Birkenstock Milano Unisex Soft Footbed Leather Sandal

These are the real thing! I purchased a pair last year from another seller and they were NOT all leather like these (my dog who chewed up one of the sandals didn’t seem to mind). With these being leather, there wasn’t even the break-in period. They were comfortable out of the box. They were a great value too.

When I bought my first pair of Birk's, I didn't know about the softbed. I'm not sure it was even around then. I made the mistake when I bought that first pair of reading too many reviews that mentioned you should buy the size down from what your shoe size is. I wear an 11 shoe, so following the logic, I purchased Milano's in a 43. I liked the sandal and I'm pretty hard headed, so I wore those things for 3 years with them causing me all kinds of pain. I finally stopped wearing them, and let my feet heal. In the past year or so, I read about the soft footbed option. They intrigued me, but I also had memories of the pain I had stupidly put myself through. I did a lot of thinking and reading about the sandal to see if I wanted to try again. During this process, I remembered a bit of information about my feet that I had gleaned over time, but had stord away, probably for the aha moment I had. I have one foot that is an 11 and the other a 10 1/2, but they both measure out to 11's in the arch. That measurement is the one taken with the small slider on the arch side of the foot scale you find in shoestores. I started to hypothesize that maybe my pain from my first Milanos was caused by a sandal that was the wrong size. That maybe I should not have listened to reviews that stated the sandal ran big and you should choose one size down. I walked to the edge of the abyss again. I bought a pair of Milano's in 44. I'm in heaven! The combination of the soft footbed and actually wearing the right size sandal did the trick. They are easily the most comfortable shoes/sandals I have ever worn. In just over 3-4 months I now own 2 pair of Milano's (black & brown Amalfi leather) and 1 pair of Arizona's in steel gray. Even in the wintertime, they are all I wear. I preface that with the knowledge that I don't trek through snow in them, but I'm not comfortable in anything else anymore. The moral of this story: know your arch size when you buy! Also, if you buy a pair and they hurt past what would be considered a reasonable break-in time, you very well may have the wrong size. These things are incredibly comfortable. One last thing, because of my foot shape I use a leather tool to add holes on the straps. There is room for one extra hole towards the end of each strap. If the strap is an issue for you, there are adjustments that can be made. Good luck!

I am a 30 year fan of Birkenstocks and now wear them frequently due to needing more arch support. I've currently got about 8 pair of Birkenstocks and had looked everywhere to find a pair of their black Milanos in leather, size 37, to wear on a long trip abroad, but could only find the Birko-flor imitation leather. Apparently the women's oiled leather Milanos now come only in brown or blue and men's sizes usually start closer to EU 40 so it's been hard to find my size!This Amalfi leather style is shinier than I prefer, but that's ok and I was happy to find my size for a decent price. They have the soft footbed and have been pretty comfortable straight out of the box and won't take long to be broken in well. I am a bit concerned that this slightly shiny leather might get wrinkles near the buckles but can live with that.P.S. People always have trouble figuring out what size to order so I will report that I usually wear a women's US size 7.5 (sometimes a 7.0) and the EU 37 fits me better than 38. I think I have some Boston style winter clogs in a 38 to wear with heavy socks.

I put hundreds of miles on my last pair stepping about west Africa, Jamaica and a couple other places... they do have a breaking in period - if your looking for comfort and casual and are not trying to keep that new shoe look - I recommend a good walk through mud and water - it just helps break them in and soften them up - your shiny finish may pay the toll ( depending on style) otherwise they’re greatYES some people say they are ugly but this resume people are the ones asking you to “wait up.. my feet hurt”Why not 5 stars?Well my feet fall right in between two sizes - and I am forced to go little to long and too narrow or a little short but perfect width - but that not their fault...The reason for four stars - well I’m the person you see in the store looking at multiple pairs of the SAME shoe picking the two with the best seems and just the right amount of adhesive etc..This particular pair.. mate I would have syphoned through a few more pairs - nothing structural just cosmetic.

My feet have been in Birks when not in boots (retired Army) since 1992. Yes, you read that right, at the time of this review, I have been wearing Birks for 28 years. I have had 2 pairs of Arizona sandals (one still in service) and 4 pairs of Milano sandals (2 still in service, this pair is the 4th), two pairs of London (or is it Boston?) shoes, one brown, one black, both in service. Not many pairs for 28 years, since Birks are durable, and can be refurbished/renewer with new foot beds and outsoles, leather restored for around $80. So, they are recyclable in a sense.All this to say - this product is not a fake. I know Birks. These are Birks. Newsflash, Birks are “popular” and a fad again. No doubt Birkenstock is struggling to keep up with demand, and perhaps quality is suffering. But not with this new pair, for me at least- the quality is the same as ever. I took a picture of new and old next to each other.I got this pair since I was interested in trying the soft bed, and typically I get the Nubuck leather. I wanted to try a new brown leather, as well as have a new pair for fancy hippy get together. Well. I make a horrible hippy. Sure, I wear Birks and drive a Subaru. But - I have short hair, don’t smoke MJ (or any drugs for that matter) and am politically independent / Libertarian.The leather in this pair is shiny, not at all like the product listing photos. The picture of them on my feet show the difference. However, I like the leather, as it is different for me.The soft bed? Absolutely fabulous! I am glad that I gave the soft bed a go!