These classic black flats are the best barefoot flats I have seen yet! They are a game changer for professional women who are conscious about their foot health. There are some important things to know about the fit of these beauties, so read on to see if these will be right for you.
A few months ago I was on Vivobarefoot‘s site to get links for my Dress Shoe Roundup, and these adorable flats caught my eye! I was not a big fan of the first iteration of the Jing Jings, but these looked like a significant improvement. Thanks to Vivobarefoot‘s free shipping/returns I snatched up a pair right away to try out.
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Fit
I ordered my normal size for flats (Size 6, or Eur 36), and was shocked to find that they were HUGE.
I never wear anything smaller than a 6 (I often wear a 6.5 or 7 in shoes and boots), but after hopping on to the FB Minimalist Shoe group I discovered others were finding they ran big for them too. As opposed to the first Jing Jing, where people were buying 2 whole sizes up, almost everyone reported sizing down in these. So, I immediately sent the size 6 back and reordered them in a size 5.5 (or Eur 35).
The size 5.5 fit in length and the toe box is perfect, but the heel is wide and I’ve been having some problem with slippage.
I’ve put in some temporary heel grips on either side of my heel to secure it, and it helps a lot. I’ll be wearing them around the house for a bit to make sure I am not gripping the shoe to keep it from flopping off. If I am, I will have to send them back. Much to my dismay. But, foot health.
If you have narrow, skinny heels, you might have the same problem. These will be excellent for people with wider feet (or maybe normal feet? As you can see, my feet are mostly bones). I’d love to hear more feedback from those of you who have purchased about how these are fitting your feet.
Barefoot Qualities
All Vivobarefoot shoes are zero drop, with an untapered big toe, and very flexible sole (see all of my Vivobarefoot reviews here). Personally, I find the width of Vivobarefoot to be hit or miss with me, as sometimes the outside of the shoe tapers in too quickly and squishes my pinky toes. Not so with these. The toe box is spacious and foot shaped, but cut to give the illusion of a narrower toe.
Materials
These are made of Pittards Wild Hide leather inside and out. The Wild Hide is very soft and doesn’t feel like it will require any breaking in (which is unusual for leather insoles!). I love shoes with leather interior, in fact I wish more of Vivobarefoot’s shoes were made like this. The leather helps with sweat and odor control and makes them much more pleasant to wear barefoot.
Styling
Before I transitioned to minimal footwear I had shoes I reserved for occasions I wanted to look “nice.” But if, on those occasions, I ended up having to do unanticipated walking I was usually miserable. I was always weighing how cute I wanted to look with how comfortable I wanted to be. I never even considered it a possibility to have both at the same time. Ever since I discovered minimalist shoes (and unsquished toes), I’ve been on a mission to bring that comfort and mobility to every area of my life, including the times I want to look smokin’ hot. So when a shoe like this lands, I get very excited!
These are a cinch to style. Unlike the first Jing Jings (and many other “comfy” flats) which look sort of like bags on your feet, these have clean lines and sophisticated details. The pointed vamp provides angles while still having a wide and untapered toe box. The structure and high quality leather make for a very professional looking shoe.
But don’t think these flats are just for the office. They look great with jeans and a t-shirt, faux leather leggings, yoga pants, you name it. This shoe ticks ALL my boxes: healthy for your feet, comfortable enough you can walk in them all day, and a style so versatile you can take it into almost every area of your life (ok, I wouldn’t hike in these, but you get the idea). You can kill it in a business meeting, step out for a hot date afterward and STILL come home feeling great. No compromises to be had.
So, even though I *may* be returning mine, I am so excited to see footwear like this being made available to women. Minimalist footwear is beginning to enter the mainstream culture, and forward thinking designs like this one will help it get there.
Have you tried these new flats? If so, drop a comment and let me know how they’re working for you!
27 thoughts on “Vivobarefoot Jing Jing II Flats Review”
I also have a narrow heel, so I’m wondering — did you end up returning them?
I kept them, but I had to put padding in on either side of my heel to hold it in place. It works, but the sides gape. If you have narrow heels you’ll probably have to do something like that. They still aren’t in stock though 🙁
Size 6, is not Eur 36. Size 6 is Eur 39
She means a US women’s 6 is an EU 36 (which is correct).
I called the company and they said they were having sizing and quality issues so they took them off the market to make those changes. They said maybe August when they will be back in stock on their website. I have recently found them on Zappos (see link below) but they may be the old style. May be worth waiting so they can fix the issues they had with them. I have been very impressed with this company and their quality!
https://www.zappos.com/p/vivobarefoot-jing-jing-ii-black-leather/product/9171440/color/72?ref=pd_vh
Thank you for this! I appreciate it.
I just bought 2 pairs from Zappos, 1 pair black and the other blue. The black is a little loose, but I have a wide foot and they’re so incredibly comfortable that I decided to keep them. The blue pair are tighter than the black and they have a thick pad at the back that grips the heel so they stay on much better. It’s a really pale blueish gray that should work well for summer. Overall I’m really happy with both pairs.
Thank you for sharing this! I haven’t tried the blue ones, I had no idea they were narrower.
