Wait, Birkenstock Makes Mary Janes? I, a Flat Aficionado, Had to Try Them

Fast Facts

• Materials: patent leather/suede, leather, cork
• Colors: 2
• Size range: US women’s 4 to 12

How I Tested the Birkenstock Mantova Flats

I’ve been wearing these shoes around town, barefoot, with tights, in early spring and late winter weather, paired with skirts and jeans—logging literal miles as I commute across NYC. During testing, I evaluated the shoes on the PureWow100 scale on the following qualities: aesthetics, design, comfort, durability and value for a total score out of 100 points.

When I first took my Birkenstock sneakers out of the box last year, my first thought was, “CLOWN SHOES!!!” And I laughed. With the Mantovas, I immediately screamed “TOONTOWN SHOES!!!” Admittedly, most people to whom I showed these shoes did not think they were of Toontown proportions, but as someone who wears slim, low-profile flats most of the time, these felt like Minnie Mouse’s house slippers, and I was a Minnie-in-training. I do mean that in the best way. One of my favorite footwear collections of all time was Marc Jacobs SS25, and these feel like a tamed-down version of that.

Of course, it’s not Birkenstock without the signature footbed, which the brand has simply repurposed into an enclosed Mary Jane. Per the brand, the proprietary insole evenly distributes your weight, stabilizes your feet and encourages them to roll naturally, as if you were walking in sand. It also encourages the natural “toe grip” action.

The arches of my feet never hurt when I wear Birkenstocks. My knees do not ache. I can walk nearly ten miles in this brand and at the end of the day it feels like I never got out of bed. Magic.

Another feature I noticed was that the outer soles have great traction, even when I wore them on a wet winter night. No slipping and no big signs of wear—a point of contention I have with the Bend Lows, whose heel seemed prone to wearing after only a few (albeit lengthy) wears.

As someone whose feet blister at the thought of shoes and summer, I typically avoid straps on shoes. Reading online reviews, the strap seemed to be a hit-or-miss; for me, it was a hit. It’s pretty thick, so it didn’t dig into my foot but still kept the shoe secure.

However, the high heel counter really did a number on my right foot and I’m still breaking the shoes in. If you opt for the patent leather, I’d wear these with socks or tights for a while. (Suede is softer so it may not present the same problem.) Because the patent leather has a bit of an edge, I’m going to need to wear it down and build up a little tolerance on my ankle.

Sizing Is Finicky

The only big issue I ran into was the sizing. Instead of full-size increments, the Mantovas each span a size and a half. Thus, if you’re eyeing a pair, I cannot stress this enough: Try them on before committing. Walk around your house or the store. I am unfortunately between sizes here—my usual size was way too big, the size and a half down just a tad small. This is in part due to my “Greek” toes, in which my second toe is much longer than the others. If my feet followed the natural curve of the shoe, they would’ve been golden. Alas, my middle toe bumps up against the ridge of the sole. It’s not terribly uncomfortable, but it is noticeable.

There’s a ton I like about Mantovas—the quirky shape, Birkenstock footbed, durable soles—but the sizing really threw me off. Normally, I don’t think twice about moving on from a shoe that isn’t a perfect fit, but my year of wearing other Birks has me totally committed to the insole. So with that in mind, I’d say these shoes are worthy of consideration, but be sure to try them on and walk around to get a feel for the right size. As for me, I’ll be continuing to break in my Toon shoes and giggling with every step.