Large Women Shoes

Dear shoe lady,
A desperate call from a plus size lady. I’ve been wearing mens shoes for almost a decade. I can’t even wear women’s shoes anymore because the sizes are too small. I used to wear women’s size 13 until load and behold my feet spread because of my weight which is fine but I learned at a young age to take care of your self and always be professional. I wear size 13 in mens because there comfortable and wide enough not to hurt my feet but there too long in the length.

I am flat footed and I am on my feet eight to ten hours a day and I love to walk. I am starting school again and there are no professional shoes in any store in NYC that cater my size. I swear off spikey heels because of the fear of the heel breaking and me falling. I measured my foot which is 11 and a half inches to 12 inches in length and 5 and a half inches in width. I will love to learn to wear thick heels for the office. I experiment on shoes in the size of 13 wide but they were tight in the width so I’m thinking 13 double wide to 14 is my size but unsure. Shoe lady you are my last hope HELP!!!! PLEASE A DESPERATE CALL FROM A PLUS SIZE LADY.

Dear Shannel-
DO NOT DESPAIR! Here is the goal. Men’s shoes or women’s shoes, we want to get you the right shoes so that you feel terrific when you are at school and at work.

First, I question your measurements. If you wear a size 13 in men’s shoes and you measure your feet at 11.5 inches to 12 inches, then you need to be looking for a woman’s size 15. They are hard to find. But DesignerShoes.com has 131 styles. Trying to fit into a size 13 shoe will be very depressing indeed.

Second, understanding your real requirement for width can be tricky too. A 5.5 inch measurement for width is a WW or extra wide in a size 15. When you narrow it down to WW, there are only seven choices. But width is deceiving. You may need an even wider width if your feet are thick from top to bottom. Or you may be able to wear a medium or wide if the shoe is long enough, and the right style and your foot is flexible. Read more about wide feet here.

Now back to the problem at hand. As much as we don’t like it, a whole lot of us, your Shoe Lady included, have had to shop in the men’s department for shoes sometimes. For work and for school, I recommend finding a shoe with a thick cushioned sole that is wide enough and long enough. Try the Clark by Tamarac.

Tamarac Clark Antique at DesignerShoes.com

Clark by Tamarac is a Low Heel Casual Loafer

I also recommend going to a store that carries New Balance shoes and finding something comfortable in your size. And, one more thing…. in New York City, you may not be able to find shoes in your size, but you can find shoe stores that have pedorthists. Your main goal MUST be to care for those hard to fit feet. Don’t punish them. A good pedorthist will help you understand how to do that. And a pedorthist may be able to help you find some men’s styles that will be appropriate for work and school.

As for those 131 size 15’s – once you have comfortable, every day shoes, then look for shoes for play. There are some very cute ballet flats. In a couple of weeks we will have some “Ugg” style boots in your size. Some of the styles that work may be fabric shoes. Look at the Sanuk styles. Look at the Cape Clogs styles, they are made in Scandinavia with wood soles. We have two styes available now that go to size 15. I recommend the gold –

Cape Clogs Gold Gold at DesignerShoes.com

Gold by Cape Clogs is a Mid Heel Casual Mule

, not something you’ll find in the Men’s Dept.! And look at the new Fit In Clouds line. If the size 14 in that brand works for you, you will have party shoes at less than $30 a pair!

I wish the choices were greater. I know those Shoe Fairies at DesignerShoes.com are working on it for you.

Best wishes in your new academic program,

The Shoe Lady

Women’s Shoe Width Conversion

Dear Shoe Lady,
I’m hoping that you can help. In the UK I’m a women’s size 7 with a width 6e. Please can you tell me what size that would convert to? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Rachel,
You would be looking for a size 9 shoe with at least a double-wide width. I highly recommend taking a look at our size chart to get the closest fit possible. It is based on shoe length in either inches or centimeters as well as shoe width. Knowing your size is always one part of the search. The other part considering your foot’s volume, and the way a shoe is manufactured! Start there, and please let me know what the results are. In the meantime browse DesignerShoes.com selection of women’s size 9WW.

I love dramatic shoes and here is one of our top sellers available in size 9WW.

Bella Vita Athena Multi Snake Leather at AskTheShoeLady.com

Athena by Bella Vita is a Mid Heel Dressy Pump

Take care,
The Shoe Lady

Converting Euro Size 44 to a US Size

Dear Shoe Lady,
I’m living in Netherlands and my size is 44 but I don’t know which size should I order. I chose 3 sandals.

Dear Moska,
You have come to the right place. We know enough about shoe sizes to know that we can not trust a “44” size sold in the Netherlands. It just might include a French made shoe and the French, somewhat perversely, do not always follow the measurement conventions for a size 44 Euro.

