Lisbeth Joe has a reputation for giving us style that we don’t always find in barefoot shoes. I’ve reviewed the Harare flat in the past, and now am excited to give the same in-depth treatment to the recently revamped Lisbeth Joe London, which takes the idea of chic barefoot loafers and brings them straight into our arena. Read on to see if these are right for you.
Disclaimer: The Leopard pair were sent to me for review by Lisbeth Joe and I bought the Rose Gold pair myself. If you use a link or the OWBSHOES discount code to make a purchase then you are directly supporting reviews like this – and saving some money in the process!
Sections
Technical Specifications
- Upper: Full-grain leather – smooth for everything but Leopard
- Lining: Leather
- Midsole: Foam (no removable insole)
- Sole: Manufactured rubber
- Available in Leopard, Black, Camel, Navy, and Rose Gold
- Sizes 6-12
Company
Lisbeth Joe is helmed by Leontyne Ashmore, who has set out to give us stylish, comfortable barefoot shoes and go above and beyond to help women through her business. She moved into barefoot shoes for personal health reasons, as many of us have, but did something few of us could manage: set out to change the landscape by designing her own barefoot shoes brand to bring “fun, uniqueness and intrigue” to the market. Read the full story here.
Appearance
Lisbeth Joe London loafers take the looks of something like Kate Spade or Coach loafers, and bring them to barefoot shoes.
The smooth leather versions have a definite city feel to them:
While the Leopard can go either way:
From super casual:
To cross-over casual:
They would absolutely dress up further, but I am definitely a country girl, so do much better on the casual front. This also means that the Rose Gold and I are still in a Style Adjustment Period:
With additional offerings in Camel, Black, and Navy, you can take your pick for what would best fit your style.
Fit
The width of Lisbeth Joe London would be best described as medium, from the sole up.
However, the leather choice in the upper makes a huge difference in how they fit and feel. I find the Leopard to be much more accommodating to flexing outward for extra width, while the smooth leather requires manual stretching if you have a wider foot and/or splay. I would love to see both the sole be wider in future versions and the toebox be more round. I’m comfortable in the Leopard, and the Rose Gold is getting there, but if you’re a super-splayer, have straight-across toes, or an overall wide foot, know that stretching will be required or look elsewhere for a better shape fit for you.
Volume-wise, these are high, and like the width, exactly how high they feel depends on the leather you choose. The Leopard fits my high volume perfectly, which the Rose Gold is more snug at the instep. I’ve been primarily focused on the toe box and have not stretched anything at the instep yet.
Sizing
If you were already a fan of the previous London or Harare, then you need to check out the new sizing chart:
It’s best to measure your feet (tips here) and determine how much extra space you need (advice here), and then compare to the chart. I shoot for 28 cm internal length which would put me in an 11, but the shoes run a bit short against the chart when checking with a Plus 12, so I’m in an 11.5 instead, which lists 28.5, but comes in right at 28.
How do they feel?
I sort of discussed this in the Fit section, but to go more in-depth:
The sole is not one of the standard rubbers but it has plenty of rollability and side-squish-ability:
It doesn’t particularly mold around objects, though, so has low ground feel overall, especially when combined with the midsole, which is very squishy/comfortable.
The shoes are high in profile from front to back, which means the toe box has tons of height to it, and it comes up high at fairly high at the back as well. There is an interplay here with width and volume, meaning that the higher profile gives you even more flexibility for side spread, but you have to be careful not to overstep the sole. I’ve figured out myself that my splay is 11 cm but the part of the foot that actually connects with the ground is more like 9 cm, and the width of the sole in these is 10 cm at size 11.5. So, I’m not technically going outside it in what I’m walking on, and because the shoe spreads outward, the fleshy bits that don’t touch down when walking have the room to feel comfortable, especially in the Leopard model. I’m not advocating you make the same play, but want to be clear that I have and while this feels good to me, I’m trying to be very clear that the sole is not wide on its own.
The Leopard feels much softer on the feet and the smooth leather feels firm. This means that the Leopard is more likely to show the extra space around narrow heels and allow for different widths, while the smooth is going to best fit a medium-wide foot with a high instep. Those with a lower instep may need to add felt pads to the instep to fill in extra space.
Whatever way you go, you’re probably going to want to use the included heel pads, especially for smooth leather and if you don’t have high volume feet. They don’t move for me, but I can still see how the thickness of the leather could rub.
Cleaning and Care
The Leopard model should be cleaned with a soft or medium brush appropriate to nubuck or suede leather. You can also use a protectant spray, but that may darken the shoes slightly. Options for brushes and sprays can be found here.
The other colors are a smooth leather and should be wiped clean. Neither should be immersed in water or machine washed/dried.
Purchasing and Returns
Lisbeth Joe shoes are purchased directly from the website and do ship internationally. You can save 5% with my affiliate discount code OWBSHOES. With the discount, London are $118.75 and shipping is free inside the US. Returns are accepted and you can see the full policies here.
Final thoughts
I personally would love to have the toebox be a bit wider and more rounded, especially in the smooth leather, but I recognize that my feet are not the same as everyone else’s feet. I’m devoted to my Leopard pair, even with the bit of compromise involved, and learning to enjoy my Rose Gold in time. I’m glad Lisbeth Joe exists to show us that barefoot shoes can have a style all their own, and not just do what’s easiest, and I can’t wait to see what other innovative designs are in the works.
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