Vivobarefoot Sandals - Kolhapuri & Kuru

Kolhapuri

I was mentioning earlier in my Tikki Love post that it took 2 years to order my Tikki sandals because I was afraid about how the strap will feel over my bunions. This is why, the first barefoot sandals I’ve ever bought were the Kolhapuri Sandals (that left my bunions free). That happened two years ago, in 2018, when I first found out about Vivobarefoot (I think that they have been the first brand for many barefoot shoes newbies).

It was love at first sight but I ordered the wrong size, so I had to give them to my sister-in-law because the return cost from Romania to Germany was about half the price of the sandals. Disclaimer: I have different size feet. My left one is 25cm long and my right one 24.5cm, both 9.7cm wide. So I have to choose shoes that suit my longer foot, which makes it tricky many times, as some brands have challenging sizing (should I go with 25.2cm in order for them not to be too long for my right one or 25.8cm so as to have enough space between my longer one and the actual shoe? - see? not easy!). First, I chose 39 (25.5cm they say - link Vivo sizing) but they proved too long. So I ordered 38 (24.9) and they were perfect. They tick all the right boxes for me, so they have been on repeat for the past three summer.

Tip 1: don’t let too much space in front of your toes when choosing the size of your sandals, they are not comfortable at all :) But it is advised to do that for closed shoes, as you need space to expand during the day (studies say at least 0.3mm from dusk till dawn) and to leave your options open to wear socks. More sound advice here. https://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/8-tips-for-buying-shoes-that-are-good-to-your-feet

Tip 2: Pay attention to the sizing advice for each pair of shoes you purchase. Some brands mention whether the length in their guide is of the foot or the insole. Some also mention how much more room you should take into account for socks or if that space is already included.

You can see how 38 fits my sizing.

Kuru

This spring, for my birthday, I ordered the Kuru sandals, the brown version. They are beautiful, but I have to admit that the Kolhapuri sandals have been so much more comfortable than Kuru. I’ve been wearing my Kolhapuri to the office, parties and everywhere, including a 10km walk that I didn’t plan and they have been like clouds in my feet. The Kuru are a bit less flexible and maybe my foot shape is not suitable for the Kuru, but I’ve always felt the urge to grip the sandals as you do with flip-flops, even if that’s not the case, they can’t fall off your feet. Also, the little toe is a bit squished in these ones.

And here you can see the difference in terms of flexibility between the two pairs.

Kuru (black, left) and Kolhapuri (brown, right) - that's the most I could bend them with one hand

Shipping was ok, the parcel arrives to your local post office in Romania, you need your ID so make sure that you order them at the address on your ID, not to your office, as I did. It took about 10-14 days from the day I placed the order until I got the notice from the post office that they have arrived.