Mary Janes with a Lift: Tsubo Asmik

My new fall/ winter style this year (admittedly I am always a few years behind) has been skirts and dresses with leggings. On cold days, the boots are perfect, but today, at the start of February, it is supposed to reach a high of 50 degrees. Too toasty for my Emus (I do not ever wear these in the summer... yeah, yeah, yeah, I know the style was first thought of by surfers on the beach, but really?!? Who wants to stick their damp foot into a wool lined boot?? Not I...), and other boots, and sometimes, it is nice just to mix it up a little. I was perusing a store in the Delmar Loop here in St. Louis on the hunt for some Fly London shoes (see previous post). Turns out they don't carry them anymore, but I did fall for a pair of Tsubo Asmiks in red... first of all, I love red shoes. My wardrobe is mostly grays and black so a hint of red does a lot to brighten up my look. When I put them on, the first thing I noticed was how tight the toe box was. My heel seemed to be in the right place, the length felt fine, but my toes were definitely squished. I'd consider my feet average and usually have no problem with shoes not fitting in the front. The sales lady assured me that the toe box would stretch out and after reading some other reviews online that seemed to back her on that, I went with the 8s (even though I was skeptical). I wore them for two full days at work and by the end of the day, the balls of my feet were aching. They weren't stretching as quickly as I needed them too. I used my husband's shoehorns to see if that would help expand the toe box... nothing. The shoes are completely adorable, but the sizing is tricky. I've sized up to an 8.5 and so far, they feel very comfortable, but a bit long. In an ideal world, it seems like I would take an 8.25 in these. It is still winter, so I am going with the 8.5 with hopes that in the summer with the heat and humidity, these will fit. I am pretty sure that if I stick with the 8s, my feet will resemble stuffed sausages when the weather warms up... and who wants that to ruin the look of cute shoes with bulging feet (ok, thats a bad visual)? I'd go for comfort over look so the fact that these have some space in the back bothers me a little, but not enough to part with them. I may go with an insole or something to cut down on the gappage (yes, I am aware that is not a real word) in the back. The pictures posted are of an 8, not the 8.5. I have also heard that they should have some space in the back, like Danskos, so your heel slides up and down freely, but I have not been able to find anything online to confirm this, just the word of the saleslady... the same one who swore the toe box on my 8 would stretch and be comfortable. Maybe they would have, but I know that when summer hits, they'll be too snug. The 8.5 is comfortable and I can wear them all day. The shoes look cute with skirts, leggings, boot cut jeans... maybe tights? Haven't tried them with tights yet though... stylist, cute, and comfortable. These are a keeper:)!