Xero Shoes Women’s Phoenix Casual Ballet Flats – Lightweight, Dressy Comfort – Review

Xero Shoes Women’s Phoenix Casual Ballet Flats – Lightweight, Dressy Comfort – Product characteristics

  • Made in the USA or Imported
  • Rubber sole
  • DELIGHTFULLY COMFY – Features a stretchy upper that feels silky smooth on your feet for a new level of comfort, all day, every day. A women’s size 6 is about 6 ounces each – you may forget you’re even wearing them
  • XERO DROP SOLE FOR PERFECT POSTURE – The Xero Drop sole offers a non-elevated heel and is low-to-the-ground for proper posture, balance, and agility. You’ll love the comfort of the wide toe box, your toes can spread, relax, and move naturally
  • FLEX YOUR FEET, FEEL THE FLOOR – Patented 5.5mm FeelTrue rubber sole offers just-right protection and ground feedback; optional 2mm insole to adjust the amount of “barefoot feel;” “flat” never felt this good
  • VEGAN FRIENDLY – Xero Shoes believes in promoting healthy and sustainable lifestyles which is why the Pheonix is made with zero animal products
  • GET THE RIGHT FIT with FREE Domestic Exchanges – This shoe runs “true to size.” If for any reason that’s not the case for you, contact us for a free domestic exchange of your ‘like-new’ shoe
Xero Shoes Women's Phoenix Casual Ballet Flats - Lightweight, Dressy Comfort, Black Leather, 8.5
277 Reviews
Xero Shoes Women's Phoenix Casual Ballet Flats - Lightweight, Dressy Comfort, Black Leather, 8.5*
  • DELIGHTFULLY COMFY - Features full-grain leather inside and out; feels silky smooth on your feet for a new level of comfort, all day, every day. A women's size 6 is about 6 ounces each - you may...
  • XERO DROP SOLE FOR PERFECT POSTURE - The Xero Drop sole offers a non-elevated heel and is low-to-the-ground for proper posture, balance, and agility. You’ll love the comfort of the wide toe box,...
  • FLEX YOUR FEET, FEEL THE FLOOR - Patented 5.5mm FeelTrue rubber sole offers just-right protection and ground feedback; optional 2mm insole to adjust the amount of “barefoot feel;" "flat" never felt...

Xero Shoes Women’s Phoenix Casual Ballet Flats – Lightweight, Dressy Comfort – Reviews

Love that they added dress shoes, but toe box does not have enough height and pinches big toe

This is my third pair of Xero shoes. I was so happy to see dress shoes, and ordered the Phoenix in black leather. I ordered my regular size, and my toes pushed into the toe box. I returned and ordered a whole size up. This bigger size fits okay; a little wide, but I was prepared for that as my other Xero shoes are wide (but they can be adjusted). My main issue is the height of the toe box. If you see from the picture, your big toe naturally sits at about a 30 degree angle from the ball of the foot. The toe box has just enough height for the big toe to fit, but no room for the toe to sit in its natural position. So while the toe box is plenty wide, and the shoe is plenty loose, it pinches my big toe and is painful. I had to return it.

Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2020

Uncomfortable, not pretty, hard leather, odd fit

For the clunky look of it, it needs to be much more comfortable. The size seems right but it’s biggish in the heel and mid-foot, and pushes down painfully on the nail of my big toe. The leather needs to be much softer, the heel and midfoot narrower, the space above toes larger. Would fit someone with a beefy heel and small flat toes

Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2020

Not barefoot shoes

These are not barefoot shoes. The toe box is not spacious, and the sole is not flexible. If they weren’t as expensive, I would have probably kept them because they are a cute work shoe, but if you are looking for a true barefoot style shoe, this is not it.

Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2021

They are cute, but the toe box just really gets to my right big toe!

I am using these for a special occasion and airplane travel. I bought both a 10(pink) and a 10.5(beige). As others have said, they press on top of the nail on the big toe, but only on my right foot! It must be slightly larger than the left, it’s perfect on the left. So I’m trying different things to make it work, such as taking out the shoe liner on the right shoe only, putting a padded toe tube on my right big toe and using thin liner socks. Have worn every day since receiving them and they dont seem to stretch with wear. Have walked a couple miles everyday in them on a paved pathways and a woodsy trail, although they aren’t meant for hiking or running, and I really like the way they feel connecting with the ground. They felt a bit slippery on a freshly mopped Starbucks floor, however. I am a 10 in most shoes, the 10.5 (in beige) was loose, so I stuffed the toes with cotton and inserted a stick-on thing to prevent the heel from slipping. Still irritates the right big toe for some reason, but does feel more comfortable. I own the Xero HFS shoe (10.5) and it does not have this problem with the big toe at all, so it is the Phoenix specifically. I will wear these shoes because I think they are cute, I have gotten many compliments on them, they look good with shorts and I am a “barefoot shoe” convert and just dont want to wear other shoes than Xero for now.

Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2021

Disappointed

I have several pairs of different styles of Xero shoes so I was stoked when they had cute leather dress flats. I wore these shoes to the office twice and I noticed at the beginning of the second day of wear that the leather has already worn off the heels. I work in and office and don’t do anything that would have caused this. I have a few pairs of dress flats that are other brands and they have lasted for 10+ years without wearing out like this. I’m just disappointed that I paid $100+ for them to wear out after 2 wears.

Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2022

Worth a 10 star review!

This is my second time ordering fashionable Xero shoes (I also own the boots). I’ve been waiting for something like these—a TRUE flat that’s cute & quality enough to wear in an office. And besides being cute (and flat and wide-toed)—they’re soft as butter on the inside!!! I was quite reluctant to remove them.

Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2021

Run half size small

I love these; but they do run a half size small. I just wish I would’ve realized it before I wore them. Even though they’re a bit small, they’re still quite comfortable & feel like slippers.

Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2020

Really want to love

For YEARS I have been trying to find a nice flat shoe that is flat and doesn’t kill my feet for when I need to be nicer (or warmer) than my earthrunners but not so nice to suffer the heels. I was so hopeful of these but unfortunately they were too big. I chose the size based on my vibram 5 fingers european size that fit great so not sure if the sizing is off on the vibram side or the xero side or it’s just the style difference of the shoe but sadly I had to return these. I’ll be watching for availability in a size down and try again but for now, it’s not available on amazon or direct.

Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2021
Xero Shoes Women's Phoenix Casual Ballet Flats - Lightweight, Dressy Comfort, Black Leather, 8.5
277 Reviews
Xero Shoes Women's Phoenix Casual Ballet Flats - Lightweight, Dressy Comfort, Black Leather, 8.5*
  • DELIGHTFULLY COMFY - Features full-grain leather inside and out; feels silky smooth on your feet for a new level of comfort, all day, every day. A women's size 6 is about 6 ounces each - you may...
  • XERO DROP SOLE FOR PERFECT POSTURE - The Xero Drop sole offers a non-elevated heel and is low-to-the-ground for proper posture, balance, and agility. You’ll love the comfort of the wide toe box,...
  • FLEX YOUR FEET, FEEL THE FLOOR - Patented 5.5mm FeelTrue rubber sole offers just-right protection and ground feedback; optional 2mm insole to adjust the amount of “barefoot feel;" "flat" never felt...

Xero Shoes Women’s Phoenix Casual Ballet Flats – Lightweight, Dressy Comfort – FAQ

When will the gray knit or the Chelsea boot be back in all sizes?

Hello there, Thank you so much for your message and your interest in Xero Shoes! Unfortunately we are out of stock of some colors and sizes of the Phoenix but we are expecting a restock around Fall, 2021. The Chelsea styled boot, the Viennas, have been discontinued as part of our transition to a new factory last year, so we would not be expecting a restock in the near future. If you ask our owner and CEO Steven Sashen he likes to say: “This is my least favorite conversation: ME: We sold out of many of our best styles, colors, and sizes this year SOMEONE WHO HAS NEVER RUN A BUSINESS: That’s a good problem to have. ME: It’s never good when I can’t give people what they want. If you’re one of the MANY people who has been frustrated because we didn’t have the product you wanted, we sincerely apologize. Being a bootstrapped company, growing as fast as we have, running out of inventory is one of the issues we’ve had to deal with. And, trust me, it’s more unpleasant for us than it is for you.” The good news: More products/styles/colors are coming soon. We have new shoes and sandals for men and women that we’ll be introducing throughout the next year. We’ll send a notification via our newsletter through our website when they are available again. Please let us know if you have any other questions! 🙂

Are the knit more comfortable than the leather?

Both the Leather and the Knit Phoenix are designed to be very flexible, so both should be equally comfortable. 🙂 Please let us know if you have anymore questions.

Why don’t these come in a size 9?

Hello there, Thank you so much for your message and your interest in Xero Shoes! Unfortunately we are out of stock of some colors and sizes of the Phoenix but we are expecting a restock around Fall, 2021. If you ask our owner and CEO Steven Sashen he likes to say: “This is my least favorite conversation: ME: We sold out of many of our best styles, colors, and sizes this year SOMEONE WHO HAS NEVER RUN A BUSINESS: That’s a good problem to have. ME: It’s never good when I can’t give people what they want. If you’re one of the MANY people who has been frustrated because we didn’t have the product you wanted, we sincerely apologize. Being a bootstrapped company, growing as fast as we have, running out of inventory is one of the issues we’ve had to deal with. And, trust me, it’s more unpleasant for us than it is for you.” The good news: More products/styles/colors are coming soon. We have new shoes and sandals for men and women that we’ll be introducing throughout the next year. We’ll send a notification via our newsletter on our website when they are available again. Please let us know if you have any other questions! 🙂

“delightfully comfy – features full-grain leather inside and out;” “vegan friendly” -so are they vegan or not?

