When it comes to making a fashionable and great looking barefoot shoe Groundies is rocking it. Odessa boots are exactly the style of boots I love to wear and finally a barefoot version is here.
Lately, Groundies has been surprising us with a lot of new barefoot shoe models for men and women. They released a lot of new styles in leather or vegan materials and they all look fantastic.
Groundies shoes are most suited to medium-wide feet. So they won’t suit those with very wide feet, but if your feet are like mine you will find them fabolous.
As soon as I openened the box it was a love at first sight. Beautiful black suede leather slouchy boots. My dream come true.
Use BU15 for 15% discount (valid until 12th April 2024)
1. General
- Brand: Groundies
- Model: Odessa
- Colour: black
- Tested on: woman, medium-wide feet, 26.3 cm long and 10 cm wide, low instep, skinny ankles
2. Material characteristics
2.1 Upper
Groundies Odessa boots are available in three different colours – black, light brown and grey, which looks more brown than grey from the photo. The upper is made from a soft cowhide suede leather.
I choose black colour for myself – a safe decision and super easy to match with my autumn and winter wardrobe.
As all the leather used for Groundies shoes also leather used in Odessa boots came from Spain and Portugal, from the animals that are not are only bred for leather production.
On the inner side of the boot there is a zipper, so your boots can be put on super quickly.
2.2 Lining
Boots are lined with a high-quality microfibre. The microfibre is smooth and it looks like a leather at first sight.
The microfiber material is not the same as in Ibiza shoes which I reviewed here and it doesn’t have this strong non-slip effect. Therefore you can easily put them on also with your regular socks.
Microfibre with a non-slip effect is placed only at the heel part and makes the boot more secure on your foot while walking.
As the boots are lined only with thin microfibre layer I wouldn’t recommend them for cold winters, but more for autumn and milder winter days. But you can still add some wool insole for extra warmth. And some wool socks can add some warmth too.
I put wool felt insole in mine and I can wear them with no problems in days with temperature a little bit above zero degrees Celsius.
2.3 Sole
The sole used in Odessa boots is the same type as the one used in other Groundies shoes and it is in the same black colour as the rest of the boot.
Groundies sole is a “non-slip and abrasion-resistant with a secure grip on many surfaces”. The thickness of the sole is 6.3 mm (3.3mm base with 3mm profile).
This super flexible sole give you a good ground feeling and it can be easily bend in all directions.
The sole is glued on the upper and fixed with a frame seam.
3. Sizing information
3.1 Length
Groundies Odessa Ladies shoes are available in sizes 36-43. My feet are 26.3 cm long and I bought a size 42 with inside length measurement of 27.5 cm. 12 mm space in front of my toes is what I usually prefer to choose.
I checked the internal length also with the plus12 measure and the inside length is the same as the one given in their size chart. Their size chart is therefore true to size, so stick to it.
3.2. Toebox & width
As with all Groundies shoes, the toebox is made to look a little bit tapered at the front to give them more mainstream look.
I found the width of the shoe very similar to Ibiza shoes which I reviewed here (size 42 is about 10.5 cm wide). The same as in Ibiza shoes I have 12 mm space in front of my toes. This is the space I prefer and it also helps me to avoid my big toe hitting in the tappered part of the boot.
The leather in Odessa boots is a little bit thicker than in Ibiza shoes, but still really soft. Therefore it holds the shape of the shoe a little bit better and it won’t crease so easily if your foot is narrower and don’t fill the shoes as well as my foot.
Althought the width of the sole is the same as in Ibiza shoes, Odessa boots have more space above my toes. I can wear them with no problem even with the insole and have enough space for my toes to spread.
The width of the boots is really ideal for my feet. Groundies shoes work the best for medium-wide feet and I wouldn’t recommend them for very wide feet unless you size up a lot. I defnitely recommend choosing a little bit more space in front of your toes, unless your feet are narrower than mine. Therefore you will be good with less space too.
3.3. Fit
I have a shallow feet and my main concern when ordering Odessa boots was if they will fit me over the instep. I usually have problems to get a good fit with pull on boots. As you cannot secure them with the laces, they must fit you really well to avoid heel slipping. I can wear Odessa boots with no problem and they feel really secure on my feet. No toe gripping at all.
Odessa boots probably won’t suit those with high instep. I still have space left there, so for those with normal height of the instep, boots should fit the best.
The boots have a piece of non-slip microfibre at the heel part mentioned above. Groundies made a well thought decision to include this in their boots. It really helps to keep your heel from slipping out of the boot.
If you still feel that your heel is slipping in the boots, there are some tricks that can help you. You can add an insole in them, but this usually takes some space at the toebox area too or you can try adding just some extra padding in the instep area and around the legs (e.g. leg warmers, yoga socks or you can lower the instep area with some felt or gel patches).
My legs are really skinny and you can see that I have space left between the boots and my legs. This is my usual problem with almost all boots and I’m quite used to this, but you can still improve the look with adding some leg warmers or boot cuffs.
The height of Odessa boots in size 42 is around 24 cm with the inner shaft circumference at the boot opening of 35 cm. My leg circumference at height 24 cm is 30 cm.
For reference, the measurements of a size 38 is 21 cm height with inner shaft circumference of 34 cm.
4. Comparison to different brands
On the picture below you can see a comparison of three different pull on boots – Groundies Odessa, Lukshoes Primavera and Sole Runner Larissa boots.
From all three boots I find the Lukshoes the widest in the toebox and the most foot-shaped. I find Odessa and Larissa boots very similar width-wise.
Regarding the warmth Larissa boots are the warmest and Primavera and Odessa are quite similar regaring the warmth. You still have an option to put some warm insole in them, but the lining in Larissa boots is generally warmer.
How is the fit over the instep? Lukshoes Primavera boots are the most appropriate for low to average height instep, Odessa for average height and Larissa for average and high instep. For example, I have a low instep and Larissa boots don’t fit me even with the winter insole in as they are slipping of my heel.
5. How to wear them?
Groundies Odessa boots are available in three neutral colours which look great with almost any outfit.
You can pair your Odessa mid-calf slouch style boots with a pair of skinny jeans or leggins and an oversized sweater or longer tunic for more casual look.
If you would like to dress up and create more formal look you can wear them with a dress, skirt or a pair of skinny trousers. You can add some blazer to create more formal look.
If you have skinny legs as I do, you can add some leg warmers or boot cuffs to get some volume around your legs, but only if you go for more casual look.
6. Price & where to buy
Groundies Odessa shoes can be bought directly from their website. Full price for Odessa model is 159€. You can get 5€ discount code by signing up for a newsletter.
You can buy your Groundies shoes with 10% discount with my code “BOSONOGI10“ (not affiliate code).
7. Shipping info
Shipping cost depend on the shipping county. Europe is divided in three shipping zones (Zone 1: free delivery, Zone 2: 4,90€ and Zone 3: 9,90€). For all the other countries the shipping costs are 34,90 €. Free returns are only within Germany.
8. Where are they made?
Groundies shoes are entirely manufactured in Europe, with the soles made in Germany and manufactured by hand to the finish product in Spain.
Groundies company also work with an organisation Plant-for-the-Planet. For every order you made they plant a tree on Mexican peninsula Yucatán.
9. To sum up
From formal to casual – Odessa boots suit everything. These boots are absolutely gorgeous-looking and they are one of the most beautiful barefoot boots I have tried and seen so far. Groundies managed to make wide barefoot boot look elegant and sleek. I love that they don’t look big on my feet and that they work so well with formal clothing too. Groundies is definitely making new standards in barefoot shoes.
Use BU15 for 15% discount (valid until 12th April 2024)
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