ALTRA Women's Vali Sneaker

I am a big fan of Altras due to wide feet and bunions. I have been wearing their running shoes for athletic activities for the past 3 or 4 years, and find their designs to be not very attractive. I have been wanting a pair of athleisure style shoes and most brands run too narrow for my feet, so it was nice to buy a pair of Altras that are an attractive style. they do fit differently than their running shoes. I wear an 8.5 in running shoes, and these fit me in a size 8. The heel is very narrow and the toe box is not quite as wide as their running shoes toe box. They do have a bit of a clown shoe look if you view them from straight above but I think the darker color (black and gray) minimizes this more than the lighter gray color they have as an option. I have worn them without socks and they rub a little bit on the heels. But in general they fit pretty well considering my feet are so hard to fit. I am glad to see Altra venturing into the casual shoe category.

These are a bit wide at the toe and look a bit clownly, but if you have wider feet and need a lot of toe room they will work nicely. They are pretty comfortable and VERY breathable. My feet usually sweat a lot, and they literally did not sweat in these things, even with socks. I am on my feet a majority of the day and they did pretty well. I would them an 8/10 in terms of padding. The Altra Torin is the best padding from this line in my opinion, but I think they stopped making them. Warning, the large toe shape may make you shuffle your feet a bit.

A year ago, I bought my first pair in Navy, liked so much I bought black and the light blue. Wore the zero drops and My right foot tendinitis disappeared after suffering for a year prior to purchase. The fanned toe bed is so comfortable. The best part about Vali is that they looked more like a casual shoe than a sneaker, perfect for my casual teaching wardrobe. After wearing two pair out, tried to get another pair and sold out of every color in my size. Altra bring them back!!

Oh, the joy of not having my toes crammed together, while still having a comfortable snug fit mid foot to heel. What idiot decided shoes should be more pointed? So far so good, but they are a snug fit for length. I would normally have purchased a 10 but, due to comments here and on the company website I bought a 9.5. Barefoot (which is OK with the knit uppers) is a good fit; with any but thin socks it may be a bit short. I will keep these as they may loosen with wear to perfection; the first purchase from any unfamiliar vendor is subject to such potential issues so I certainly do not fault the vendor. I DO thank them for making shoes for REAL feet, just wish they made more casual options.

I bought these shoes for walking around the neighborhood and general wear. The ball of my foot is wide but the heel is narrow - these shoes fit both wonderfully well. I am used to having to go up half a size in order to have enough room in the toe box but with the shoes by this manufacturer I learned that a 7 would have fit a bit better. My second pair of Altra's is a 7, in fact. The shoes were comfortable out of the box; I wore them the first day with no breaking in. They are great shoes - I will definitely order from this company again!

Certain companies that sell on Amazon do not share Amazon's typically amazing return policy. I got screwed by this! I received the shoes, tried them on, knew instantly they were NOT going to work for me and reboxed them for shipping. When I went on Amazon to process the return of these shoes, I was notified of Virtual Exchanges' return policy which is ridiculous.So bottom line - I would not recommend these shoes as I feel they do not work well for me. Maybe they will work well for you, but they caused me to pronate with or without my orthotics and there was a constant feeling of the heel rubbing my achilles tendon.Finally - If you can't figure out the return policy for the particular seller that has your size, color, etc, don't order them or you too could be out 30% - 50% or even ALL of your money if you wear them even once. This particular company even says they will reduce your refund by the amount it cost to ship the shoes back to them for the refund. This is NOT up to par with Amazon's policies, so buyer beware.

These are my favorite shoes of all time. I've had to go barefoot or zero lift for medical reasons and swear I've tried ever "barefoot" shoe under the sun. This trumps them all. Wish there were more wearable colors because I would seriously buy five more pair. Yes, the toe box is roomy. That is the point of barefoot shoes. They do not look like clown shoes though and are ridiculously comfortable. I was pleasantly surprised that the shoe doesn't attract dirt or scuffs as much as I thought it would for a white shoe. I've been wearing them exclusively for a couple months now and they still look crisp. Will definitely be buying more. If this is your first time trying altras, I'd take advantage of the free returns and buy two sizes so you can see what works best for you.

I LOVE these shoes! I love the way the fabric hugs the ankle without binding. I love the zero drop and the natural configuration of the toe box. I love the pattern!!!! I love that it comes in a size 12 - people with big feet (but not necessarily wide feet) need comfy shoes, too. And this person, with serious neuropathy in both feet, thinks these are fabulous. My THIRD pair - they are long lasting, but I tend to spill paint on them - I still wear all of them. Cannot say enough good things about these. I have never paid this much for a shoe before - but am sure I'll buy a fourth pair one day. My sister has also started wearing this, and she is more into running/walking long distances - says they are great, too.