Shapen Barefoot is making the best dressy flats and boots for women who wear barefoot shoes. They are zero drop, flexible, wide, and yet classy. If you’ve struggled to find elegant minimalist shoes for work or other fancy occasions, Shapen is the answer. I have been following this small business for years, so it delights me that I can now bring them to North America at Anya’s Shop! Read on for my review of this women’s barefoot shoe brand and how to order.
Meet Shapen
Shapen Barefoot is a Slovakian brand begun by Mia, a fashionista with a passion for foot health, just like myself! Currently her shop has many different colors and styles of ballet flats and sandals, as well as some ultra wide boots and oxfords. I am reviewing ALL Shapen Barefoot models in this post, but a few of them are also available at Anya’s Shop!
How To Order
Shapen Barefoot is an international shop, so customers all over the world can order any of her shoes and accessories. Currently, Mia has extended the coupon code ANYA5 to readers here for 5% off anything.
It costs $22 to have shoes shipped to the US by snail mail ($35 for expedited shipping), and returns are possible but the customer pays return shipping. If you live in North America you can avoid that by purchasing from my shop! Ordering from Anya’s Shop will save you money on shipping and potential costly returns. But if I don’t carry something you have your heart set on, you can always order directly from Shapen Barefoot.
Now let’s get to know these Shapen Barefoot shoes a little more.
The Shapen Ivy – A Barefoot Dress Boot
Leather | $180 | Extra Wide
The Shapen Ivy is a leather zip-up ankle boot with an ultra wide toe box. It is perfect for people who have trouble finding dressy shoes that are wide enough, even in barefoot brands. It has a smart, simple design and a stylish mainstream look. The sole is 3.5 mm and flexible enough to roll into a ball.
Fit Type: The Ivy has a square toe box shape, so works well for people with all foot types, even the most difficult to fit square shaped foot. They are high volume, so people with low volume feet should plan to use insoles and/or shoe tongue pads.
Note: The leather around the ankle opening is stiff at first. People with sensitive Achilles’ will want to use moleskin until the leather breaks in.
Barefoot Ankle Boot Comparison
Ankle boots are one of my favorite barefoot shoe styles. I’ve reviewed a few different ones and in the photo below you can see a width and length comparison between them. The Shapen Ivy is the widest by a good margin. Here you can read my Vivobarefoot Fulham review, and in this post you will find my Mukishoes Chelsea review.
The Shapen Poppy – A Barefoot D’orsay Flat
Leather | $120 | CUTE
The Shapen Poppy is a truly dressy barefoot flat. Toe box detailing helps to disguise the width and an open design elongates the legs. They are some of the most fashionable women’s barefoot shoes in existence.
The Poppy is 3mm thick with a leather insole and rubber outsole. The structured design keeps it looking classy, despite being a fully barefoot shoe!
Fit Type: The Poppy has a square toe box shape, so will fit a wide range of foot types. It fits medium-high volume feet and comes in two width. Regular fits an average width foot. Wide fits an extra wide foot. They run long, and after carrying these for several months at Anya’s Shop we recommend sizing down (most people who didn’t size down ended up exchanging).
Read this post if you need guidance on measuring your feet.
Shown on me in this post is the regular width. I have slightly wider than average feet (23.3cm long and 9.3cm wide from a foot tracing) and my foot fills up the whole toe box. The leather was snug at first, but has softened so I feel comfortable in them. You can see in the photo below that the Wide is just a little too much space for me. But extra wide-footed friends will want to choose wide width.
The styling possibilities are endless and they continue to be one of my most favorite fashionable barefoot shoe choices.
The following are the other barefoot dress shoe styles that Shapen Barefoot carries, but that will not be at Anya’s Shop (or at least not for now :).
The Shapen Lily – A Dressy Barefoot Sandal
The Shapen Lily is a dressy barefoot sandal, meant to be an alternative to high heels. They currently only come in a regular width, and follow the same sizing as the regular Poppy – so they run on the long side, and are medium/narrow width. I got a size 36, just like I have in the Poppy and they are long on me and slightly loose, but I couldn’t size down or they would be too narrow. Even still, I find them to be lovely sandals and would happily wear them as wedding shoes.
My pair is the Latte color. The insole and heel piece is leather but the metallic portion is synthetic, so feels a little plastic-y. I would prefer them to be 100% leather (some of the colors are), but realize that you wouldn’t get that mirror metallic shine if they were.
The Shapen Tulip – A Barefoot Ballet Flat
The Shapen Tulip is another barefoot ballet flat style that comes in several lovely colors and can easily be dressed up for fancy occasions. I got a size 36, regular width in this style as well, but they feel too small and I haven’t worn them at all. You can see below that the sole curves and that pushes my toes to the front. The heel piece also digs into my achilles. I would definitely need a size 37, and also the wide width that is now available, to be comfortable.
