I avoided wedge sandals for years because the only ones I ever tried on made my legs look like they belonged to someone else, all chunk and no shape. What changed my mind was trying on a proper leather pair in a shop that actually stocked half sizes, and realising the problem had never been the wedge, it had been the cheap version of it.
They do not sit well with anything too delicate up top. A floaty sundress with a thin strap and a dainty hem looks better with a flat sandal or a slim heel, because the wedge adds enough visual weight at the bottom that the whole outfit needs to balance it somewhere, usually at the shoulder or the waist. Cropped trousers that stop right at the ankle bone are the other pairing I have learned to leave alone, since the platform sole tends to eat into that gap and make the leg look chopped off rather than lengthened. They work far better with something that has a bit of movement or structure to match, a wider leg trouser, a midi skirt with some body to it, denim that sits properly on the hip.
Where they genuinely fall short is anywhere you will be on your feet for hours on uneven ground. Cobbles, gravel, anything with a slope, the wedge does not flex the way a trainer or a flat sandal does, and a long day of that will leave your calves aching in a way that has nothing to do with how fit you are. Hot pavement is another one, because a lot of the budget soles are a hard composite that holds heat and goes slightly slippery underfoot by late afternoon. On sizing, I buy true to size but pay close attention to the strap placement rather than the length of the shoe, because a strap that sits too low across the toes will rub within an hour, and a heel cup that is too open will let your foot slide forward on the wedge every time you walk downhill. If you have a narrower foot, look for an adjustable ankle strap rather than a fixed one, since a loose fixed strap is the single most common reason a decent pair of wedges ends up at the back of a cupboard unworn.
The good ones only get better with wear. Cork softens and takes the shape of your foot within a few outings, leather straps stretch just enough to stop any rubbing without ever feeling loose, and the whole shoe starts to look like it has history rather than just age. The cheap version does the opposite, it stiffens, the glue gives at the sole edge, and by the second summer it looks tired rather than lived in.
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