Are there decent looking minimalist shoes?

I'm looking for zero-drop, thin soled shoes that look genuinely good for a casual work environment. I feel no need to announce to the world how special I am with my shoes, and would prefer to wear normal person shoes and boots, but get back pain when I have to wear them, so I need something better.

What I'm using now:

Moccasins -- Look good for 4 months, then start looking really sloppy. Look good with jeans, but look like bedroom slippers with nice clothes. Current top choice.
Minimalist running shoes -- Fine practically, but look like gym kit.
Chuck Taylors -- Thick and casual.
Luna sandals -- Look only marginally better than flip flops. Only acceptable in the height of a southern summer.

A few options I've considered:

I'm writing off the goofy-looking and heavily logoed Vivo Barefoot for now.
Lem has potential.
Primal Professional is probably going to be a good option for business trips, but not viable for everyday.

Anyone else found any good options?

No such thing. Try insoles.

Insoles can help in the short term but encourage crappy walking posture. I can't use them every day.

I found two brands of milspec boots that fit my criteria: Belleville Mini-mil and Nike SFB. They would be limited in applicability, but look better than gym shoes.

Is it possible to modify shoes remove the heel or reduce the sole?

TBH, I don't think anybody here will be able to help you with that, especially with those particular shoes. You might try discussing it with some of the higher end cobblers. It's really easy to mess something like that up - even if you don't care about the looks, which will inevitably be affected.

I definitely wouldn't bother with modifying minimalist shoes. I had considered doing it with either Clark's desert boots or the Frye traditional soled boots, though. In particular, the Frye Walter boots look good, but have enough heel that I couldn't realistically walk in them.

I can write off finding grail shoes that I can wear everyday. It's simply not going to happen, short of finding a really creative bespoke cobbler. However, it is possible that there are viable improvements to my current choices.

These are moccasins of a sort, but maybe better looking and more durable than average:

http://www.russellminimalistfootwear.com/

paladin said:

These are moccasins of a sort, but maybe better looking and more durable than average:

http://www.russellminimalistfootwear.com/

Click to expand...

That's the sort of thing I'm looking for. I see they have a model with a thin sole and no heel. Unshifting those to the top of my running list.

I've been forced to conclude that a special solution really isn't optional for me. Walking around this morning in rainboots with a reasonably small, soft heel has left me couch-ridden this evening. And my insurance company says I can afford either physical therapy for my back OR Alden wingtip boots, but not both, so I'm in something of a Gift of the Magi situation here.

opening ceremony is always the first thing that comes to mind when folks ask for heel-less shoes. i'm sure there are others out there, but OC has been doing this thing for years