Again, Mia has provided a detailed size chart so you can get the length and width measurements for each size, but keep in mind the curvature of the sole.
The Shapen Fleur – A Barefoot Oxford
Another style of shoe Shapen carries is the Fleur, a barefoot Derby or Oxford shoe. This shoe is made in the same wide width as the Ivy, so it is great for extra wide, high volume feet. This maroon color is no longer available, but you can get it in several other pretty colors (including rose gold!). I got a size 36 in this style, but they feel a teensy bit short (they don’t run long the way the Poppy and Lily do!). They work fine with thin or no socks, but next time I would get a size 37, the size I have in the Ivy boot.
Shapen Mai Sandal
The Shapen Mai sandal is made with an extra wide shape similar to the Fleur and Ivy boots. If the Lily was too narrow for you, these dressy sandals will give you plenty of space, and they are super flexible to boot. I have wide, shallow feet and they were wide enough but also a bit floppy around the heel and over the arch. They fit Samantha much better, who has a beefier high volume foot. I got my usual sandal size of EU 36.
The Shapen Daisy
The Shapen Daisy is another extra wide sandal, with a velcro ball strap to make them even more adjustable. The strap wraps around the ankle (which some people are finding not long enough). This sandal was not a good fit for me at all, they were very floppy with tons of extra space around my feet. They are best suited for really wide feet, and high volume would be best. Personally, I don’t like the metallic material on the ball strap, I think it looks plasticky. I would love to see some material upgrades to make them a bit more refined looking. These are also very flexible like the Mai.
Conclusion
You get max benefit from barefoot shoes when you can wear them every time you need foot coverings. Even on special occasions I want to be comfortable, grounded, and able to use my feet to move. Brands like Shapen Barefoot make that possible! It is a fulfillment of my dreams to be able to bring healthy footwear to more people, so make sure you are watching Anya’s Shop for lots more to come!
And don’t forget to subscribe below so you hear about new barefoot shoe reviews!
36 thoughts on “Shapen Review – The Best Barefoot Dress Shoes for Women”
Hey Anya,
Thank you for your review on the Ivy! For sizing, my feet are 23.6cm and I wear a 38 in Vivobarefoot and Belenka with thicker socks. The size chart indicates that I should get a 37, but it fits you so should I get a 38? The insole length for the 38 is 25.2 which would be too long, and I don’t plan on wearing thick socks with the Ivy. What would you recommend? Thank you!
What Be Lenka style do you wear with thicker socks? Do you think you could wear a 37 in Vivo or Be Lenka brands if you wore thin socks? If you got your 23.6cm measurement from a foot tracing and you want your Ivy to fit closer to your foot than the Be Lenka and Vivos you have I would go 37. I could wear a 36 in the Ivy myself, but then I wouldn’t have much space for socks and my toes would be slightly closer to the front than I prefer. However, they would look a little dressier for being slimmer around my ankle.
I wear the Belenka Icon with thicker socks, and the Vivo Addis 37 is slightly too short for my left foot w/o socks so I wear thicker socks with the 38. My feet measurement is against the wall so I don’t know if that makes a difference. I’ve been consistently one size bigger than you so may just go with the 38. Thank you for your input, and all that you do in the name of zero drop!
Yes, I would agree with the 38! Thank you!
Hi Anya,
Wow! Such lovely shoes! I am new at barefoot shoes. I just love the Poppy and am wanting to order a pair from your site. My foot measures 25.4 cm so I thinking to order a size 9. Thoughts?
A measurement of 25.4 would actually put you at a size EU 39 or women’s 8 (I am using the size chart that is on the product page). A size EU 40 or US 9 would be quite long on you.
Thanks for the help!
These are gorgeous shoes! Thanks for the review.
Thanks a lot for the review, I am in love with the Poppy, they look very nice. 🙂 I am still not sure what would be the best size because the recommend taking shoes that are just a few mm longer than the feet. My feet are 25,1 and I wanted to buy size 39. How much space do you have in front?:)
Hi Diana! My Poppys are 8mm longer than my toes and they are almost too long. Because of the open design they feel insecure if they are too long. After selling lots of these at Anya’s Shop I recommend you follow the Shapen size chart with only 3-8mm in front of the toes, even though it doesn’t seem like a lot. Quite a lot of people ordered up and then returned them for the size down.
Thank you very much!!
Hi Anya, I’m thinking of buying the Shapen Ivy boots. My foot is 25cm long and my ankle is 25 cm in circumference. Using the Shapen size guide, I think I would be a 39 based on my foot length, but the ankle circuit would be 1cm too small. Do you think I should size up to the 40, or is there some leeway with the ankle? I would be wearing them with thick socks, most likely. Or maybe they are just not the right boots for me? Thanks
Is that 25 cm taken using the wall method? If so, I would say a size 40 should be good.
