (as my feet are short). When I put them on, I felt the comfort of the insoles immediately and my arches thanked me.

At first, the Tieks squeaked when I walked, but it only took about twenty minutes for that to go away. I noticed right away that the soles elevated my feet a little and I couldn’t feel any pebble or twig on the ground as I walked, something that no flat has done for me before. My campus is not very big, but I walked across it several times that day and my feet felt fine the entire time. There was minimal rubbing on my Achilles and on the front by my toes, and I didn’t need to kick them off during my classes like I do with my other shoes.

Day Three

The shoes have now conformed to me feet and the arch support is really helping. I did, though, figure out a minor problem.

Usually, the thick soles are really awesome and have great traction, but it rained today. Even the A+ traction couldn’t hold up to wet grass, and I definitely wiped out in public. I still think the shoes are awesome, but in wet weather, I’m going to stick to sidewalks.

Day Five

I didn’t plan it like this, but I took a surprise hike on a hill with my Tieks on. I wouldn’t advise this, but surprisingly, they held up really well. I couldn’t feel any of the sticks or pebbles on the ground through the thick soles, and I stayed off the grass so the traction was good. They got a little muddy, but with only a wet paper towel, it wiped right off. No stain, no embedded dirt. They look like the hike never happened, and I think that’s amazing.

Day Seven

The last day of my week with Tieks, I went to a little indoor amusement park to end the week with a bang. It was a fun time because I didn’t worry about my feet. Usually about an hour in, my Achilles starts chafing and I have to step on the back of the flats to avoid bloodshed, which makes them incredibly hard to walk in. Tieks has a soft back with a squishy pad to avoid rubbing, and it worked. Not only that but the arch support held up for four hours, through bumper cars and mini golf and walking back and forth across the building playing arcade games.

When I got back that night, I didn’t sigh in relief when I took them off because I didn’t have to. My feet felt totally fine, toes, arches, and Achilles included. Though they’re expensive shoes, they’ve held up through some taxing days, and I’m sure they’ll hold up for much longer. If you’re a ballet flat type of person or just need a comfortable (and cute) shoe alternative, I highly recommend Tieks.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go order another pair.