One of my all time favorite things to do is recreate amazing looks with barefoot shoes. I’ve never been one to settle, so why not look amazing in healthy shoes? I share a new “Fashion, But Make it Barefoot” photo every Friday on Instagram and Facebook, and here is a round up of the first 5! Scroll to see the inspo and shop the shoes.
Click here for the other Fashion, But Make it Barefoot roundups.
September 25, 2020
The Drifter Leather Chelsea Boots | $175 | Leather | Ships from Greece
Barefoot shoes are ugly whaaaat?
Here we have the lovely Merricks Art (a style blogger I’ve been inspired by for years) showing us how to style black ankle boots. But now way in hell will I stuff my cute little toes into a pointy shoe again. So I’m serving up some barefoot style to show how you can have your fashion and foot health too!
Let’s normalize functional footwear friends! Share your #barefootstyle pictures with me and I’ll post it to my Instagram stories!
Wearing my Drifter Leather Chelsea boots. For information on how to order custom shoes from the Drifter Leather read this ordering guide.
October 2, 2020
The Xero Shoes Phoenix Knit | $70 | Vegan
Say it with me. “Flat shoes are sexy.” See, not so bad right?
In this installment of Fashion Friday, But Make it Barefoot we have the famous Fashion Jackson styling a casual chic look with shoes I literally could not accomplish a single thing in. I love her sophisticated style, but gonna need something a little less pointy on my feet. 😅 Swap them out for some simple minimalist flats and I can rock it! 💪🏽
I got sh*t to do. Ain’t got time for foot pain. Anyone else? 🙋🏻♀️
Shoes are the Xero Shoes knit Phoenix (vegan) that I reviewed in this post. They are my favorite little black flat right now, but here you can find a full list of barefoot ballet flat options linked in my stories. Go check it out if you’re looking for dress shoe options!
Also, while I have you, can I plug Sustainable Fashion? My outfit here is all used. Cheaper for me, better for the earth, and puts money back into real people’s hands. 💁🏻♀️
Walk like a human! 👍
October 12, 2020
See the original post on Instagram
The Vivobarefoot Ryder | $235 | Leather
It’s Fashion Monday! But make it barefoot (totally a thing 😉).
I’ve been following Audrey from Putting Me Together for years. Unsurprisingly I never take her shoe recommendations, because completely flat shoes are basically nonexistent in fashion. We’re changing that!
Today I am inspired by her riding boots look, but I’ve swapped out the heeled pointy ones for a flat and spacious alternative from Vivobarefoot: The Ryder Boot
Riding boots are such an easy swap to make, you’ve really got nothing to lose in terms of style and everything to gain in terms of foot function (actually whole body function).
These boots are the Ryder that I reviewed in this YouTube video. You can also find a full list of barefoot riding boot options in this Barefoot Winter Boots Post! Use code sc name="vivobarefoot-coupon"] for 10% off your Vivo purchase.
October 16, 2020
The Feelgrounds Droptop | $120 | Vegan | Free Global Shipping
Use code ANYA5 for 5% off
Any Vans lovers here?
When it comes to shoes, Vans are not a serious offender. But super thick soles and a narrow shape inhibit your foot function. Why not wear something you can slay all day in? Thank you Tiffany Wang for the outfit inspiration, I’ll just take that look and make it barefoot! 😉
The healthier alternative to Vans that I’m wearing are the Feelgrounds Droptops. They are thin, flexible, and spacious so my feet can do their thang. Beauty ain’t pain people! 💁🏻♀️
Feelgrounds is one of my favorite barefoot shoe brands, I’ve reviewed all of their styles so far! You can find all the Feelgrounds Reviews here, and then check out this list of other trendy sneakers that are actually good for your feet if you are interested in casual barefoot sneakers.
October 23, 2020
The Groundies Universe | $160 | Leather | Free Global Shipping
Today shoes just aren’t made for feet. We’ve gotten so detached from natural foot function that it doesn’t even factor in to the design of most shoes.
