My Ryan ODonnell soft shoes

More about the company...

This is strictly my opinion about my newest soft shoes. 

A lot of questions have been asked around Tumblr about the newest soft shoes by Ryan & O'Donnell.

 Are they good quality? Do they stretch a lot? What size should I get?

I wear a street shoe size 8 and I got the 5 1/2. They do not stretch very much. My advice to you would be to get a size that is only a tiny bit small and then by the time that they have been worked in completely, they will fit perfectly! I bought my pair in May of this year and they still have that new soft shoe arch. They are extremely comfortable and it feels like I am not wearing soft shoes because of the weightless effect. The extra hole on each side of the shoe helps me arch my foot a little bit more if you bring the strings from the inside out. It makes a big difference! My heels have experienced no blistering and the usual painful process of breaking in new shoes is eliminated.  I noticed the gel inserts at first but now I am not even aware of them anymore.

To the people who have BIG calluses or bunions on the side of your big toe, BEAWARE! I have one callus and it tends to slide into the very top left hole on my right foot and tends to blister.  Band Aids or a slim moleskin easily stop the problem.

I am pretty hard on my shoes and I have noticed that they do not scuff or tear easily.. at least so far.

My other soft shoes have the Hullachan Pros. I've been pretty loyal to those shoes for the past 4 years.  

Overall, these are my favorite pair of soft shoes that I have ever  had. I will definitely recommend them to other Irish Dancers. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the best), I would give these shoes a 91/2.

What shoes do you have?  Would you recommend them?

"Give a girl the right shoes and she will conquer the world"

                                                                                                  -Marilyn Monroe