Rothy’s Just Launched a Heel, So 5 PureWow Editors Put It to the Test

• Comfort: 17/20
• Durability: 18/20
• Versatility: 20/20
• Aesthetic: 20/20
• Value: 17/20

Total: 92/100

My secret to wearing heels all day and not swapping them out for “surrender shoes” (aka sneakers or flats) is to opt for a lower heel height. Done correctly, they can still be fun and chic. For me, the ideal maximum heel height is 2 inches, since 1 inch feels perfunctory. At 1.25 inches, The High Point was the perfect compromise of walkability and comfort with style.

The pointed toe box made me hesitant because I usually buy a wide width in my shoes, and I have bunions that often feel squished and chapped rubbing against the material. True to the Rothy’s design, the shoes had just enough stretch to be roomy without falling off my feet and there was no break-in period. Though, in that vein, I will say the one thing that bothered me was that the sizing runs small. To solve that, the brand recommends buying a half size up, which I did, opting for a 6.5. This made it a bit difficult to keep the shoe on my foot, but there are included heel pads with traction that do (literally) fill in the gaps.

Truthfully, fillers aren’t ideal, and these didn’t play well with my tights (too tight in the toe box and the tights bunched up, ruining the illusion). However, without tights, I think they’d work much better, but because they’re a little sticky I’d hesitate to wear them in the summer as I can definitely see some blisters potentially forming in the heat. Weather extremes aside, don’t skip them. Overall, The High Point is versatile and easily dressed up or down and comes in both fun colors and neutrals.

• Comfort: 16/20
• Durability: 18/20
• Versatility: 19/20
• Aesthetic: 18/20
• Value: 19/20

Total: 90/100

Given the popularity of ballet core and ballet flats with straps, I was thoroughly unsurprised when The Mary Jane Heel was requested by my entire testing team—and in the color of the season, burgundy. Similarly to The High Point, this style runs small, so I went up half a size and am glad I did. PureWow Senior Commerce Editor, Stephanie Maida, did not, and felt the consequences after walking 6,000 steps through New York City. She tells me, “I noticed that after about an hour my toes started to feel pinched—and in the multiple times I've worn the shoes since then (out to dinner, running errands, walking around my neighborhood) the feeling has unfortunately recurred. I'm typically a shoe size 7 so I ordered the 7, but I think going a half size up might be the answer.”

While none of us experienced an intense break-in period, PureWow Assistant Editor of Branded Content, Madeline Merinuk (size 8), did find the strap slightly uncomfortable at times, writing, “I found that the strap on the top, although elastic to provide extra comfort (I suppose), rubbed against my foot and gave me blisters if I didn't have socks or thick tights on. However, when I put socks on, that symptom alleviated itself somewhat.” One tester, Olympia Rusu (size 11), also said she wasn’t sure about the durability of the elastic strap and how it might hold up over time. But for now, I found it a convenient way to keep the shoe on my foot, which was a tad roomy from sizing up, without needing the heel inserts required when wearing The High Point.

Everyone had high praise for the In Love Insole, with Rusu saying, “I have normal width feet on the slim side with lower arches, but extremely sensitive foot beds. I felt like these did have enough cushion to them, thankfully.” Our second tester, Molly Williams (size 10), added, “Right away these felt comfortable, and I wore them to work at a coffee shop and run errands. I do have corns on the sides of my pinky toes and did notice irritation/very little pain in those areas after walking for ten minutes straight. I like Rothy’s because of the fabric and [it’s stretchability] if you are between sizes.”

As far as durability, both Maida and Merinuk have been wearing theirs pretty consistently since the beginning of the holiday season. “These heels held up *way* better than I anticipated,” Merinuk says. “I wore them all day around the holidays and there are virtually no scratches—and the fabric also didn't pill, which surprised me.” Madia adds, “[I wore these to an interactive performance], which featured flooring covered in crunchy dirt and sawdust. While walking through I was dreading the aftermath, but to my pleasant surprise the shoes were absolutely fine when I left—no scuffs or dirt marring the material. I washed the shoes (in a shoe bag) in my washing machine on gentle in cold water and they came out looking great. They held their shape all around, including the more delicate strap on the upper.”

One con that most testers reported was that they had trouble with traction. Granted, we’re in a cold and wet season, so we can’t report on summer wear, but Rusu told me, “They were quite slippery on the bottom with very little traction. Even walking around my house, I felt like I had to be cautious walking.” Williams also noted, “When I first wore them, I did slip on the sidewalk and could feel more slip when I walked into a store. Once I walked into another space, I made more of an effort to wipe my shoes on the entrance mat.”

Like the other Rothy’s styles, both heels are machine-washable. Based on my previous experience wearing and washing Rothy’s, stains can stick if you don’t address them quickly enough, so if you don’t want to throw your pair in the wash every time a speck of dirt pops up, I recommend spot cleaning. My Mary Janes picked up some dirt, but spot cleaning with Tide-to-Go lifted it easily. I imagine soap and water or stain remover would work equally well, as long as you don’t wait days or weeks to clean the fabric.

The two styles also have the new In Love Insole, an update that has come to select Rothy’s styles including The Lounge Loafer, The Knot Point II, The Point II, The Almond Loafer, The Ballet Flat, The Max Square Mary Jane and The Max Square. One complaint I had when reviewing the classic pointed flats last year was that the footbed was so thin, I could feel the pavement. This upgrade is truly stellar with a lot more cushioning from heel to toe. However, it’s not as contoured as some other heels that I’ve worn and tested in the past year, and while you’ll be comfortable all day, after wearing heels for five days straight, my feet were feeling the fatigue—and Rusu, who has low arches, concurred. Though, I was impressed that I’d lasted that long, given that I’m not someone in the practice of wearing heels that often.

When it comes to choosing between the shoes, I would say it’s a matter of preference that comes down to the toe box shape (pointed vs. squoval) and heel height (1.25 vs 2 inches, which doesn’t seem like a big difference but can definitely feel like it depending on how much walking you’re doing). Merinuk appreciated the squoval toe box of The Mary Jane heel, noting, “The other thing I *always* look for in shoes is the width of the toe box—I don't have wide feet necessarily but my pinky toes can easily get blistered, so I try to avoid pointed toes. These Mary Janes gave me no issues in that department.”

The brand recommends going up a half size in both, so also take into account whether or not a heel insert will be a hindrance. The last note is that if you’re not a fan of “toe cleavage”, The Mary Jane Heel is a bit more low-cut and may reveal it, per Williams.

Fast Facts

• Size Range: US 5 to 13
• Colors: 8
• Heel Height: 1.25 inches

Fast Facts

• Size Range: US 5 to 13
• Colors: 5
• Heel Height: 2 inches