Shoes Your Adventure: Antonia Saint NY Review

We tempurrrarily depart from our usual beauty programming to bring you this speshul post…Antonia Saint NY custom-fit high heels!

Purrhaps you’ve been bombarded with their ads on Facebook. (Heh, these will be the second pair of shoes that have been enabled by FB, after Rothy’s. Get $20 off with my referral link. $$$ but I wear my four  six(!) pairs constantly.)

As a constant heel wearer, I was immediately fascinated by the concept: Shoes that promised to solve common problems (e.g., molded foam soles for comfort and arch support, ballistic nylon heels that resist scratches) AND purrrfectly fit your feet (via photos and measurements uploaded through an app).

Bonus: They’re vegan! Made of microfiber “leather.”

I opted for the Hi-Tech Victoria Essential High Heel in black (currently $295 with estimated December 2018 shipping). There’s also a flat style, but I haven’t had trouble finding comfy flats and, for the price, I’d much rather have futuristic heels.

I mean, can you even intimidate underlings and arch-nemeses properly in flats?! (Maniacal laugh, that’s Renee’s influence rubbing off on me.)

Tl;Dr: Mine were too big. Lots of potential and I will submit my feedback and await version 2.0, shipping in December 2018. Great customer service.

NOV. 2019 UPDATE: I ordered version 2.0 ($245 retail) in size 6.5 (rather than doing the custom fit) and was disappointed that they were way too big.  More like a 7W or 7.5.  I immediately returned it for a refund.  (Am not posting pics of the 2.0 because it literally looks just like the original.)

While I would have preferred to exchange it for a smaller size, ultimately the company doesn’t give me much confidence: (1) the 14-day return policy does not tell me that the company stands behind its product (what luxury brand has such a stingy return window?) and (2) the fact that the company was so off in manufacturing a standard size 6.5 did not give me confidence that it knows shoes/feets well.  More annoyingly, while I had great customer service the first time around, this time I had to email customer service multiple times to bug them for a refund (and a response).  While I ultimately received a refund months after I mailed the shoes back, I cannot recommend a company that can’t process a return and refund (for over $200!) like a normal business.   (For comparison, Rothy’s has an easy and painless process for exchanges/returns by mail.)

The measuring process is suuuper involved. In the app (I used the one for iOS), you upload an outline of your foot, input measurements, and answer questions about things like where shoes tend to pinch and whether your left or right foot is bigger.

It took several months before the shoes shipped to me. The packaging–with individually boxed left and right sides that magnetically connect–is luxe and sleek.

The pleather isn’t fake-shiny or stiff and the foam interior is CRAZY cushy!
Because of the padding, they look wider and bigger than ordinary heels. Once on the foot though, they look more normal.

Unfortunately, they were about a size too big, which also meant that the padded arch didn’t hit in the right place and my toes slid forward. I also wish the sole had some texture for extra traction.

So I contacted Antonia Saint NY about an exchange. Yay for their 100% fit guarantee policy.

Customer service emailed back to tell me they’re working on a version 2.0 that incorporates all the feedback they’ve gotten from customers of this initial rollout. Expected ship date: December 2018!

I see so much potential in this shoe that I opted to wait for version 2.0 rather than get a refund.

These shoes are $$$, but if they prove to actually be comfortable and custom-fit, it’ll be worth it.

A SHOE-NICORN!