Customer Reviews

Terra Plana Men's Dharma Slip-on,Black Leather,41 EU (8 M US)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
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This is one of Terra Plana's "Vivo Barefoot" line, thin, snug-fitting moccassin-style shoes with an extremely flexible hard plastic sole. I have two pair of these shoes, in black leather, and I wear them semi-religiously. They're comfortable enough that I can sleep in them, yet (at least in black leather) professional looking enough that I can get away with wearing them to the office.

They're also my standard go-to shoe for my tai chi practice. There's a lot of foot-rolling precise balancing in tai chi, and the thin, flexible soles of these shoes give every part of my foot direct contact with the floor, which I feel really helps my training.

As to details:

1) Comfort. They feel more like slippers than shoes, or a hard-soled foot sock -- snug around the body of the foot, but wide enough for my toes to spread out a bit. I've fallen asleep with them on and woken up with my feet feeling fine. The only shoes I have that really compare for comfort are my chuck taylors (and those don't have as protective a sole, nor can I wear them to work when I need to look somewhat professional). They're pretty warm, too, at least for where I live (South Carolina) -- no snow boots or anything, but definitely comfortable at temperatures above freezing.

2) Fit. Snug. They run small, but that's a good thing -- you really want that "Second sock" feel with these. You may need to order a half-size or so up from your normal size, and you might have to try exchanging a size or two before you get the fit exactly right.

3) Durability. Pretty durable. Hand-stitched and solid. I wear mine nearly every day, and after a year and a half or so, my first pair have had a few stitches come loose in the toe (from when I didn't cut my toenails frequently enough -- like I said, snug fit), and there's a slight crack in the sole of the right shoe that I only noticed because I was inspecting them for this review.

4) Look. I get compliments all the time, and in a lot of different venues -- at work, at practice. I've even had other Vivo Barefoot wearers stop me in the street to talk about the experience of wearing them. They aren't a substitute for a real dress shoe, but they definitely work with business casual attire.

There's a lot out there on the 'net about how "barefoot" style shoes help your stance and foot health and so forth. I do find myself walking more on the balls of my feet in these, but beyond that, I'm not a doctor, and so I'm not going to evaluate those claims. However, I can speak for comfort, practicality, and looks, and this shoe (in black leather) excels in all three -- it strikes a great balance between a professional look, performance, and comfort.

I've never written a product review before, but I absolutely love these shoes. If you're looking at buying them, you're probably already sold on the idea of barefoot walking, and these are nice enough looking that I can wear them to work. I bought these because I am trying to run either barefoot or with minimalist running shoes, and wanted to improve my walking technique to match my new running form - nearly impossible with conventional shoes.

Main problem is that although the lack of a heel makes walking correctly easier (after retraining myself), my pants are all now about an inch too long and I end up walking on the back cuff.

I purchased these after reading "Born to run" and trying the Nike Free shoes in my running, looking for something as close to "barefoot" shoes as possible. These fit the bill.

Great alternative to my VFFs when I need something more conservative. Well-made, comfortable, and look great even with some scuffs/wear. If you're not used to the barefoot alternative, it'll take a few days of wearing them to adjust, but otherwise they're great. However, if you're short, the lack of sole will magnify it more than you're used to.