No one likes painful feet! I’m on a mission to show the world that you can feel better and still enjoy dressing up. Here are the newest barefoot shoe replacements to this season’s trendiest styles -but with more toe space and a natural feel. If you are someone who struggles finding cute shoes that fit and don’t cause you pain, this one is for you.
And you can check out Part 1 of this spring’s Fashion, But Make it Barefoot series for even more stylish barefoot shoes! And don’t forget that you can make use of insoles with any of these if you don’t want a barefoot sole.
Now let’s get to it. Five stylish barefoot shoes, new for spring 2024.
Origo Mary Jane
Leather | Sizes US Women’s 6-11 | Ships from US or MX
Use code ANYA for 10% off (also works on the Mexico site!)
This brand new style from Origo is a statement flat, capturing Parisian style but with plenty of toe space. The straps are not only trendy, they also help you get a tailored fit without any heel slippage! Though they do take a while to buckle and unbuckle – I can leave the front two buckled, but have to do the back two every time.
They come in black, beige, burgundy, and red. Shown here is red. Burgundy is even deeper, like Oxblood.
These have a wide fit, even for a barefoot shoe. They work both for my wide, low volume, narrow heeled feet and are nearly perfect for Samantha, who has an extra wide high volume foot. But she had to break in the patent leather and wishes for a few more millimeters of space on the big toe side (she has a bean-shaped foot). Extra wide might want to size up for more width, and straight or mountain shaped feet feet will do better than bean or slope shaped feet.
I make use of the optional insole they come and Samantha wears them without it. And the buckles make them adjustable for both our foot volumes! I also appreciate that they don’t squish the tops of my toes.
If you are familiar with the Origo Derby, these are a few millimeters wider than those. Overall, a really fun shoe that fits well! See them in action here.
Shapen Orchid
Suede | 2 Widths | Sizes EU 35-44 | Ships from US or EU
You can also shop them directly with Shapen (use code ANYA5 for 5% off), but they do not accept returns outside the EU.
These gorgeous flats bring a new level of elegance to barefoot shoes! They come in two widths, so can work for both average/slim feet and extra wide feet. I haven’t been this excited about a new barefoot shoe in a long time!! They are truly beautiful and I will wear mine both with fancy dresses and jeans.
They do run big, the same way the Shapen Poppy does, so I expect that most people will want a size down. I am wearing size 36 regular, but could wear a size 35 wide as well. Samantha is wearing a size 37 wide. The strap fits my low volume feet on the tightest setting, and Samantha has hers on the loosest setting for her high volume feet.
I recommend treating the suede with a spray before wearing them out, especially the beige color, so that they stay nice. Shoes do go on the ground after all! Dirt is inevitable.
Also new from Shapen this spring is the Petal sandal. This sandal comes in regular and wide, and is high volume. They also run on the big side and many people will want to size down, especially if you have a low volume foot like I do. The regular width shown above is a little loose for me, but much better for Samantha (though she needs the Wide width for the best fit). These are also available at Anya’s Shop in both widths!
Groundies Ruby
Leather | Sizes EU 36-43 | Ships from EU or US
These are also available at Anya’s Shop in the US! In both beige and beige with black toe cap.
I love an understated neutral flat. These light beige colored ballet flats are light and flexible, stay on my narrow heels well, and have a comfortably wide toe box for no pinching. I’ve always found Groundies flats to be one of the best for my narrow heels, and they are so flexible and move with my feet easily.
Sizing is true, I am wearing a size 37 and they fit me well with no need for additional heel grips. They have a removable insole, so work for a variety of foot volumes. They are good for wide feet, but not quite extra wide (I’ve got something for you later on in this article!)
Crupon Monstera
Leather | Sizes EU 35-42 | Ships from EU
Use code ANYA for 10% off
The Crupon Monstera is new this spring with a design inspired by the leaves of the Monstera plant. To me they are a wonderful fisherman sandal replacement, which have been really popular of late. Fisherman sandals in general are more comfortable than many pinchy shoes, but I still find mainstream brands to be too narrow in the toe box! Crupon’s actually are widest at the toes, where we need the most space.
This model comes in neutrals and lots of fun bright colors. I find them to be on the high volume side, so I wear mine with this insole to raise my foot inside the shoe a bit.
Crupon’s are wonderfully made with high quality leather, and I reach for mine all the time in the spring/summer season!
Read my full Crupon Sandals review here for more details on fit and sizing.
Softstar Merry Jane
Leather | Sizes US Women’s 5.5-13 | Ships from US
I frequently get asked about pretty women’s dress shoes that have an extra wide fit, and none are wider than the Softstar Merry Jane. They come in two widths – regular and wide, but they really could be called Wide and Wider!
This style was first launched in 2020, but starting April 23rd for the first time you’ll be able to customize your Merry Janes with different leather colors and strap options! You can choose from a variety of neutral, metallic, and colorful options and two new strap variations.
This is really exciting news for those of you who struggle with even barefoot shoes being too narrow, because now you can customize this extra wide dress shoe with the colors that are appropriate for your needs. Whether it’s work, a wedding, or an everyday spring shoe, the customizer option makes them so much more versatile.
The new custom strap options are also nice. I am modeling the Fine strap in regular width, Latte leather on the left and Samantha is wearing the Bold strap in wide width, Tahiti leather.
The one issue we’ve had with this shoe is that when brand new they are very low and tight over the tops of the toes. This is because Softstar doesn’t use lasts in their shoes, instead letting them form completely to your feet. But we find it’s not super comfortable to break in, so Samantha and I stuffed the toe boxes of our Merry Janes with tissue and let it sit overnight. Now they are stretched just enough to not squish the toes!
49 thoughts on “Pretty Spring Shoes But Make it Barefoot – Part 2”
Dear Anya and Samantha,
It would be great if you compiled a list of shoes that makes a specific distinction between straight and bean-shaped. All of my favorite shoes have been bean-shaped (Belenka City and the Saguaro models with the ‘cactus’ sole), so I want to focus specifically on that shape. This shape is more important to me than the ones associated with the toe-length profile (’sloping’, ‘mountain’, etc). The bean shape allows the hallux to really spread, whereas the straight doesn’t as much. I posted this here because this is the only page that came up when I searched “bean-shaped”. Thx!
Continued from previous message:
Examples of Saguaros with the ‘cactus’ sole are the Bliss, Agile and Luck models.
As for straight shoes, such as the Splays, I have to size up to get enough width for my hallux.
The bean shape allows me to wear the size that’s appropriate for the length of my foot.