Rothy’s styles comparison + kids vs womens review

Update 7/1 – First time I’ve seen a 40% off sale for their styles. Shop the sale and filter by size!

I jumped on the Rothy’s bandwagon a bit late, but wanted to give them a good, thorough wear test before doing a more detailed post. After owning my leopard Points for several months (during which they’ve accompanied me on a handful of trips with miles of walking each day) I can honestly say they’ve become one of my most reached-for shoes. The Point style is not for every foot, though, so if you’ve been on the fence about their different styles, or if you’re debating between their women’s vs kids shoes, I hope today’s post will be helpful!

Rothy’s Features

You can read more about the brand’s sustainability efforts here.

• Eco-friendly materials: Uppers are made of recycled plastic bottles which are spun into thread, then knit into seamless, no-waste pieces. Or, the Merino collection is made of a blend of the recycled plastic and sustainably sourced merino wool (see the Sneaker below in camel merino wool blend). Outsoles are made from either carbon-free rubber or vegan leather, and removable insoles are made of recycled foam.
• Washability: Shoes and insoles can be machine washed in cold water and air dried (no machine dryer).
• Packaging: Shoes ship in a single box (the shoebox itself, which is pretty durable) to minimize waste, and the cardboard shoe inserts are biodegradable. Several of you shared the tip to keep the inserts for helping reshape the shoes after you wash them.

My shoes were indeed very comfortable for me off the bat and needed no breaking-in time at all. I especially love the knit fabric for air travel (expands with my feet, quick to slip on and off) yet it does not get stretched out over time. The outsoles are very light and flexible on my feet. Also, since the shoes are so slim profile and light, it’s easy to toss them into small dustbag and into my purse as backup walking shoes without feeling weighed down.

On the downside, if you need good cushioning and arch support, I’ve mentioned before that Rothy’s insoles only have very light levels of cushioning. That being said, I didn’t feel any discomfort though after long periods of walking (which my feet wouldn’t be able to tolerate in truly flat insole shoes). Also, something to keep in mind is that I’ve witnessed several white or light colored pairs of Rothy’s that have seen better days (especially in the muddy Boston winter), so although they are washable, I’m guessing certain stains are hard to remove from light fabric. For this reason, I’d probably stick to more pigmented colors or printed patterns to help mask any stains.

a comparison of Styles

1. THE SNEAKER

If you tend to dress more casually, the slip on sneaker offers more coverage on the foot (so feels a little warmer than lower cut flats) and is comfortably chic with jeans and leggings. The platform soles add a little bit of height without being clunky. These are a little heavier than Rothy’s other flats due to the platform, but still reasonably light for a pair of sneakers. I felt this was true to size and I could do either a 5 or a 5.5.

Note: The Sneaker also comes in kids sizing (I’m a kids size 4) for $70 less than womens, but only in a few “mature” colors and those are always sold out in bigger kid sizes. I have not tried on the kids Sneaker, but similar to the Loafer comparison (see pics in #4) I would guess the kids toe shape is a little more wide/rounded than the women’s.

2. THE POINT

My favorite amongst their styles. Very sleek and elongating, in a shape that’s great for office wear but also for casual and travel outfits. The pointed toe is pretty tapered, so if you have wide feet or usually find discomfort in pointed toe shoes, then I would size up or try one of the more rounded styles below that have more room for your toes. I’m usually between a 5 and 5.5, and definitely needed the 5.5 in this particular style.

Color-wise, it’s a tough decision. I love the look of both the smaller leopard I own as well as the bolder “big cat,” especially if you wear a lot of neutrals. I’m also drawn to the brights for a little pop of color, but I think the top most versatile pair has to be good ole solid black. I’ve run out the door in several outfits lately that would work perfectly with a dainty black pointed flat.

3. THE FLAT

Personally I’m not a round-toe fan, since I don’t find this shape to be as flattering on me as pointed or almond. I also don’t know how I feel about the V-shape inner line paired with the rounded outer. However, the wider base of the round toe shape leaves more room for your toes, comfort wise. If you’re partial to a completely round toe flat, I’d also suggest checking out these flats by fellow eco-conscious brand Allbirds. Those are known to have a little more cushioning (but are a little less stylish, in my opinion).

4. THE WOMENS LOAFER (and KIDS LOAFER)

My second favorite style amongst Rothy’s lineup, actually a closer second to The Point than I would’ve expected! The adult loafers surprised me by how feminine and flattering they felt on my feet for a more rounded style. These are also a great work to weekend design and a little more universally comfortable than the Point, which might be too tapered in the toes for some ladies.

Women vs. Kids – Back Stripes
If you wear a size 5 or 5.5 in women’s or below, you’ll also have the option of shopping their kids loafer for a fraction of the price! The most obvious difference on the leopard pair is the colorful back stripes on the kids loafer, which make the shoe feel more juvenile and less versatile in my opinion (however, note not every kids pair has stripes, and conversely, some of their womens pairs have stripes).

Women vs. Kids – Toe Shape
The second difference is that the toe shape on the kids is more round, versus more almond on the womens. This was very obvious to me as I’m particular about toe shapes (and this in itself would hinder me from choosing the kids), but someone else might not notice the difference or might even prefer the rounder toe.

Aside from these two elements, the materials and construction felt very similar on both, so it may be a tough choice to some on whether or not the toe shape and stripes are worth the $100 price difference!

5. THE CHELSEA

I didn’t try the Chelsea style because it’s less versatile for year round wear compared to the other styles, but I can guess that it has a pretty similar fit and look as the Sneaker just with a higher shaft.

Soles & Insoles

The Point, Loafer, and Flat have a lightweight non-slip rubber sole while the Sneaker and Chelsea have a thicker platform sole with a tad more support. As mentioned, insoles are removable so you can wash them separately from the shoes if desired. Extra or replacement insoles are sold separately here (Nori has made it her daily mission to remove and hide my insoles somewhere!).

Packaging

As part of their sustainability efforts, Rothy’s ship directly in the shoe box (instead of a shoe box within a shipping box), and if you need to make a return you can use this same box. As mentioned above, a tip from you guys is to save these cardboard shoe inserts to help reshape your shoes after washing!

Which style or look in this post is your favorite? I’d love to hear more likes and dislikes or thoughts on the different styles from longtime Rothy’s customers!