If you’re looking for an honest and transparent review of Beckett Simonon leather shoes, this review might be it. I really have nothing to lose in not telling you everything I experienced by receiving my first pair of Beckett Simonon shoes and trying them out for size, quality and style.

In this review, I’ll be reviewing Beckett Simonon full-grain women’s leather boots, as well as telling you all I’ve learned about the brand in just a few days. You can decide if you’d like to take a look at their women’s line (shoes, boots, sneakers, accessories) or their men’s collection of the same types of products.

All photos here are my own and all opinions are my off-the-cuff thoughts.

Key takeaways from this review

  • Beckett Simonon, is, in my opinion, a legitimate and sustainable brand for both men and women’s shoes, and a certified B Corp.
  • The company is probably most well-known for men’s dress shoes, and they have considerably more men’s styles than women’s, BUT: I’ll tell you why I think this is great.
  • I was surprised at the fit of my Beckett Simonon boots because they ran big. I explain this in detail in the review that follows.
  • Overall, I enjoy the timelessness of the styles and the transparency that Beckett Simonon makes available to customers.

How I wound up with Beckett Simonon boots

Beckett Simonon dropped into my fashion life at the right time.

In the years prior to the day I got my Beckett Simonon boots in the mail, I had defaulted to wearing sneakers most of the time, and wearing one single pair of black TOMS lace-up wedge heel booties if I had an “occasion.” I had owned leather ankle boots in the past, but after they stretched out, I gave them to a friend (which now seems ridiculous because of all my Poshmark selling experience).

After having a baby and becoming a parent, I barely had time to consider which brands I wanted to look at for owning a new pair of black boots that would serve me for life. I had an opportunity to try a pair from Beckett Simonon, a brand I previously had never heard of, and I looked forward to seeing what that would be like.

What I got

I chose the Maeve Chelsea Boots (women’s full-grain leather ankle boots) in Black, and in the size US 6.5.

To see how the fit went for me, scroll down and read it in the Fit section.

How they arrive

The boots arrived in a big shoe box, and each shoe was in a dust bag. Each dust bag has a sort of microfiber liner, to help keep the boots fresh. You bet I’ll be storing them this way!

In a small envelope, there was a hand-written thank-you note from a production manager at the crafting studio, a coupon for my next order and an info card about returns (you’ll need this).

The Beckett Simonon brand: What I learned

Prior to having my boots arrive by mail, I started looking into the brand. What was Beckett Simonon, why was the brand “different” and why was it so popular?

If you look for other reviews of Beckett Simonon, they are mostly from menswear blogs and focus on Beckett Simonon’s highly popular dress shoes for men. There is a smattering of women’s blogs focusing on the loafers and the sneakers.

So here is what I learned. I learned in the backstory of the brand that it was founded to revamp the traditional business method of production, middlemen and consumers. Beckett Simonon employs a “made to order” model. But what does this MEAN?

I was confused by it, and found out more by actually reading the FAQ on the website. “Made to order” means that when you order your Beckett Simonon shoes, a craftsman in their production center makes your shoes in your size. It’s not like shopping at DSW or Nordstrom, where your shoes already existed in your size and you took them off the shelf or they came from a warehouse.

In this way, Beckett Simonon’s model avoids waste (which is ideal, because their product is leather) and it also helps the company reduce costs. This is how and why Beckett Simonon is able to price leather shoes below traditional retail prices.

Overall, there’s a lot to like, especially that the company’s production takes place in Bogota, Colombia, a city I spent a month in (and even wrote a Bogota travel guide for). It’s here that the Beckett Simonon artisans work to create your shoes, with their expertise and knowledge of making leather goods. I read more about it at the Facilities info page.

The style

This is the easiest topic for me to write about. I love the style of the Maeve Chelsea Boots. I actually have “Chelsea Boots” from the waterproof travel brand Vessi, and what’s funny is that my Beckett Simonon Chelsea boots are the upscale and elevated leather version of those (with a small heel).

The style of my Maeve boots is simply timeless. I think you’ll find that for all the beautiful styles from Beckett Simonon. They just do not go out of style, as hard as you can try to picture them maybe being close to trendy. You can wear all the Beckett Simonon styles for decades, like until you’re 80 years old. Personally, I plan to do that.

As for the boots, they’re very pretty. They have a tab at the back heel (this really helps me get them on), with elastic gussets that go down the sides. The toe box isn’t too wide and isn’t too narrow: it’s beautiful. It’s slender and feminine, and it looks great both with pants and dresses.

I think they’re fantastic, and they’re the closet staple I knew I was missing, but couldn’t pin down. I’ll be wearing them with jeans, skirts, mini or midi dresses and anything else that works.

The fit

In recent years, my feet have grown JUST a dab. I’m typically a 6.5, and in brands like Nike, I’m a 7, with a bit of space. I was intent on ordering the right size with Beckett Simonon, the first time around, in order to avoid returns.

