1. The boot color is closer to black/white snakeskin not brown. 2. After reading the reviews, I took a chance on going two sizes up because ain’t nobody trying to pay for shipping to return stuff to FN! So I normally wear a 6 1/2 and bought a 7 1/2 and they fit great! The quality is nice and I look forward to wearing them soon. 3. At first when I tried them they were too tight in the foot but it was because I was being lazy and didn’t want to undo all the strings. But when I took my time and did—they were PERFECT! I’m so glad I went up to a 7 1/2! All other shoes from FN I get in a 7 and that has worked for me.