Ever feel like women’s dress shoes, even in barefoot shoes, are a bit restrictive? It’s not universal, but it’s definitely something we face. If you want to ditch every bit of elastic and restriction in your minimalist dress footwear, then give the Softstar Shoes Primal Merry Jane a closer look.
These were sent to me for review and while I personally love, love this bright Elderberry color don’t be turned off if you’re after neutrals. These come in brown, black, red, and this gorgeous purple. And, of course, all thoughts here are my own. If you use this link or other links on this page to purchase a pair it will cost you nothing extra, but a small portion will be returned to me.
Read the review of the updated Ballerine model here.
Sections
Technical Specifications
- Upper: Leather
- Lining: Leather (same color as the upper at the heel, but lighter in the midfoot/front)
- Outsole: 2 mm Vibram
- Insole: Suede with Ortholite padding underneath
- Zero Drop
Company
Softstar Shoes makes handcrafted leather footwear in Oregon (USA). They do pre-made sizing with a variety of toe boxes, including this Primal and offer a wide range of leathers for many models, with some customization options, depending on the model. Their goal:
“make minimal shoes for happy, healthy feet”
Read more about them here.
Appearance
This Primal Merry Jane from Softstar Shoes features their most foot-shaped toe box that lets feet be just feet. It’s wider at the toes (as most of our feet would be if we’d never worn shoes) and has an overall wide design for no restrictions.
The shoes come in 4 colors: Elderberry (pictured here), Blaze, Black, and Brown. At this time you cannot delve into their myriad of custom colors for this particular model.
The V shape of the strap gives them a feminine look and, since it’s leather like the rest, keeps them on the dressier side of things, versus a more sport elastic enclosure. It’s held with a traditional buckle at the outside.
I chose the most colorful option: purple, which has worked great with both colorful outfits:
And neutrals.
The color is a deep purple, not light, though as with anything that’s really colorful, you can see different tones and shades depending on your lighting and what’s around you. Being next to a red brick wall, or green grass, changes how to the shoes look. And that’s real life – your shoes look different in different environments, especially when you go for color.
Full Morning Sun 
Afternoon Shade
Fit
The Primal Merry Jane model gives you two fit options: Narrow and Regular. I’ll get more into sizing choices below, but this basically means that you have a wide option, and an extra wide option. I went with the extra wide.
The fit is very generous throughout in this Regular (extra wide) model, including the heel, instep, and, of course, at the toes. Even if you don’t fill it out completely, you can still have the security you need in a good pair of barefoot shoes. And, if you really have a lot of extra space, you can always add an extra insole if needed. If you’re on the low-volume end, make sure you get the Narrow.
Note: you may see looseness around my smaller left foot. It’s just the way it is in all shoes for me, but all sizing advice, fit information, etc, is always given based on the larger right foot. Lefty just has to deal with extra space.
One thing that will get you here is the way the toe box flattens at the front. If you’re already adding the 12 mms then your toes will be further back and it won’t bother you. My big toe nails even stick up and while I can see the toe poke from that, my toes aren’t compressed at all. However, if you size yourself with your toes right at the end, you should especially consider *not* doing that here. It could be uncomfortable.
The Regular (extra wide) version I chose is the way to go if you have a particularly wide foot or voluminous instep, and it works great for that, but you may find that the back of the V lays flatter than the front. Feet are all different, it’s crazy, I know. Not all high-volume feet are made the same. If you do find that yours lays like mine, know that it doesn’t impact foot security at all. I have no sliding or anything and don’t pay it any mind. But want to address it since it appears in some pictures.
Sizing
Whether you are getting the Narrow or Regular (most will want the Narrow), figuring out your U size from Softstar is the same process. They don’t use EU or even US sizes, but their own sizing system, which is loosely correlated to US men’s sizes. But don’t worry about that other than to say, forget about size numbers and look at how to size yourself.
There are a couple of ways on Softstar’s site: the printable chart and the listed lengths. Softstar will usually tell you right on the product page if a particular model does not conform to their sizing chart, but it will be a general guideline like order a smaller size. The Primal Merry Jane does not have such a mention because it runs right with their sizing chart, and I have found that to be the case.
These shoes are 10U Regular, recommended for feet 26.4-27.3 cm long. My feet are 26.8 cm, and I get 28 cm of internal space. Know that if you’re at the upper end of your recommended length and you like a good amount of space in your shoes, you may need to go up to the next size. Generally, that’s not a problem in natural leather shoes that will stretch, mold, and conform to your feet, but with the flat front on these, the compression on your toes might be uncomfortable without a size up.
It is best to assume your a Narrow width here. I know that sounds weird, Narrow, but it really is quite wide. Only a few of us really need the Regular here, which is VERY wide. I love the freedom, but unless you have a very wide splay, a high instep, or a wide-everywhere foot, you probably don’t need the wider Regular version.
Just for the visual, here is my larger foot (the one I size by) on the chart. This is an easy way to pick a size, but also leaves a lot of room for error. Measure-and-compare, if you can.
How do they feel?
Light, cute, and carefree is what comes to mind right away. The shoes together don’t hit 1 pound (versus something like Chacos that are about 2 pounds EACH) and your feet can really feel that freedom.
They are extremely flexible with their leather upper and low stack height. They feel completely unrestricted and super barefoot.
A lot of women’s barefoot shoes are held on with pressure somewhere, and it can feel intense (especially on high-volume feet). The strap here is gentle but secure. I don’t take these off and feel immediate relief because they weren’t bothering me to begin with. We need security, but not imprints on our feet, if we can avoid them, and I appreciate that they’ve pulled off doing it without the need to cinch so tightly.
Cleaning and Care
Softstar Shoes has detailed cleaning, maintenance, and washing instructions on their site. These smooth leathers should never be treated with Mink Oil, but instead use one of the recommended products. Clean with a damp cloth but don’t soak them unless things are really bad.
Purchasing and Returns
The prices you see are the prices you pay with Softstar if you’re in the US. Taxes and shipping are included. You can get the same deal world-wide as well, if you are purchasing a minimum of $150 in shoes (which is the exact price of these, it happens). Otherwise, the most expensive option is just $12 via DHL Express.
If you’re a new customer, save 15% with code WELCOME (not affiliate).
Returns are free, but you are responsible for shipping either directly or with the convenient $9 pre-printed label. Full policies and exclusions can be found here.
Final Thoughts
Softstar has really knocked it out of the park with these. I love the elastic-free wear and clean look of using the same leather for the upper and the strap. The Primal shape is amazing for foot freedom, and they’ve intentionally given us something that works great for high volume feet. I’m a huge fan!
Want more reviews?
Check out All the Barefoot Shoe Reviews for more in-depth looks.
Looking for Winter?
Take a look at this BIG list.
Love color or need a specific type of shoe?
Check out the other BIG lists here.
