text: These Rose sandals are my 6th pair of Keens and are the only uncomfortable pair.  Although these sandals are fairly cute, the strap is a problem for 3 reasons.<br />1) I have a higher instep and these sandals don’t stretch enough to accommodate.<br />2) I really dislike Velcro, and it is completely unnecessary for these sandals.<br />3) Straps that come this high up one’s foot look juvenile and shorten the look of the leg.<br /><br />I made some adjustments to improve the fit.  However, I wish Keen would improve the design by moving the strap lower on the foot (to hit in the same spot as the Venice sandals) and remove the Velcro.<br /><br />My revamp:  I used a seam ripper to remove the grosgrain ribbon and the attached Velcro.  This revealed a strip of microfiber fabric that had been sewn to the ankle strap, which had reduced the stretchiness of the strap.  As a precaution, I sewed the fabric to the strap at the base, and then I trimmed it.  Sewing down the fabric is probably unnecessary as it doesn’t seem to fray, but I wanted to be safe.<br /><br />If the strap still bothers me, I will cut it off entirely.  The sandals stay on well enough without it.