Hello. We’d be happy to help answer your question! We apologize for any confusion; the knit Phoenix is vegan friendly, while the non-knit version is made from leather. The Black leather and Raspberry colors are the two made from leather. The other colorways are made from knit and are vegan-friendly 🙂 Hopefully that helps!

What size is this this?

Hello there! Thank you for contacting us. Great question! The Phoenix would be available between the Women’s size 5 through the Women’s size 11. For the pictures themselves, those would be the Women’s size 6. If you have any other questions, please let us know. We are here to help! 🙂

How do I know determine the correct xero women’ shoe size for me?

I have found that there recommend size advice from Xero has been right. They usually say something along the lines of “order your usual size” or “order a half size larger”. With Phoenix I found my normal size 10 fit the best, but my right foot is slightly larger than the left. I removed the shoe liner in the right shoe only and it’s fine. I tried 11’s, they were too roomy. The HFS style I ordered in a 10.5 and they are perfect. For the sandals just download the template they offer, I like my sandals soles shorter, so I got 9’s and they fit right too. They will exchange sizes/colors ( I exchanged several). To me they are awesome shoes!

Latex free?

Hello, Thanks for reaching out! Due to patent reasons, we are unable to provide you with the chemical composition of our shoes. There is no latex in our synthetic rubber, but the sole to bind the soles does have latex. However, our closed toed shoes should not cause an allergic reaction (we have not heard of any issues), since your feet would never come in contact with this material. We would recommend steering clear of the Cloud as it also uses this glue, and your foot may come into contact with it. For your further review, all of our shoes are compliant with California Prop 65 regulations for hazardous chemicals. Hopefully that helps!

Whete are xero shoes made?

We design all of our shoes here in Colorado. Xero Shoes are made in China. We like to say, “responsibly, ethically, and fairly-made in China.” We visit and work with the factories multiple times per year. We also have an on-the-ground manufacturing agent who oversees things when we’re not there to ensure that conditions are good, workers are treated fairly, and the shoes are made in compliance with all local laws and regulations. The factories we use treat and pay their workers exceptionally well. Companies much larger than ours use these same factories and have spent millions of dollars on audits to assure themselves and their wholesale partners about the quality and conditions. While we would love to manufacture in America, it is literally not possible, in the same way it’s not possible to manufacture the device you’re using to read this answer. Performance footwear manufacturing moved to Asia in the 70s and shows no likelihood of moving back. Note that some companies that claim “made in America” are still sourcing their materials from overseas (or the US companies from which they buy their materials are doing so). Hope that helps. Please let us know if you have other questions about this and we will be really happy to help out!

Would a narrow heel fit into this shoe?

A narrow heel may be difficult to fit into the Phoenix. If there is too much space in the heel, the Phoenix would not fit properly.

When would the colors and sizes be restored?

Hello, Thank you so much for your message and your interest in Xero Shoes! Unfortunately we are out of stock of some colors and sizes of the Phoenix Knit but we are expecting a restock around Spring 2022 for xeroshoes.com. Since Amazon is one of our verified retailers, their restock dates and inventory may differ. For the most accurate restock information, you will want to contact Amazon Customer Service directly for more information. Hopefully this helps! Please let us know if you have any additional questions.

Xero Shoes Women's Phoenix Casual Ballet Flats - Lightweight, Dressy Comfort, Black Leather, 8.5
277 Reviews
Xero Shoes Women's Phoenix Casual Ballet Flats - Lightweight, Dressy Comfort, Black Leather, 8.5*
  • DELIGHTFULLY COMFY - Features full-grain leather inside and out; feels silky smooth on your feet for a new level of comfort, all day, every day. A women's size 6 is about 6 ounces each - you may...
  • XERO DROP SOLE FOR PERFECT POSTURE - The Xero Drop sole offers a non-elevated heel and is low-to-the-ground for proper posture, balance, and agility. You’ll love the comfort of the wide toe box,...
  • FLEX YOUR FEET, FEEL THE FLOOR - Patented 5.5mm FeelTrue rubber sole offers just-right protection and ground feedback; optional 2mm insole to adjust the amount of “barefoot feel;" "flat" never felt...

*If you buy a product through one of these links, I will receive a small commission from the seller. There are no additional costs for you, and you support my work on this site. To learn more read here. Thank you and Feel Grounded. Dirk