I used the “Find your size” option on the product page for the Maeve Chelsea Boots. I literally measured my foot with a measuring tape, and Dan even measured my foot for me to make sure we got the same measurement. I got somewhere around 9”, and according to the chart, I was between a 6 and 6.5 in US women’s.

This typically would seem like a foolproof thing to do, to size up so that the shoes weren’t too tight, and had some space for my foot to slide forward when walking. When I got my boots, though, I put them on and immediate thought, these are the wrong size.

They were way too big, and I’m serious: I thought about returning them in that moment. But I wanted to avoid that.

Luckily, I read the little cards of paperwork that the boots came with. They mentioned that the purchase comes with complimentary insoles, which I would’ve either not seen or disregarded. I was keen to have a fit solution, so I slid them in.

The fit improved; however, it was not perfect. To make matters more challenging, my left foot is slightly bigger than my right. I nearly always get a more spacious fit on the right than on the left. This has been a constant struggle.

So, my last bet on how to get these boots to fit so that I could start enjoying them was to change my socks. And sure enough, I looked to one of the most affordable products I’ve found from Quince, my cushioned ankle socks. I put those on, and poof: the fit on my Beckett Simonon boots was like an 8/10.

I’m keeping them in the women’s 6.5 because I think a 6 will be too tight. For leather boots, I know they tend to break in a bit and they “give” a little after a while, but I also want to leave space for my feet growing again, especially since I decided I was ready for a second child and now I’m expecting a baby in a few months.

Criticisms & complaints

Sizing and fit

You read above that I was a bit frustrated with how they ran big. I just think that it should either be clearer that they run big, or I should stop being in between sizes (haha). Really though, I do think what I experienced was a fit that ran big, and maybe what I should’ve done was order two and send back one.

Soles are initially slippery

The first walk outside I did with my Beckett Simonon boots was slightly slippery. That’s common with shoes that have a leather sole, though, and I’m not totally used to that. The large majority of shoes I’ve ever owned, even leather shoes, have had rubber soles.

The thing to know about leather soled shoes is that they don’t have the same grip that rubber does. I would not recommend wearing leather-soled shoes on slippery icy sidewalks in winter until they’ve been fully broken in and the soles have some scratching and “wear” that provide friction.

Production time

Some people (not me) may not be happy with “how long it takes” for Beckett Simonon shoes to reach you once they are ordered. If you read the fine print though, and inform yourself before purchasing, it’s clear: they can take 8-10 weeks. (Some other blogs quote 6 weeks, and mine were even faster.)

Why’s this? You may know already that because of the made-to-order (MTO) model of the company, your shoes, in your chosen size and color, don’t exist yet. They’re not in a warehouse waiting to ship, like everything on Amazon Prime. Once you click Buy, an artisan in Colombia is going to skillfully make your shoes, boots or sneakers, and after they go through all the quality control steps, they’ll be mailed to you.

It’s a special experience. (They also employ ethical production, hence the B Corp certification.)

What about returns or exchanges?

I think what surprised me, even with the MTO model is that you can indeed exchange Beckett Simonon shoes, boots and sneakers. I read the info card about it in the box my boots came in, because I was hesitant with keeping the size 6.5 and exchanging for a 6.

I think what’s most surprising (and competitive) is that you can exchange your shoes, and opt for a different product, an exchange or even a refund. That’s IF, and only if, your product is unworn, shows NO signs of wear and is returned back to Beckett Simonon in the original packaging. It basically means you could try them on once, decide “It’s a No for me,” and put them back in the box.

Your order is eligible for return or refund when it passes a quality control check, and the company will contact you to confirm that you can proceed to do you refund or exchange.

It’s most helpful to read all the details at the Returns page.

Should you get Beckett Simonon shoes?

I’ll phrase this simply: I rarely shop at brands that are not B Corporation-certified anymore. Our world and our planet, as well as my beliefs and lifestyle, just can’t support anything less than B Corps: companies that employ sustainable models in order to impact our environment a bit less.

Because Beckett Simonon is unique in how it has such a transparent production operation, from photos on its website of artisans making the shoes, to details like how the company helps their craftsmen in Colombia with apprenticeships and financial coaching, I support it. I would typically hesitate before owning more leather goods, but because I literally expect these boots to last a lifetime, and then maybe even pass them on to my daughter or my granddaughters, I’m happy with the product.

Plus, my Maeve boots are gorgeous: they’re slender, well-designed, high-quality and sturdy. I’ll be wearing them this year, next year and in 20 years.

Where to buy Beckett Simonon

This is probably no surprise, either: you can literally only get Beckett Simonon shoes at the Beckett Simonon website. They do not sell shoes via third parties, or via other retail websites! Their supply chain is too custom-done, and too unique for that.

By buying through the Beckett Simonon site, you’ll experience a boutique shoe shopping experience, and the best part is getting them after they’re made.