Everlane 40 Hour Flat Review

2/13/2021

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Ironically I spent my 20s boycotting wearing white and now in the subsequent decade as part of refining my personal style, my closet audit capsules have already made it abundantly clear to me that I could use a few white/light pieces...

Included in the wardrobe gap “In Search Of” list is a light, neutral colored flat, preferably leather for longevity, that can look polished with skirts and dresses. I’ve found that I love a pointed toe shoe, especially if it’s a flat (over a round or square flat), and especially if I’m in dresses or skirts and I want to look put together. The pointed toe shoe style is very flattering and lengthening on a petite frame like mine.

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Choosing Color - Everlane 40 Hour Flat

I decided to go with the color cream, over say taupe, because I thought it would suit my wardrobe elements better. We’ll see if that was a good choice or not.

Update: Upon arrival, at first I was a little surprised at how white the “cream” colored shoes looked! I thought they would be a touch more off-white. After wearing them, I feel like they have looked great in every outfit so ... so far so good!

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Choosing Size - Everlane 40 Hour Flat

Historically I have always snagged size 8 shoes but lately I’ve found myself bumping it up to an 8.5. I’m not sure if it’s just because of the brand differences, if I always should have been an 8.5, or if it’s just my foot changing over time. I also think I have a bit of a bunion situation on one foot so I’m always curious to see how a shoe will handle that. Everlane advertises the 40 hour flat as true to size so I added the 8.5 to my cart but I dallied and it sold out as it happened to be on a pretty nice sale at the end of 2020. Sooooo... I took a gamble and went for a 9. It could be a huge mistake but I took comfort in knowing that these shoes seem to resell well online and possibly the extra .5 size increase could be good in a pointed toe shoe. We shall see.

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Shipping & Delivery - Everlane 40 Hour Flat

Shipping was free since my order of the 40 hour flat plus the cotton crew sweater (review here) was over the $75 threshold.
I placed my order on 1/3/21. It was shipped on 1/7/21 and I received It on 1/12/21.

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Unboxing - Everlane 40 Hour Flat

Love the simple outer packaging for this Everlane order with a cardboard box and paper tape. When I opened the package I was surprised to see my sweater (review here) in a plastic bag, a different packaging approach to my previous purchase from the brand in 2019 (read about it here) The 40-hour flat was in a cardboard shoe box, but something seemed off when I opened it. I actually think these shoes were used. Well, maybe not "used" but they were definitely a return based on 1. Subtle creasing 2. Random hairs inside 3. Fibers at the back of the shoe possible from a sock? But the worst part was a plastic shoe shaping piece (idk what this is truly called) was loose in the box and poking against the leather of one of the shoes leaving a mark. (QC where you at?) Now these were a steal for 50% off, but still it's not a great experience with the packaging this time around. But, let's try them out!

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40 Hour Flat vs Day Glove vs Tapered Day Glove vs 40 Flat Re-Knit

Why did I choose the 40 hour flat over some of Everlane’s other shoe offerings? My purpose in buying this flat was to have a light colored leather flat that would look fantastic with skirts and dresses primarily and I always love the look of a pointed toe for that goal. I think it really elevates an outfit, but it can be tricky to find a pointed toe flat that works for your foot without causing paint or issues. So that was a gamble. The Day Glove is wildly popular and reviewed at 4.58 Stars over 5,767 reviews at the time of writing, but I worried that I may feel frumpy in the round toe and also that the vamp would come up too high on my foot and possibly irritate my toes or exacerbate a bunion situation. The tapered day glove is a cute option that almost merges the aforementioned designs, ending in an almost pointed-squared toe with a nice center seam detail. I think I still prefer the look of the point toe 40 Hour Flat, though. And as for the 40 hour flat re-knit - i guess this is Everlanes’ answer to rothys, but if I wanted that knit kind of style I would just get another pair of rothys (save $20 here, review here) and I think the look of leather is more refined than the mesh anyhow.

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Day 1: Initial Try on & Thoughts After Receiving (2 hours)

Right away I am loving the style of the 40 hour flat, the pointy toe which is ever so slightly squared off just pulls that "put together" vibe so easily. I slipped my foot in and guess what? All of my toes have wiggle room! I can tell a difference right away in the size of the toe box compared to my tieks (read here and here) and my rothys points (read FAQ here). My big toe is definitely not smashed into the point, which is what I was looking for. I'd rather the point extend a little further than have my toe smashed, bunion exacerbated and who knows what other foot issues incited. As for the length, I think the 9 is a tad bit loose. I am so curious as to how the 8.5 would have fit side by side to know if it would be a perfect fit or if my toe would be smashed into the point? I think I would rather have the looser fit than have my toe smashed, what about you? I can try some of my tricks to make shoes fit better (read here) to improve a slightly loose fit, but if it's too tight forget it...

