Everlane's popular Day Heel is low enough that you can actually walk in it all day — but you'll want to be careful about sizing

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• Everlane's Day Heel ($145) is one of the company's best-sellers thanks to a walkable 2-inch heel, elasticized back, and ballet-inspired round toe silhouette.
• It's available in sizes 5-11 (including half sizes) and in eight versatile colors — five in Nappa Leather and three in suede. 
• The shoes run narrow and small. You'll probably want to order one half-size up if you plan to wear them for extended periods of time. If you have wide feet and wear an 8.5 or above, order one full size up. 

When it first debuted, the Everlane Day Heel ($145) racked up a 28,000-person waitlist. As Insider Picks director Ellen Hoffman wondered aloud in an article at the time, "Why were 28,000 people willing to wait weeks for a pair of shoes when most people wouldn't wait 10 seconds for a video to load?"

If you're wondering the same, some of it is just the magic of Everlane — a direct-to-consumer startup that manages to combine ethical production, price transparency, great basics, and affordable prices. But what really makes the Day Heel stick out is its versatility and comfort.

The Day Heel

The Day Heel comes in sizes 5-11 (including half sizes) and eight functional shades — five in Nappa Leather and three in suede. The colorways range from neutrals like bone, pecan, and pale rose to a bright red statement color. The design features an inventive elasticized back for a comfortable yet secure fit, a pull-tab for quick dressing, a walkable 2-inch block heel, a footbed with enough cushion for hours of wear, and a signature ballet-inspired rounded toe. It's cute, polished, and simple. And, it goes with just about anything, which spreads out the $145 price tag's cost-per-wear nicely. You can wear the Day Heel with cropped flares and a T-shirt to brunch just as easily as you could pair them with a blazer and slacks on a work trip. 

Following the success of the Day Heel, Everlane also released a Day High Heel (now $58) which has a 2.75-inch block heel if you prefer something a bit taller. 

Sizing

Many women on the Insider Picks team own a pair of Day Heels, and the difference between those of us who wear them habitually after a year-plus of use, and those who don't, comes down to the sizing. 

In our experience, it's best to order one half-size up. The elasticized back is designed for comfort and ease, but a too-small shoe turns that same advantage into discomfort and lack of circulation when wearing them for hours on end — which you'll want to do since they're so cute and versatile. If it feels tight when you first put them on, this isn't something that will "break in" over time, and you should try the next size up.

Everlane recommends ordering a half size up if your foot is wide, plus an extra half-size for sizes 8.5-11. In other words, if you have wide feet and wear an 8.5 or above, go with one full-size up.

The bottom line

Heels aren't often described as comfortable or versatile. Many women count them as a (sometimes) necessary evil and spend the day waiting for the moment when they can peel them off. The Day Heel is a welcome outlier.

But, something to note is that the sizing can be tricky. We recommend going a half-size up, and even still, the narrow design may not work for wider feet. The good news is that if you don't love them, Everlane's return policy is relatively generous.

If you can find the right size in the Everlane Day Heel, you'll probably be able to replace a handful of heels you secretly despise in your closet with just one pair of these.