Vivobarefoot Dress Shoes

[bf in az]

I recently reviewed the Vivobarefoot Ra. My take is that while the shoe gets the basics right (zero drop, wide toe box, good groundfeel) the stiff leather upper still makes it pretty uncomfortable and inflexible.
Now I'm wondering if there are any better options. Has anyone tried the Vivobarefoot Dharma? It looks like it could be softer.

 

[Longboard]

It's not as dressy looking though.
At least the Ra looks dressy from a distance.
Depends on how fancy you have be I guess.
I still dread having to wear the Ra, but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.

 

[bf in az]

It's not as dressy looking though.
At least the Ra looks dressy from a distance.
Depends on how fancy you have be I guess.
I still dread having to wear the Ra, but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.

Is the Dharma dressy enough to wear with a suit? I'm a lawyer, so that's kind of key =)

 

[Longboard]

I just read your review and found it very thorough and accurate.
I also never used the insole, and would agree that it is not a super comfortable shoe, but the best I've seen that can be worn with a suit without attracting stares.
To be fair, I've only worn them once, a little over a year ago for a wedding.
A week from today will be their second outing, also a wedding.
Life is good when I only need a suit and tie and dress shoes for events that start with cocktails!
I wear clean jeans or khackis with sweaters or knits and bare feet for "snappy casual" events, but sometimes use leather or suede clogs for the grand entrance despite the elevated heel. Wide (EEEE) toebox at least, and microseconds to kick off. I'd feel silly barefoot in a suit, but some guys actually pull it off! (probably not in the courtroom though).
The problem is for you at work you ARE being judged by your cloths and it can have a direct impact on your ability to provide for yourself and (possibly) your family, so neckties and dress shoes as uncomfortable as they can be must be tolerated somehow.
At work I slip on New Balance 801 clogs also EEEE whenever the shoe look is required, and fortunatly it is just an athletic shoe look that is expected. Sockless w/scrubs, it fits right in, and the slightly elevated heel is the only price to pay. I make up for it by stretching my achilles and calves during the workday, and minimizing the walking or standing in the 801 "recovery" (as New Balance used to call them) shoes.

 

[Longboard]

Is the Dharma dressy enough to wear with a suit? I'm a lawyer, so that's kind of key =)

Never had a pair, But even the Ra's in other colors than black don't seem to be, as they have light color soles that don't match the tops.
I'll look at the Dharmas again on their site. Do you have a quick link to a picture of them?

 

[Longboard]

O.K., just looked at a bunch of photos of the Dharma. I guess maybe they do look dressy enough, but of course you never know until you see them with the dress pants. You thinking about the lace-ups or slip-ons?

 

[Larry]

I've been wearing the Ras at work now for a year or two, and I'd have to say they hold up pretty well. I don't find the upper stiff at all, and I don't think I found them overly stiff when I bought them, but it was a while ago now. I think the leather is quite soft, so maybe that's something that happens over time. The two negative things I've noticed are:

- The lack of a heel makes the hems of my trousers touch the floor
- The side of the sole breaks away from the upper a little bit at the point where the foot flexes on both sides. I've been meaning to glue them up for ages, but never get around to it.

Nobody has ever noticed my shoes, so I guess that means they are OK. The last time I checked they were the only zero drop shoes I could find that I'd consider wearing with a suit. The dharmas are close, but I think the seam down the middle makes them look a little more casual.

 

[Big Joel]

Is the Dharma dressy enough to wear with a suit? I'm a lawyer, so that's kind of key =)

Im a lawyer also and wear my Ras all the time. For suits though, I found its hard to make them look dressy enough to have them pass in a courtroom. I was looking at the runamoks. They look pretty minimalist as well and might be a good alternative. Generally, I just wear regular dress shoes with suits though.

Primal footwear is also coming out with a line of dress shoes for men. They look promising but I think are starting at $300 a pair (holy sticker shock batman!)

 

[Tristan]

And I was just talking about these on another thread. I love my Ra's. I agree with everything in your review except that I dont notice any discomfort, I think they are pretty darn comfortable especially for a dress shoe, and the hieght of the toebox - I dont realy notice it as any issue either, but we all have slightly different feet. The toe spring is less than just about any other pair of minimalist shoes I've tried on except maybe VFFs. It is there but I dont notice it unless I try to. No it might not be as comfy as a traditional sneaker but thats a little unfair to expect from any dress shoe IMO, and like I said before its plenty comfortable for me, just not a plush supple cushioned lining that screams ooh ahh when you put it on. But I dont really want that.

I've been wearing mine to work now since spring I think its been. They seem to be holding up well but the crease where the shoe flexes is a bit of a concern of mine. I dont want the leather to wear out there. Am I suppose to use leather polish of some sort? I dont know anything about polish or leather conditioners, any advice for that?