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Day 2: Wearing from 8 am to 10 pm

Day two is a WFH day. Right now I am 5.5 hours in to wearing the 40-hour flat at my desk and my feet are still feeling good. I opted to add this heel insert for comfort and a better fit. I tried my custom insoles but they were too high for a good fit. Also the heel grips, and these heel inserts, but I think these were the best for me, so far at least. I'm always wearing no-show socks as personal preference. The pair I have stick out slightly so I'm looking to try some with a lower profile. It's hard to balance a super low profile sock that actually doesn't roll down at the back. I heardSheec is good so I'm hoping to try them too! As for marks on my feet - A very subtle red mark on my pinky toe and bunion (side of big toe at the main joint) where they come into contact with the side of the shoe. This is a huge improvement over my tieks (I think I should have sized up) and also better than my Rothy's points. Additionally, the leather should give a bit as I wear them in so I imagine this will further decrease with time! I can't speak to the shoe hitting the top of my foot yet since those socks were creating a bit of a barrier.

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Day 3: 8 hours • Day 4: 4 hours• Day 5: 8 Hours • Day 6: 10 Hours

Okay so you always think you’re going to remember everything you don’t write down, which we all know is a total joke, so all the rest of the days blended together, but here’s the sum up:

I wore the Everlane 40-hour Flat for more than 40 hours last week and I am honestly quite impressed. The shoes look great with skirts and dresses which is the main reason I was looking for a comfortable leather pointed toe flat. I find that the toe box width is generous compared to other pointed toe shoes I have (rothys), but I also sized up to a 9 in these whereas my rothys are 8.5.

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Sore Spots?

As for sore spots, at the end of 8-10 hours wearing these shoes straight I had some red marks where the joint of my pinky toe hit the outer side of the shoe as well as more subtle marks where my big toe hits the side of the shoe. I have experienced way worse sore spots on other shoes when worn for much shorter time, not to mention these are brand new shoes so I think that’s pretty impressive and I look to see those marks lessen over time as the leather molds to my feet.

Insoles and Orthotics?

I started out using heel cups on day one but for the rest of the week I didn’t. My custom insoles are too tall for inside these shoes (a common issue when using them with most shoes)

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What socks do you wear with Everlane 40 Hour Flat

What socks did I wear with the 40 hour flats this week? I wore these socks I got ages ago (2016), as you can see from the pics, they showed a bit and actually they kind of left marks on my foot from the elastic rather than the shoes lol. I also wore these lace socks I got years ago too. They peek through a bit and I think they look better, but I also came to realize these socks are actually too small for my feet. I’m sure they were a size range like 7-9, but I discovered they put pressure on my big toes and cause my foot to scrunch up in a bad way..

Sheecs would be a great option if you want a true no-shoe with this shoe. Discount code here.

Any Cons?

I noticed when I wore the lace socks that were a little lower profile on the sides, every step I took the shoes made kind of a squeaking noise? I didn’t have this issue with the other socks I wore. I know some people have issues with tieks making weird sounds too.

The only thing I really wish is that these shoes just had a little more love in the sole. If there was just a bit more cushioning and support these would be absolutely amazing shoes. It would be nice to have some cushion without having to always buy something extra to stick into the shoe because often that alters the way the shoe fits which is not always desirable. I just think that if I was pounding pavement, commuting on public transportation, or traveling, while I love the look of the 40 hour flat, I wouldn’t choose them because there’s little-to-know absorbing of the impact of pavement.

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Everlane 40 Hour Flat Review

Overall I am really happy with this purchase so far. I think the 40 Hour Flat is a great addition to the more streamlinedcapsule wardrobe I am working to curate this year. It definitely fills a gap - close toed, flat, light neutral shoe for dressy clothing. I had absolutely nothing like this and I am already loving how it is working with a huge portion of my dress clothes Closet Audit Capsule January 2021. I am hoping to have these shoes for years to come, taking care of the leather and to update this post with how I feel about them in the future, how much wear I am getting from them etc.

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