Strappy Sandals for a Thicker Foot

Dear Shoe Lady,
I will be matron of honour at my niece’s wedding and am deciding
between the 1. Touch Up Morgans Bronze 11w

Morgan, bronze by Touch Ups

and the Annie Allison Black
11extra W.

Allison, gold by Annie

My foot measures 26cm long and 10cm wide – however I have a
high instep and was wondering how generous these shoes were with their
straps across the top – ie. depth from sole to top of foot?    Your opinion
would be great, as I have not tried these brands before.  Could you please
also advise the postage to Postcode 2346, NSW, Australia for both 1 and 2
pairs (in case I buy both…lol)  Thanks Cindy  (I have just measured and my
largest foot around is 25.5cm -this is taken with tape measure around the
middle of foot where the heel arch is and fully around to the top halfway on
top of foot (not incl toes)  -hard to describe isnt it…lol….
thanks  again,
Cindy
Dear Cindy –
I, too, have a high arch and a thick foot.  If you just looked at the length and width of my foot, you’d sell me a size 10.  You are quite correct to take the girth of your foot into consideration.  But if your measurements are correct, I think you may have overdone it.  Both of these brands are pretty true to size.  Your measurements suggest that, independent of the girth of your foot, you should be a size 10 to 10.5 Medium.
The Morgan is cut in such a way that it would accomodate a thicker foot.  The strap across the top of the Allison does not have an elastic insert that would allow the top to stretch.  It is possible to move it around a bit to fit the top of your foot.  In some circumstances, you could get a wider size and that would help for the top strap but if you do, you may run into problems with the heel strap.  It has a 1 inch piece of elastic but it does not have a buckle and isn’t really adjustable.  So if you get a shoe that is too wide, the heel strap will slip down all the time.
That said, both shoes could fit perfectly, or neither could.   I like the sparkle on the Allison and I normally think a heel strap makes walking easier.  But for you, I’d lean toward the Morgan as being the more versatile fit.  Then consider whether you should be going with a 10.5M or 11M or 10.5W or 11W.   This decision is based on your own knowledge of your feet and your preference for whether you want the sole of the sandal to show above your toes, or if you like your toes to go to the very end of the sole.
The Shoe Lady

2 thoughts on “Strappy Sandals for a Thicker Foot

  1. I have the same problem finding shoes for my granddaughter shes a size 8 and her foot width is 10cm but across the top of her foot measures 20cm, is there any hope of her finding a nice shoe?
    regards,
    Marj

  2. Dear Marj-

    You are allowing me to quote one of my favorite pithy shoe phrases. Think of shoe sizing like how big a bucket you need to hold 5 lbs. of water. It’s all about the volume. To be honest, I don’t visualize the top of foot vs. bottom of foot width measurements except to assume that your granddaughter probably has thick, muscular feet. Not a bad thing for a healthy young lady! Feet can be bony and hard, soft and flaccid or thick and muscular. According to your measurements for the bottom width of her foot, she should wear a size 8W. But if her foot is thicker (think VOLUME) she will need a bigger, wider, maybe longer container for her foot. I’d suggest you start with an 8WW. If that doesn’t offer enough volume, she is going to have to start trying longer shoes, like an 8.5WW or a 9WW. When this happens, she will lose some aspects of shoe fit. The ball of her foot may not hit where it was designed to hit on the shoe. If she goes longer, she should stay away from pointed toe shoes. Go for round toed styles or open toed styles. And I’ll bet you can find several hundred styles at designershoes .com that will fit and will be a nice shoe! I don’t know her age

    The Yates by Naturalizer is a good sport athletic choice for a young woman.

    If you are going for something dressier…. take a look at the Abella ballet flat by Antia. It comes in a bunch of colors
    .

    It may take a little experimenting, by your grand daughter will find something appropriately charming for her feet! Lucky girl to have a nice grandmother looking out for her!

    Best wishes,
    The Shoe lady

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