"Barefoot" Footwear

Review – Vivo Barefoot Lucy

By Tina Dubois ⋅ August 30, 2009 ⋅  Email This Post ⋅ Post a comment

Review – Terra Plana’s Vivo Barefoot Women’s Lucy

We are pleased to review our third shoe from Terra Plana’s Vivo Barefoot line: the women’s Lucy. This shoe is the Black Nappa Leather but is also currently available on the Terra Plana website in Red Suede, Off White Print Canvas, and Sky Blue Nubuck . Overall, I am pleased with the Lucy as an inconspicuous, conventional-looking, colder temperature shoe and look forward to wearing them a lot more come the cooler temperatures of fall.

Comfort
With socks on, the Lucy is an incredibly comfortable shoe; not binding in any way. There is plenty of room in the toe box to happily wiggle toes while walking or not. The heel is snug without any slippage, which often happens for me with conventional shoes. The laces allow for a tight or loose fit and should accommodate a range of foot widths.

There are no uncomfortable seams within the shoe that I can feel with socks on, but with no socks, the material above the toes and on the sides may get uncomfortable after long wear as it is a little rougher than the red material surrounding the interior of the shoe that you can see.

Weight
Each Lucy shoe weighs 182 grams or 6 ³/₈ ounces. Picking up the shoe, it feels incredibly light. You hardly feel any weight when it is on your foot as well.

Flex / Sole
As with other Vivo Barefoot shoes, the Lucy comes with a 3 mm puncture-resistant sole. As there is no other cushioning in the shoe, the sole feels quite flexible with your hands but slightly less so while on your foot. I found that it took quite a bit of effort to flex my toes upwards with the shoes on, probably because of the construction of the upper. I also found that the upper creased quite a bit while flexed, which was easily felt on the top of my foot.

Support / Insole
The Lucy comes with an insole and no other support within the shoe itself. I found that the insole felt like ‘too much shoe’ so removed it the first day they arrived. With no arch support of any kind, they make for a comfortable barefoot alternative shoe.

Barefoot Feel
The 3 mm sole does not lend to heel striking at all. I found that my foot rolled the way it usually does with no shoes on and there was plenty of room for my toes to spread while walking. I have noticed that walking in the Lucy is louder than being barefoot as the sole slaps on the ground before the walking stride is completed. I do not think that wearing the Lucy shoe affects my walking gait, it just seems to be louder than usual.

There is not a lot of grip on the sole of these shoes, which makes them very comfortable to walk on smooth, hard surfaces, but I would not want to negotiate any kind of slippery surface in them.

Breathability
The construction and materials of the Lucy does not lend well to the breathability of the shoe. However, I found them very warm and pleasant to wear in cooler temperatures because of this. I am very much looking forward to wearing them more often on walks outside in the cooler temperatures of the fall.

Quality of Materials / Manufacturing
The quality of materials and manufacturing of these shoes is excellent. The stitching, of which there is a considerable amount, is meticulous and without error. The material looks sturdy and I expect will last a long time.

Water Resistance
Your feet would probably get wet wearing the Lucy shoe if you were to stand in a puddle more than an inch deep for a while, however, walking in the rain was very pleasant in these shoes. I was extremely happy that after walking in a normal, spring rain for half an hour, my feet were still dry and warm. My socks were not damp at all.

Sizing
I usually wear a European size 38 shoe and received a size 39 in the Lucy, as recommended on the Vivo Barefoot website to choose one size larger than usual. This is definitely the right size for me as a 38 would be too small and significantly reduce the wiggle room my toes have. Although, I don’t have excessively wide feet, I find them very comfortable in the width as well.

Price
On the Terra Plana website, they are currently listed at $125 USD, plus shipping.

Style
I think the Lucy shoe looks sharp in black with red accents. They have a very conventional look to their design, thus lending to total inconspicuousness as a barefoot alternative shoe.

Break-in Period
I did not find any break-in period necessary for this shoe; it was comfortable right out of the box. They might get looser as I wear them more, but due to their study construction, I think that may take several months of wearing.

Shoe care
These shoes were sprayed with shoe protector as soon as they arrived and worn outside. The leather is easy to wipe clean if they get dirty, as is the non-leather material used in its construction. I would not recommend washing them in the washing machine, much like most conventional shoes.

Warmth
My feet were always warm when wearing these shoes, even during the rain. I would not, however, recommend wearing these shoes on excessively warm days if you already have usually warm feet.  I think they will be the perfect shoe for cooler fall and spring temperatures.

Uses
Due to their conventional look, the Lucy shoe is perfect for casual or business-casual environments. As they are a women’s design, I don’t know that I would wear them with a skirt but they should look great with almost any kind of pants, just as well as any other conventional shoe.

Summary
I am thoroughly impressed with the Vivo Barefoot Lucy shoe. They are comfortable, light, warm, and completely inconspicuous as a barefoot alternative shoe. I plan on wearing them to walk in light rain and in cooler temperatures. I would recommend the Lucy shoe for any casual outing or work environment.

To purchase these shoes, visit the women’s section of the Vivo Barefoot area of the Terra Plana website.

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