Rieker Sina 78 Review : Woven Wonder of a Shoe

Rieker Sina 78 – Photo: Rieker-shop.fi Facebook

I’m in the market for a closed-toe pump for back-to-school time. Yep, that’s right. I’m going back to school–as a part-time Spanish teacher at a local high school. I’m excited! It’s been thirteen years since I’ve had a class of my own, so I’m reevaluating my wardrobe, including my collection of footwear. Yes, I have plenty of sandals, sneakers and ankle boots, but I’m missing that one pair of perfect teacher shoes–professional, comfortable yet with unique styling. The Rieker Sina 78 fills that gap in my wardrobe.

The first thing I notice when slipping my feet into the Rieker Sina 78 is the glove-like fit. My toes spread out comfortably thanks to the slight stretchiness of the soft woven upper, yet the shoe hugs the back of my heel (there’s elastic goring in the back strap): a great option for those with wide forefoot/narrow heel combination, or for feet that swell during the day.  Fortunately, the Rieker Sina’s woven upper allows feet to breathe while still providing toe coverage. Win win.

The 1.5″ architectural heel  is perfect–just enough lift without the uncomfortable pressure on forefoot and knees. The footbed is lightly cushioned and flexible. If you’re used to layers of memory foam cushioning or a thick outsole, this is not the shoe for you (especially if you have painful hallux rigidus, the forefoot is too flexible). There is definiately a “one-with-the-ground” feel to the Rieker Sina 78 so I might add a ball-of-foot cushion.

Don’t worry about slipping on smooth floors, the Rieker Sina 78 has a nicely textured polyurethane outsole that grips slippery flooring well.

If you have a high volume foot as I do, you may be wondering if the scalloped topline irritates the top of the foot. I haven’t found this to be true. The leather is buttery soft and doesn’t dig into the feet. I imagine that even low volume feet would get a secure fit in this shoe.

As far as fit, I usually wear a 10 and fine the euro 41 to fit me perfectly (although Zappos suggests a 42 for size 10, which would have been too big). Find the Rieker Sina 78 in euro sizes 36-42 for $125 from Amazon and Zappos.

See our Facebook discussion of this shoe and feel free to ask a question before ordering.