birthday shoes

I finally got my hands on a pair of the new Vibram fivefingers Moc (in blue!). The Moc, a men's style VFF whose sister counterpart is the Performa, is a new, kangaroo-leather-clad, indoor-only, minimalized, and extremely flexible foot glove — in fact, we originally thought the Moc was going to be called the Glove.

Before I jump into my written first impressions of the fivefingers Moc, here's a video unboxing and first look. Check it out:

Apologies for the intrusion by the cat (Zeke). He has a penchant for being on YouTube.

Photos of the new Vibram Five Fingers Moc

First impressions

Like the new Five Fingers KSO Trek, the VFF Moc is clad in smooth, and expensive-looking/feeling kangaroo leather. From a materials standpoint, the Moc is little more than leather a smidgeon of Vibram rubber — seven rubber "pods" (A pod for each toe, heel, and midfoot).

Swapping a full-coverage Vibram sole for a seven-paneled one means that the Moc is the most flexible fivefingers model yet. And by flexibility, I mean that you can wave your toes freely and easily flex your foot in either direction (open or closed). Without a sturdy structural, full-foot Vibram sole, the Moc doubles over when held up. Without a foot inside, the Moc is flimsy.

Interestingly enough, the lack of the structural base I've been accustomed to in all other VFFs, it was actually a bit tricky getting my toes slotted. A bit of practice should clear up my toe clunkiness.

Another new feature brought on with the Moc is that the elastic pull-tab has a small bit of velcro underneath it that allows you to attach it to your heel. This simple solution makes a lot of sense and I imagine Vibram has considered implementing it with Classics (Just speculating!).

Finally, fit for the Moc is like a snug version of the Classic. A leathery and stylish Classic, that is!

Of course, most of the above could be said about the fivefingers Performa, as the only difference between Moc and Performa, aside from color options, is that the Moc has a higher front "vamp," which is the part of the VFF that covers the front top of your foot. For comparison purposes, here's an animation that shows the two for comparison purposes:

Overall, the Moc is an impressive manifestation of a functional and elegant "foot glove". And as such, it further blurs the line between bare feet, socks, and shoes.

As for use, I could see VFFers using it in activities such as weight lifting, bodyweight exercises, certain CrossFit WODs, yoga, Pilates, and martial arts. What will be interesting to see is what other uses the VFF community finds for the Moc and Performa. In black, it is easily dressy enough for slacks and a tie — unorthodox and classy at the same time.

As I put it to more use, I'll be sure to update you all further!

Previous posts on the Moc and Performa

• Pre-Order the Vibram FiveFingers KSO Trek, the Moc, and Performa! — photos of all colors and stock information regarding the Trek, Moc, and Performa
• The Skinny on the FiveFingers Moc and Performa a.k.a. "Glove" for men and women