So we always go back to your foot as the key source of information. Look at this chart: http://www.designershoes.com/size-chart

If your foot does fit a typical Euro 44, it will be about 27.3 CM long. Euro sizes do not come in different widths. But USA size do. We find that the Euro sizes run a little bit wider than the USA “Medium” widths. You will need to select the best width for your foot. In order to assess this correctly, I STRONGLY suggest that you follow closely the instructions for measuring your feet. A little difference can mean a lot in determining the right size. I also suggest you read one of the articles about shoe width to help you determine what width is best for you.

The brands you select are all very different. Dyeables has the most experience with building consistent sizes on a variety of different dressy styles. Ellie specializes in a specific niche – fun, highly attention getting high heels. Montaege is a new brand so they don’t have a lot of experience but our customers do seem to like the fit.

If you are a size 44 Euro, you will be a size 12 USA. Lucky for you! When you shop at DesignerShoes.com you are shopping at the ONLY shoe store in the world that promises you…. we will not even carry a shoe style unless it comes, at LEAST, to size 12!

Aerosoles Blind Date Tan Leather at AskTheShoeLady.com

Blind Date by Aerosoles is a High Heel Casual Slide

Do your reading lesson. Measure your feet. Write again if you have any questions. Be prepared to shop!

Best to you!
The Shoe Lady

Australian compared to US sizes

Q: Is it true that Australian sizes are one size smaller than u.s sizes? Therefore if I wear an 11 in aus should I order a 12 in U.S sizes?

A: I have seen more U.S. sizes that when converting to Australian sizes you should buy one to one and half sizes larger, and some that have equal conversions. If you are browsing our website for U.S. sizes, we have a chart that list sizes in both centimeters and inches. Shoe conversion is never an exact science due to the different styles, and manufacturing procedures. Maybe one day down the road we will get more consistency. I highly recommend measuring the lengths of your feet for your target shoe size!

Aerosoles Becade Brown Fabric at AskTheShoeLady.com

Becade by Aerosoles is a Low Heel Casual Pump

Another new arrival. Great sensible shoe with style. Available sizes 5 – 12 and medium and wide!

I hope this helps,
The Shoe Lady

Transsexual shoes

Q: I want to know how to find women’s shoe’s in my size I’m a male to female transsexual who wears a size 12ww in mens shoe’s.

A: The general rule of thumb in converting mens sizes to womens is to add around 1 to 1.5 to the current number. If you wear a 12ww the size range in womens might be between 13 and 14. It isn’t an exact science, but the fun part is trying different styles within that range. You may also search directly for your target sizes and closest widths on DesignerShoes.com. Mens shoes are generally wider than women’s shoes, so I recommend getting certain styles stretched when necessary for maximum comfort. Consulting our Size Chart is a helpful jumping off point.

I own a pair of these amazing boots. Summer isn’t boot weather but they work under jeans or with a cute skirt or dress depending on my mood. I have large calves and don’t find these snug. Very supportive.

Samanta Viv Boot Black at AskTheShoeLady.com

Viv Boot by Samanta is a High Heel Dressy Boot

Learn How to Measure your Feet CORRECTLY!

Q: How should I measure my foot to determine if I need wide or extra wide sizes?

A: Julie-
This is a simple question with a complicated answer. Fortunately, I’ve written it all down for you right here: http://www.designershoes.com/about-size/width

DesignerShoes.com Size Chart

DesignerShoes.com Size Chart

Let me know if you have more questions?

Understanding USA Shoe Widths – A European Question

Dear Shoe lady,

I’m from Malta and have a very large foot size unfortunately here the maximum size available for shoes for women is a 9 which is not even close to my size so i have been wearing mens shoes most of my life. As you can imagine this is not flattering at all and restricts my wardrobe to trousers as men’s shoes look hideous with dresses or skirts!

Last February my mother went on holiday in the United states and bought me 2 pairs of women’s shoes in size 11 W – the length of the shoe is fine however the width is simply too small. When I measure my feet according to the chart on this website I still get a size of 11 W however since I have 2 pairs of shoes in that size which do not fit I am hesitant in buying another pair in the same size. so I was wondering if you could tell me how to better measure the width of my foot to be able to buy the appropriate size.

I have recently finished a Master degree in Pharmacy and will start working with a pharmaceutical company my job will involve many functions with other professionals and I would like to be able to wear women’s shoes since first impressions are important in this business furthermore the fact that I have never owned a pair of womens shoes greatly influences my self esteem.

Many thanks in advance for your advice
Marisabelle

Dearest Marisabelle! I am here for you!

We want you to be the most attractively shod pharmacist on the continent! A size 11W is roughly 26.7 cm long and 10.9 cm wide. But there is a small difference between and 11 and a 12, only 0.6 cm, so your measuring has to be very exact. You’ll need to do a bit more reading about measuring your feet. Also on that page, read about shoe size and shoe width. You MUST make judgments about the SHAPE of your feet beyond what the size charts tell you.

Also, I don’t know which brands your mother bought? Some brands are terrible at making wider sizes, others are great. This article tells you about wide feet and lists some of the better brands to consider. Let me know more information about the shape and size of your feet after you read the articles and I’ll make more suggestions for you.

Keep in touch,
The Shoe Lady