I have a lot of Born shoes and the size 10, which in their system corresponds to a European 42, always fits me. These are a bit tight though. The toe is very flat, which I expected, and will be ok in the long run. There is elastic banding all around the top of the shoe which provides some cushioning but is a bit tight. The black part of the shoe is a nice looking mesh fabric. It's going to be a matter of breaking them in.