Yes, I’m using the the wall method. I’m a 40 in my other barefoot shoes – Peerko, Groundies. I’m fairly new to barefoot shoes, so I’m still getting used to the idea of space at the end of the shoe. Thanks.
Yes, they can feel too big at first! But as long as they are secure on your foot and not sliding around then you are probably in the right size. Hope you love them!
Hi! Question on the Shapen Poppy. My feet are 25 cm or 24.5 cm with the wall method. I have a pair of Be Lenka sandals in size 40 that are a bit too long, so I was thinking of getting the Shapen in size 39. But should I size down even further in Shapen Poppy to 38? Thanks for your help!
Be Lenka sandals also run a little long, so a 39 likely would be good. But I would defer to the size chart, which recommend 3-8mm extra length (so that they aren’t floppy).
Hi Anya!
My feet are 25 cm long, and 10 cm across. I read from some of your other comments that a size 39/size 8 would be best, but am curious if I should go for the regular or the wide?
Thanks!
Based on the size chart, Wide would be the right size for you, so that’s my guess.
Thank you! You’re the best!
Hi Anya,
I am planning to get Tulip ballerinas. My feet are 25 cm and 25,2cm long and 10 cm wide across. Is it ok if I get EU39 wide, because I think that EU40 would be to long for my shorter foot. I tried Groundies Bella and size 40 was to long, but 39(25,5cm) to short. Thank you for your help!
Because the sole of the Tulip curves I found that they felt shorter than the size chart indicated. My inclination would be to go up one, but since fit is so personal I can’t say for sure.
Thanks so much for all the info on your site. Super helpful. I just had to return a size 41 in Be Lenka Polars. They were a little too snug on me as far as foot volume and ankle size. Length and width were very close. Any tips on sizing the Shapen Ivy boot to try instead? My foot tracing comes out as 24cm long and 10cm wide. Thank you!
The Ivy’s fit roomier than the Polar’s because they are unlined. They also fit higher volume than the Polars. My guess is you’d be a 41 in the Ivy if that size was a little too snug in the Polar.
Hi Anya,
I am interested in buying one pair of Tulip and one Poppy. My feet measures are 23.4cm long and 9.3cm wide. Which size do you recommend me please?
Thank you ❤️
Hi Ainhoa, we’ve found the size chart to be pretty accurate and the recommendation of adding only 3-8 mm to your foot length to be good advice. So my guess is you’d be a 36 wide!
Thank you 🥰
Dear Anya,
I just found your review and it looks like I won’t have to wear heels ever again 🥳
I’m unsure about the sizing:
My feet are 25,5 cm long and I wear a 41 in vivos and groundies, but the size chart for the poppys recommends a 39 I think… Wouldn’t that be too small?
Thanks in advance!
Michelle, It’s definitely possible you could be two sizes down in the Poppy’s! I’ve seen it a few times, and I myself think I’d probably fit best in a 35 Wide if that size was available (I wear a 37 in Vivo and Groundies).
Hi Anya, do you know anything about the “Second Chance” option from Shapen? I.e. slight cosmetic defects. They don’t show any pics with examples on their site. I am interested because of the discount but not sure if cosmetic defects include just scratches/scuffs or manufacturing defects that would affect fit/comfort. If you happen to have any insider info or could poll your connections for people who may have purchased that option, it would be helpful to know! Thanks for your awesome reviews!
Hey Kellie! I did a search in my Barefoot Style community group on Facebook and saw that several people posted about them saying that they either couldn’t find the flaw or it was really minor. It does say on the Shapen website that they’re cosmetic defects, which to me means aesthetic only. I did see one person post a picture of flats she got that had a prominent mark in the leather on the top of the shoe. 🙁 That would be disappointing to get. She ended up using leather paint on it, but it’s a bit of a risk.
Hello Anya,
I really need help with ordering my poppy once they are available. I wear 38 in my groundies bella flats. My foot length is 24.5. Would you recommend a size 37?
Hi Jazmin,
What size did you end up getting in the Poppy? My feet are the same length.
Thanks
Are they good for flat feet?
If you are asking if they have arch support the answer is no. But having flat feet doesn’t mean you can’t wear flat shoes – in fact there might be some benefits to it. You can read more on whether barefoot shoes are ok for flat feet here.
Hi Anya, thanks for this article. I found it really useful in choosing the right size for my shapen sandels, without it I would probably have ordered the wrong size and lost a lot of money as can’t return from the UK. I now have beautiful sandals for the weddings ahead in 2023! Your website is full of really useful and relevant information. Keep up the good work!