I just managed to snag a pair of these in store in London and decided to go down a size and also asked for a thin in-sole – otherwise they are massive with pretty bad slippage. Fingers crossed they work! They were also on sale for £40 so I guess it was a pretty sweet price too 🙂
Getting the slim sized sole will probably really help! Also, adding more buckle holes to tighten them might solve the problem too. If you have a low instep (like me) these probably don’t go small enough as is.
Just bought a pair of Jing Jing flats which I adore but they are like flippers they are so large. I’m a standard 6. Phoned company who said it must be one off bad luck and I don’t have to pay for returning. Having read this article I’ll order 5.5s and will let you know 😁
Hi Anya, I really appreciate your informative reviews! I agree with the heel being wide and easy to slip off. I ordered size 38 on Zappos but they still feel big for me, and I still have about .5 inch in the back if i push my toes to the front of the shoe.
Do you think this kind of shoe would stretch over time, especially since it’s made out of leather?
Yes, I think they will stretch for you! Mine did, and I ended up sending them back because they only got looser over time. So, if you’re already feeling like they’re big I wouldn’t risk it. Though, I did hear the blue color is narrower!
I know this is an old comment/post, but I was wondering if these shoes would stretch on the toe box. I’ve got two from Revivo, the bigger size is great for the toes but far too big everywhere else so not an option. The smaller one fits perfectly but my pinkie feel slightly squished and I’m afraid if I wear them for too long I’ll be in pain. If they soften it wouldn’t be a problem. Any ideas on this?
Hey! I do think you could stretch the pinkie toe. You can strategically stuff the shoe so it only stretches that area, or you can use the end of a wooden spoon and run it along the spot you want stretched, pressing it out.
Hey! What size did you go for in the end?! I’m so confused with sizing, I’m a UK size 3 but most of my vivobarefoot are 3.5 but I also have one pair that are size 3, I was going to order my usual
size from the revivo site 3.5 till I saw that they run big.
The 35s, but even those were quite loose in the back.
Would you mind sharing your foot measurements? I am hoping to buy these shoes and I’m really torn on sizing (they’re on Revivo for a great price but no returns). I am normally a 39.
At the time I believe my feet were 23cm long from a foot tracing. Today they are 23.3cm long from a foot tracing, but it’s been a number of years since I wrote this review.
I will try to keep you posted on when the new and approved pair comes out on the vivobarefoot website. I ended up returning mine at zappos because of the sizing issue as well but was worth a try because they are super cute and comfortable. They were too loose so I hope when they have the new revamped version those issues will be fixed.
Hi Anya! I just found your blog via the minimalist shoe FB group, and started following you on Insta as well. I LOVE all your outfit photos – so helpful!
I was wondering if you know of any resources styling minimalist shoes specifically for a business-casual office environment. From what I’ve seen, this is the only post where you have office-y outfits. I do have a pair of barefoot black flats (Softstar – love them!), and they’re great for most of the year, but my office is really cold in the winter, so I’m trying to find more office style inspiration for fully enclosed barefoot shoes/boots. This past winter I mostly wore my Vivo Ryders, and that was great from a warmth/comfort perspective, but I feel like my style could use a little help 🙂 So if you know of a resource (or might consider doing one yourself…) that would be much appreciated!
Hi! I am working on covering work wear shoes and outfits head on, but I do have quite a few reviews that fit into that category. For cold weather my Drifter Leather reviews, Zaqq Riquet review, Vivobarefoot boots, and How to Wear Boots post would be good places to look. I also have a Women’s Dress Shoe Roundup, but it is pretty inclusive and some of them will not be dressy enough for work. Besides that you could hunt through my Instagram feed for Lisbeth Joe photos and more recently Zlatush Shoes. Glad you’re here! Thanks for commenting.
Thanks so much Anya! I’ll check those out. Much appreciated!
Hi Anya!
I love your reviews and they have gave me the insight into lots of barefoot brands.
I run in barefoot for years (Altra), but I never used “barefoot” shoes on the daily basis until I got pregnant. Now, I am doing the transition to all my shoes.
Well, I managed to snap a pair if Jing Jing II in EU 37 and they are slipping on the back. I am usually 38, but length wise the 37 is good just a bit big (I think 36 will be small).
Did you keep yours? I am thinking about the heel grips, but I don’t know if they will be enough in the long run.
Thanks!
Hi Reyna! I took them on a trip and wore them around town for a day but they slipped really badly even with multiple heel grips. They were just too spacious all around my foot. When I got home from my trip I returned them (they have a 100 day return policy even on worn shoes). It’s a shame because they were so pretty! I have very narrow heels, so you might be able to get away with a heel grip. You can test it out by cutting up an old insole or finding some kind of padding to put in there.
Hi Anya, I was wondering if you tried the “OPANKA BALLERINA WOMENS” by Vivobarefoot.
I wanted to buy durable ballet shoe yet has good style but it is hard to find. I wanted to buy Xero Phoenix knit shoe in black but it seems to be discontinued. I am afraid Xero Phoenix leather might be not as good fit. I am hoping that if you do review on Vivobarefoot Opanka Ballerina, I can finally buy the right one.
I haven’t tried them yet, but there are a few reviews in my Barefoot Style Facebook group.