I bought these boots last year in black. Went up half a size, fabulous fit, wore them out. This year I bought them in the Cognac, again went up half a size. Can't get my feet into them because the space for the instep is very low - my instep isn't terribly high, just average, and it hurts to squeeze my foot past it. As the last pair were fairly tight to begin with I am hoping these will give with wear. I could do with them stretching a little. The sizing on Markon IS very variable. Even the presenter has to say "go up, go down, go to your true size" depending on which design they are featuring which is really quite ridiculous. With Clarks, for instance, you can just order your exact (inc. half) size and KNOW that it will fit.