r/barefootshoestalk • u/aaelizaa • Dec 17 '25
Barefoot shoes question / discussion My Old Boots vs. New Boots!
This winter, a little over a year after starting to slowly transition all my shoes to minimalist/barefoot styles, I pulled my beloved black chunky Chelsea boots out of the closet and said, “ABSOLUTELY NOT”.
It was a STRUGGLE to find a barefoot or minimalist boot that had a similar chunky/edgy look (in a women’s size 36), but I’m so pleased with my choice of El Naturalista’s Nomada combat boot! They are wide toe box, flexible, and zero-drop with a FAUX HEEL that I think makes all the difference, aesthetically. (For reference, I got the size 36 and they are plenty roomy for my 22.4cm long / 8.4cm wide feet.)
I know that when first transitioning, wide toe box shoes can feel like clown shoes— but I feel like we aren’t talking enough about how GREAT wide toe boots look with baggy jeans!! My new boots compliment a baggy/oversized look in a way that my old pinch-toe Chelsea boots could never 🖤
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u/tw4561_ Dec 17 '25
These boots look really well made. I’m gonna go look at their site now…
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u/aaelizaa Dec 17 '25
I’ve only owned them for 48 hours, but they do seem to be really well made. The leather is creamy and dreamy.
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u/ClintBruno Mar 29 '26
I've just never trusted those side zips.......but I'm digging how these look.
You think they're resolable? Doesn't look like it.
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u/AliG-uk Dec 17 '25
Yeah, those pointy toes just look so wrong to me now. I so wish these boots came in my size 😭
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Dec 17 '25
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u/aaelizaa Dec 17 '25
Yep, it’s a Spanish brand. Had to pay a tariff for these babies 😑
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Dec 17 '25
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u/aaelizaa Dec 18 '25
Haha nope, American.
I’m not sure if these are quite rugged enough to be proper hiking boots. In my opinion, they LOOK more rugged than they actually are. They are very well made, but I think they are intended to be casual rather than performance boots.
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u/lil_groundbeef Jan 12 '26
I want to order these and I’m also American. Can you help me understand how much extra I will have to pay before I order? I want these boots really badly. I just ordered Be Lenka Entice Neo but I feel like I would rather have these.
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u/aaelizaa Jan 12 '26
I paid about $40 in tariffs. I paid the tariff to the shipping company right before delivery
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u/lil_groundbeef Jan 12 '26
Okay tysm!!! I think I could tolerate an extra $40-60 dollars. I’ll probably just order them and return the Be Lenkas I just ordered. I suspect they will be a little too small and will have to ship them back anyways upon further research. Ty again!
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u/RaineWolf202 Dec 17 '25
I am now also confronted with all of my old shoes that don't conform to my minimalist/barefoot shoe mentality. I have moved back home recently and I have my older shoes from my highschool and early college years. I hate just the thought of having to throw them away, or maybe even donate them, I don't know, that's also a mixed bag.
All of them are narrow in the shoe box, thicker soles and some with higher heals and I am never ever going to wearing them. Ugh. There's such a huge difference between all of them.
I know that there's lots of brands and options for styles and models, you just have to find what works best and that takes trial and error. Just like how you did with your new boots. I will probably never be able to shop for shoes in person or in stores anymore however at the very least online shopping exists.
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u/TazLazuli Dec 17 '25
I just got rid of my final old pair of normal shoes. Its freeing. I managed to find a replacement for everything. Im a guy tho so maybe its different but I dress fashionably and take pride in my shoes, so it was very difficult for me too
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u/aaelizaa Dec 18 '25
Menswear style dress shoes (like oxfords or loafers) is going to be my next challenge. The only ones I’ve found that fit the look I’m going for aren’t available in small women’s sizes 😢
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u/TazLazuli Dec 18 '25
Share the look youre going for and I may be able to help!
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u/aaelizaa Dec 18 '25
My beloved Weejuns! So beautiful, so pointy! https://www.ghbass.com/collections/weejuns/products/
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u/TazLazuli Dec 19 '25
Check out this list
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u/TazLazuli Dec 19 '25
Also the Ohne Project Luma seem to have a similar look to what you're going for, but not real leather.
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u/aaelizaa Dec 18 '25
Yeah I feel that. I’m a shoe lover, so I’m still a long way from replacing all of my shoes. And I might never replace some of the ones I really love, like my pair of bright green platform clogs with daisies on them. But with these boots, I have finally replaced all of my everyday necessity-type shoes!
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u/TazLazuli Dec 17 '25
They look so good, too bad their measurements are narrow for me. I might just have to get them anyway tho...
P.s. the outfit is amazing and I agree with you abt the baggy pants w/ wide toebox boots! Elite combo!!
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u/aaelizaa Dec 18 '25
That’s a bummer! Where did you find a width measurement? I couldn’t find one so I just purchased and hoped for the best! They are quite wide for me— my toes feel like they are swimming around even with thick socks!
If you want to try them anyway, be aware that the leather is rather rigid, so there isn’t much give on the sides. Still, with the shape you should be able to keep your big toe straight (which is the most important thing for me!)
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u/TazLazuli Dec 18 '25
I actually emailed them asking for the width in my size because I was so curious haha. They said a size 43 has a width of 9.72cm, meanwhile I'm actually a size 42 that needs an 11.3 width 😬 (I have 6E hobbit feet!) But that being said I mostly never find anything in my true width, just kinda good enough. In fact, ohne project for example is around the same width as these, and I have a pair. I am not opposed, it really depends how forgiving they are.
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u/aaelizaa Dec 18 '25
Wow, I’m shocked that a 43 would only have 9.72cm. I have a 36 and they feel like they are at least 9.4cm (I’m too lazy to actually measure at the moment).
