Tieks by Gavrieli require a lot of research because they are a big-ticket item. Starting at $175, it is a big investment for most people that buy them — including me. Because of this, I wanted to provide an honest Tieks review to help others on whether to make the decision.
I am the type of person that tends to obsess over specific items when it comes to travel — the best travel suitcase, the best travel dress, the best travel weekender for women, etc. (I may have a problem) — for months until I finally make my decision. I did this with my Tieks as well. I have been researching “Best Travel Flats” or “Best Travel Ballet Flats” for months. I travel a lot and am tired of wearing ugly tennis shoes everywhere.
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I have tried on many different kinds of shoes, but finally decided, unless I get a quality shoe, I am not going to get what I am looking for.
I paid full price for my shoes, and am getting nothing from Tieks for this review.
Click the links below to skip to any of the following sections:
Sizing
Quality
Downsides
First Impressions
Sizing of Tieks
I wear a size 8 1/2 or 9 most of the time. When trying on shoes, I will look for anywhere between an 8 and 9 1/2 — just because some sizings can be off in shoe stores, and you never know.
Tieks only size on full sizes, so even though I consider myself a size 8 1/2, I would not be able to purchase that size.
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Of all the reviews I read, it seemed like my size 8.5/9 foot would fit best in a size 9. Many reviews said the shoes would hurt if you got them too small. This is DESPITE the fact that Tieks tells you to size down if you are a half size (unless you have a wide foot, which then means you should size up).
Size 9
Size 9 on my 8.5/9-sized feet
When ordering my 9s, I felt completely confident in my decision.
But, I was wrong.
As soon as I opened the box I knew I had made a mistake. The shoes are not only too big, but too big by a significant amount. This is the worst because then you have to send them back and get new ones. But Tieks’ return process is super simple, and in fact they don’t have you send back your first pair until you receive your second pair.
Size 8
Comparison of an 8 vs. a 9
My size 8s actually fit like a glove. What a different one size makes. They are maybe a little bit small, but barely, and Tieks says the leather will stretch.
You can see from the photo above that there is a significant difference in size between two sizes (please ignore my books, I was trying to flatten them as much as possible).
One review I read was from a women who is a size 8 1/2, and she said the 9s fit her much better. It will be different for everyone, it was for me, but I should have listened to Tieks from the beginning and sized down. But at least now I have no question over which size I am.
Quality of Tieks
When I talk about my shoes fitting like a glove, a lot of that comes down to quality. I have a natural tendency to buy the cheapest thing (both in quality and cost), but I am trying to train myself out of this. When I put these shoes on, they really felt like nothing I had ever felt before.
The leather grips your feet and makes them feel comfortable on the sides and bottoms. From the second I put these shoes on, my feet felt happy.
The second amazing thing is the rubber roles. These soles are not just rubber, but they actually provide a decent amount of support — I was surprised at how much I felt my feet were supported.
The overall feeling when putting the shoes on was of complete comfort and support.
The downsides of Tieks
So far, there are only two downsides I see from these shoes.
- I don’t know if my toes are super long or the toe of the shoe is a little short, but I do have a little bit of toe cleavage in these shoes. I prefer that be covered, but it’s not so much that it’s an issue for me. But it would be nice if they were a little covering.
- As someone who doesn’t really spend much on anything, I have never had leather ballet flats before. So maybe this is normal, but I feel like the shoes actually cause my feet to sweat more. I am definitely going to invest in some socks to wear with these shoes, because with the amount my feet sweat, I assume the shoes will be smelling like my feet pretty soon.
First Impressions of Tieks as the best travel ballet flat
My first impressions of these shoes are of excitement. I know they’re just shoes, but as maybe the eighth most expensive thing I’ve ever purchased, you really have to be excited about it.
I know a lot of people say you have to break them in, so I will report back after a month or so, but so far these seem like completely quality shoes. So far I am happy with my investment, but we will see if they hold up to all the cobblestones and roads I walk on.