Are these "barefoot" dress shoes meant to be worn without socks?
No! When we say "barefoot", it has nothing to do with wearing socks, or not. "Barefoot" refers to the essential features of our shoes, which allow your feet to function as naturally as possible, as if you were barefoot.
Can these barefoot dress shoes be worn without socks?
It depends how sweaty your feet get in the environments you intend to wear them, and how well you tolerate the consequences of your sweat. Potential consequences of your sweat include discomfort, odor, blisters, and degradation of the leather.
Many customers report that their feet are noticeably less sweaty in their Carets. This makes sense. Our shoes feature a natural unfinished leather liner, which breathes better than finished leather, and way better than synthetic leather. Our shoes feature a wide toebox, so your toes aren't squished together, trapping heat, and generating sweat. Our shoes also feature the "false tip" of traditional dress shoes, further providing air circulation to mitigate sweat.
Despite all that, the fact is that leather is just not ideal as a next-to-skin base layer. That's why you rarely find leather t-shirts, underwear, or socks.
So unless you have feet that don't sweat very much, we recommend wearing socks with your Carets. If you like the no-sock look, try no-show socks!