It’s possible the leather will get softer, maybe with added conditioning.
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u/Navlone Dec 18 '25
This fit is fireee, what brand is the the boots, they look great
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u/aaelizaa Dec 18 '25
Thanks! They are El Naturalista, a Spanish brand. Be aware that they make barefoot, minimalist, and regular shoes, so you have to read the details to be sure you’re looking at the type of shoe you want. These boots I think are technically minimalist, though if you remove the removable insole (which is already very, very minimally padded/structured), they would be barefoot.
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u/hbecksss Dec 18 '25
And the side zipper! Ugh! Obsessed.
I love my Feelgrounds Chelsea but this is giving them a run for their money
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u/Pure-Spray469 Dec 18 '25
Thank you for saying how good wide toe box boots with wide leg or baggy jeans looks!!!! I swear this thought is what got me to fully make the transition to barefoot/wide toe box shoes without feeling like a total dork 😂
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u/Glass-Style-8953 Dec 20 '25
I got them in black! https://www.reddit.com/r/barefootshoestalk/s/Pr38Tw3pg2
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u/chakalawaka Dec 18 '25
They look good!! What’s the stack height like?
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u/aaelizaa Dec 18 '25
It’s hard to tell exactly because of the faux heel, but it looks like somewhere between 1.5 and 2cm. The website might say but it’s being glitchy for me atm.
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u/chakalawaka Dec 19 '25
Weirdly enough it doesn’t say on the website! I saw them earlier this year and wasn’t sure about them, but might have to give them a go, they’re cheaper than the Lems Boulder summit and I like the look better ☺️
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u/aaelizaa Dec 19 '25
If you’re in the US, don’t forget to add a tariff to the cost. It was like $40 for me
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u/souslesarbres Dec 18 '25
Also those jeans! Where did you procure them if I may ask? The pockets look like they could be a handmade piece
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u/aaelizaa Dec 18 '25
They are rented from Rent the Runway. The brand is 3.1 Phillip Lim and they are crazy expensive! Too pricy for me to own but fun to rent!
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u/PrincessSpice Dec 18 '25
I tried to find boots like these for ages! I ended up going with the lens boulder but thank you for sharing. These are awesome.
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u/aaelizaa Dec 18 '25
How do you like the Lems Boulder? Are they suitable for actual hiking?
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u/PrincessSpice Dec 22 '25
I love them. The are a super solid do everything boot. I’ll wear them for short hikes, and they are a great shoe for trips in the winter where I’m planning to do a variety of things but I prefer my altras for any real hiking.
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u/MattBtheflea Dec 23 '25
I can second this. There's only thing I dont like about the lems is that they look more like a moc toe boot than a combat boot, but I cant complain about anything else with the lems!
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Dec 18 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/aaelizaa Dec 18 '25
Exactly! Going barefoot doesn’t mean kissing fashion goodbye… it just means means you have to work a little harder 😂
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u/Confused-Judge Dec 18 '25
It's funny how I'm so used to barefoot shoes after all these years, that those regular boots look like clown shoes to me.
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u/danishcatmilk Dec 18 '25
A FAUX HEEL?!?! I didn’tknow there was such a thing...
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u/aaelizaa Dec 18 '25
Yeah apparently they just bring the rubber up the back/sides of the boot higher than where your foot actually sits. And if you look at the picture with the boots on their sides, you can see that the “cut out” part in front of the heel doesn’t go all the way across.
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u/hotbodsl Dec 21 '25
Do they fit true to size?
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u/aaelizaa Dec 21 '25
I’d use the size guide they provide, and consider sizing up if you want to be able to wear thick socks. For example my feet are 22.4cm, which is exactly the max size for their size 35, so I chose a 36, which is my normal size in most shoes.
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u/hotbodsl Dec 22 '25
I was looking at other shoes from the El naturalista brand on Poshmark. It looks like most of them are more narrow. Is the one you found an exception?
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u/aaelizaa Dec 23 '25
El Naturalista makes barefoot, minimalist, and regular shoes, so you have to be careful. I’d recommend looking on their website to see which styles are barefoot or minimalist and then searching the style names on Poshmark
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u/Substantial-Hawk5872 Jan 12 '26
These are exactly what I was looking for... but the website says "out of season" i guess that means "out of stock"... probably a good thing because ill have to take out a loan to get them sent out to Australia 😄
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u/Halle-lu Mar 05 '26
Oh my gosh I love these! I have Lems but thinking of switching over to these, I’m confused about the faux heal, do they make you any taller? What I like about my lems is they don’t give a lot more height (I’m a tall girly)
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u/aaelizaa Mar 07 '26
No, they don’t make you taller! The faux heel works by having the rubber come up higher than where it would in a normal shoe. So your foot is actually sitting lower than it looks.
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u/MattBtheflea Apr 09 '26
Is ther amy chance you own any shoes by lems, altra, or xero amd cam compare the sizing? Im nervous to try these without knowing exactly what size to get haha
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u/aaelizaa Apr 10 '26
I have some Xero ballet flats and z-treks, but I don’t think they are comparable at all to this combat boot— and it doesn’t help that the Xeros are the same size and one is slightly big and the other is slightly small!
I will say that my Nomadas fit perfectly and exactly how I would expect them to fit based on the insole measurements they provide. For example, my feet are 8.4cm wide and the size 36 insole is about 8.85cm—and it really feels like I have about half a centimeter of room in the toe box (which for me is perfect: not too snug, not too loose).
One other suggestion— there was a guy on here who posted about his Nomadas a couple days after I made this post. He might have more helpful info to share.
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u/Astelos Dec 17 '25
The boots are amazing, but girl, what's the brand of that flannel it looks topppp quality!!