Review: Xero Phoenix Knit - Women's Casual Flat

Noodles

Barefooters
Aug 28, 2019
192
239
43
54
France
Firstly, let me self-flagellate. I am a bad Noodles, a wicked Noodles, a tardy Noodles, and I hereby disqualify myself for the rest of the year from any giveaway competitions. I should have written this review back in October.

I'm very sorry TJ. Here's my review at long last.

I've been wearing these shoes to work constantly since they arrived. I had ordered a pair of the Phoenix leather in the same size before the competition, so I got to compare them.

Sizing
The knit are a loose fit around the foot, but a good fit length-wise. I usually take the optional liner out of Xero shoes, but I had to leave this one in, otherwise the shoes are just too sloppy. This is in contrast to the leather, where the fit is quite snug.
As for the Speed Force, I'd recommend that you print out the Jessie template from the Xero website, then go up a size and a half. In the Jessies, I'm a W9 (you can see on the profile picture that my toes are just at the end of the sandals). I took the Knits (and leather) in a size W10.5, and am happy.

Comfort
The shoes themselves are very light, flexible and slipper-like. They are as comfortable as the Speed Force, but with no laces. Definitely not for running in, but I'm very happy trotting round work in them. Admittedly I have quite a sedentary job (I'm lucky to do 5,000 steps in a day if I don't go for a run), so I'm not clocking up many kilometres. I don't feel any rubbing or aches at the end of the day, whereas the leather ones (not surprisingly) do make their presence felt a bit more. I was delighted that neither the Knits nor the leather dig into the top of my foot when walking, as do a lot of ballerinas. This means no more bruised tendons!

Appearance
I got the Knit shoes in black, and they are definitely smart enough with a pair of trousers. I'm certain they would work with a skirt and tights too. Being fabric, they are starting to get a little dusty looking in places where I've scuffed them against things (I am a clumsy galoot), so I'll probably pass a damp cloth over them soon. If you need really smart, then go for the leather, which are much more of a standard ballerina. On the website, the Knits look very... knitted. In real life, they are a lot more subtle.

Bonus
A nice surprise was how grippy these shoes are. In the past I've had problems with Xeros on certain surfaces (we have a pebble pavement at work which gets treacherous when wet), but the Knits feel more secure.

All in all, I'm very pleased with both the Knits and the leather. The Knits are my every day shoe, but I'm reassured to have the leather shoes for when I have to really dress up.

Rating of 1 to 5 out of 5 stars:

Ground Feel: 3 - as I said, I had to leave the liner in
Zero Drop: 5
Flexibility: 4
Toe Box: 5 - lots of piggy room
Weight: 5 - lovely and light
Comfort: 5 - no sore spots at all
Fit: 4 - a bit loose
Traction: 5 - a nice surprise
Durability: I can't really give a score yet
Performance: They are not running shoes
Cross Training: They are not running shoes
Design: 5 - they are very well designed across the top of the foot
Aesthetics: 5 - they look fine for work wear
 
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You're not late. That's fine. :)
 
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