Softstar Ballerine Ballet Flat Review

I am replacing my ballet flats with barefoot friendly ones and the Softstar Ballerine Ballet Flats seemed perfect for work.

*I purchased these shoes with my own money and Softstar did not pay me to write this review.

Cost: $150+ depending on the color you order at https://www.softstarshoes.com/

Sizing: I ordered a pair of custom red Ballerines in a size 8U (I usually wear a size 9 or 9.5 in regular shoes).

Pros:

• Beautiful shoes, well made and super soft leather that feel comfortable the minute I put them on
• The small amount of cushion under my feet feels great when I walk on hard surfaces all day
• The ability to customize and create almost any color imaginable
• A wide toe box that allows my toes to fully spread out
• Flat, flexible and easy to pack
• Dressy enough for work in an office or casual enough for an everyday shoe
• The shoes conform to your feet and stretch just enough to be very comfortable for all day wear
• Most ballet flats rub my bunion, but these don’t
• I was expecting to see an outline of my toes, but it’s not as pronounced because the leather is high quality
• Made in the USA
• Softstar Shoes has excellent customer service and allows returns or exchanges

Cons:

• The cost is high even though the quality is excellent (I was willing to pay for these because truly barefoot / minimalist flats are hard to find)
• The regular width isn’t quite wide enough for my correct toes-I haven’t tried the Ballerines in a wide width because I have narrow heels and I don’t want them to slip off
• The heel of the Ballerine flats come up high on my heel and it took a few days to get used to
• I am not sure if it’s just the way my feet are shaped, but the shape of these shoes and my feet don’t seem to be a perfect match-either my feet or the shoes curve in an unusual way
• On my feet, the heel collapses a bit where the sole meets the heel (see the picture below)