So when I look at “regular” sneakers like the one on the left I think SO CLOSE! And yet, so far! It’s really not hard to make a sneaker that’s good for your feet and still has looks to slay (like the one on the right). All you need to do is change a few key things.
1. No Heel Rise – why oh why does virtually every shoe have a tiny heel on it? Yes, even sneakers have a raised heel. It’s just not necessary, and throws off your alignment.
2. Don’t use wood boards for the sole – A stiff sole is like walking on a plank. If you can’t move your feet while walking you better believe that will effect the muscles of your feet as well as nearby joints that will be overworking to compensate.
3. Make it shaped like a foot – If you look at the shape of the sneakers on the left you can see they end in a subtle point. The Groundies sneakers I’m wearing do not. That extra space allows my toes to spread out and support my body (and hopefully not get painful bunions).
To be clear, we’re not shitting on people and their “normal” shoes. Laurie Ferraro is killing it in her look and inspired me (thank you!!). This is about changing our perceptions of footwear, and hopefully changing the tides of shoe manufacturing. If you’ve tried shoe after shoe and they all seem uncomfortable, now you know why! Barefoot shoes really shouldn’t be niche, they’re what many people are already searching for and don’t know exists. Spread. The. Word.
So, fashun. But Make it Barefoot.
I’m wearing the Groundies Universe in photo, you can find my review of them in this Instagram post.
October 30, 2020
The Shapen Poppy | $120 | Leather
Happy Halloween! #butmakeitbarefoot 🎃
It’s been a weird year, but let’s try to have some fun, K? I’m wearing Shapen Barefoot Poppy sandals and they are stunning. Shapen just opened their international shop and can now ship worldwide! I got my usual size in flats (EU 36), and they are a little snug over my toe joints but one of my favorite barefoot flats so far. Use code ANYA5 for 5% off directly from Shapen.
You can read a little more information about them in this Instagram Post and see my full review here.
10 thoughts on “Fashion But Make It Barefoot”
I really like this. I’m getting into barefoot shoes and I was looking around last night and this morning and here we are fashion shoes : D thank you for making this post I’m very excited to see what I find in terms of fashion.
How serendipitous! There are lots of fashionable options, but it can take digging. That’s why I try to compile all the info to make it easier. Glad you found this post!!
I love this post! You look amazing. Thank you for proving “flat shoes are sexy”
Thank you!
You are a unicorn, Anya. I’m back in my Altras full time and feel like a frump. I just discovered your site & am already a fan. Maybe my New Years resolution should be to keep my feet happy AND fashionable. TY for the inspiration & Happy Holidays!
Hi Sarah! I totally understand, Altras were the ones I was wearing full time when I started my research. Having happy feet in shoes you feel good in (both body and spirit) is the long term goal! I’m wishing you lots of healing and mobility in 2021.
Could you please do a Summer 2024 version of this? With the current pant style being wider legged rather than skinny jeans like in these pics. I want to get into barefoot shoes but can’t picture them looking good with more current pant styles. Please help!
Noted!I have several more recent fashion round ups in my style section and I show my outfits on Instagram posts and stories regularly, but haven’t done those side by side full outfit comparisons in a while! I used to love doing them, so it would be fun to resurrect that.
I need this, but for men.
Classical menswear and tailoring don’t really go with barefoot shoes. Menswear is full of rules, such as how the trousers should fall on the shoe. In my opinion, men’s trousers look best when cuffed with barefoot shoes, as both the shoe and pant appear more casual that way.
Im aware of the many barefoot brands that try to create dressy shoes. In my opinion they all fail.
Oh well. I like my wildlings, I just can’t wear them to every occasion
Hi Markus, it seems to me that the options for men (dressy especially) are a lot better than they were a couple years ago and we’ll see even more options coming up. There’s even a few new brands on the market recently that you might want to check out. Tomas Sullivent and Free Form Shoes. Be sure to check out our full list here if you haven’t.