My sock needs seem to be another niche problem... Buying barefoot gear online can be challenging and demotivating, whether it is due to shipping costs or because it can be difficult to find the right shoe (or sock) for your foot type. In this post, I share my struggles with barefoot socks and the solutions I found so far.
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The Search: Toe Socks for Small Feet (preferably affordable)
As you may know by now, especially if you read this post, I live in Switzerland. It is an incredibly beautiful country, there are no words to describe the wonderful landscapes you can find not too far from home here, in this tiny land. But is it all sunshine and butterflies over here? Oh no, and "oh no" especially if you know how it goes when it is time to pay for customs. Every time you receive a package delivered from abroad, over a certain amount (50 CHF), there will be customs fees to be paid.
Toe socks can give your toes all the space they need and the encouragement to splay. There are different types of socks one can buy but long story short, toe socks have one sleeve for each toe so, unlike common socks that are narrow at the front and squeeze your toes together, toe socks help the toes to spread.
It is harder for me to find toe socks and footwear that fits like a glove because of my squareish, small feet. My toes are short and tiny so finding toe socks can be a nightmare. After I found my new Xero laces in ZaMi, I wanted to see if they have toe socks too. And they did!
Yoga & Pilates Toe Toe Socks
I already had two pairs of Yoga & Pilates Toe Toe Socks in their smallest size (EU 35-38 / UK 3-5.5). While the sock length fits my foot fine, the four smaller toe sleeves are too long for me. So I shortened the toe sleeves of my Toe Toe socks. That was some fun sewing project... It was worth the trouble, though.
Chilling on the couch in my Yoga & Pilates Toe Toe socks.
After enjoying my Toe Toe socks immensely around the house, all the time, I started to feel uncomfortable in almost all my other socks (and I am now grateful for the less squeezy ones). I wanted to finally own some pairs of "every day toe socks", try a different brand, try to find a smaller size. I could not believe it would be impossible to find toe socks for my small toes.
Finding toe socks for small feet (size 34-35 / UK 2-2.5) is a painstaking and demotivating task. You browse through every brand you can find and all the socks start two sizes up from yours. And you probably won't be surprised to hear that smaller socks does not mean cheaper socks. Toe socks can be EXPENSIVE.
So it was a demotivating search. I browsed through many different brands, read reviews, found more brands and tried again - it just isn't straightforward if you have tiny feet. However, armed with my recent discovery of ZaMi's existence, I finally saw that they had something for me.
The Best Toe & Barefoot Socks for Small Feet (and Toes)
Unfortunately, I have to report that the solution I found for toe socks is not perfect. However, it is acessible enough to me so for now, it will do. Please note: this is not a product review as I have not worn these socks extenstively yet. But I wanted to share what I found.
Among a lot of different brands and models, I narrowed my selection down to the two designs that hopefully could work for me and that could be delivered for not-a-million-euros in shipping alone. I bougth the smallest and most affordable socks I could find. These are the two models I got from ZaMi:
Vibram's Wool-blend Crew Toe Socks (EU 34-37) & Be Lenka's Crew Barefoot Socks (EU 35-38)
Vibram's toe socks fit my foot well overall but the four smaller toe sleeves are still too long for me. So I will have to sew and cut them shorter, again. The verdict is in: I have yet to find toe socks with short enough toe sleeves for my small toes. They don't seem to exist. And there is nothing wrong with my toes, I swear, they are simply not catered for in the brutal sock market.
Another fun fact for you, dear reader, is that weirdly enough, my boyfriend's toe socks - for much bigger feet by the way -, have toe sleeves with the same length as mine, so it looks like companies that make toe socks might not be scaling the toe sleeves but just the foot area. Could it be? It just seems so illogical. I bet it is cheaper to produce though.
Be Lenka's barefoot socks are not toe socks, as you can see in the pictures - this type of sock is apparently my only option, apart from open toe socks, that is. Barefoot, not toe socks are the only option for me to wear socks that are wide enough at the front, without having to shorten the toe sleeves.
Both Vibram and Be Lenka's socks have a great texture and feel, I am excited to wear them regularly, review them one day and find more options in the future.
How you can help
Do you know any obscure toe sock brands that make toe socks with particularly short toe sleeves? Let me know because I would love to try them on, fall in love and run their stock to the ground. Also, here is an old game with a new twist: read the first sentence in this paragraph fifty times and drink a shot of Aguardente every time you encounter the word "toe".
I hope you enjoyed the thrilling tale of my sock struggles and I hope it can help you in some way, even if it just makes you giggle because there is someone out there writing passionately about socks. Have a lovely day and have fun spreading those toes wide!
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