I wear a 7.5-8, sometimes even a 8.5, and a 7.5 fit just fine. When I cross my legs the hook on one shoe has gotten caught on the other shoe, causing an awkward situation where I just laugh to myself, but other than that these are pretty comfortable. I even rode 24mi on a bike with no issues. The long strings haven't bothered me.  I've had a hard time looking for short boots that are compatible with a variety of clothing, and I'm pretty satisfied with these.  I did put rubber stickers on the sole to prevent slipping.