Category Archives: Shoe Fit

The Shoe Lady answers questions about shoe width, shoe length, finding the right size in a shoe, why shoes fit the way they do, and more.

International Sizes?

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Q: My shoe number in EU is size 40. I have ordered size 9.5. Is that correct?

A: Dear Lisbeth – With no additional information on the shape, width or girth of your feet, 9.5 would be our best guess for you. If they fit, that’s great.  But whether or not they are a perfect fit, please read our articles in our website:  How to Measure your Feet Correctly so you will know more about measuring your feet, assessing the shape of the shoe and getting the best fit when you shop on line.

Aerosoles Temptress Grey Combo at DesignerShoes.com

Temptress by Aerosoles is a Low Heel Casual Loafer

Thanks!
The Shoe Lady

Hammer Toe Tips

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Q: My elderly aunt has very painful and difficult feet to fit.  She wears a size 11.5 and needs a wider rounded toe to accommodate her hammer toes, but has a narrow heel.  Also, she does better with her heel slightly higher than her toes, but not more than 1 inch.

Can you recommend any shoe styles for me to look at for her??

Thank you so much.

A: Dear Kristen-

Aren’t you the perfect grand daughter!  Were you trained or do you come by this compassion naturally?  A well brought up young lady is such a treasure!

I am in total sympathy with your grandmother, who I am imagining as an otherwise spry, relatively young 70.  Hammertoes are ….. well they are the pits.  Surgery doesn’t really work well.  Those little Dr. Scholls cushions are helpful but annoying because they slip around.  The hammertoes get corns and that is painful.  So keep that compassion flowing.

Yours truly, the Shoe Lady, is a size 11.5 with a narrow heel and with hammertoes.  So I bring more than the usual amount of expertise to this shoe question.

I recommend the big toe box, for sure.  When you can’t find a big toe box in shoes, shoes for a dressy occasion for example, get shoes that are either soft leather or fabric (like dyeables) and take them to a shoe repair shop to have the toe box stretched upward to accommodate those hammertoes.

Look at DesignerShoes.com’s SoftWalk brand styles:

For example, Jupiter style:

Softwalk Jupiter Navy at DesignerShoes.com

Jupiter by Softwalk is a Low Heel Casual Flat

Mary Jane straps are a great design feature when you want a wider toe box but have narrow heels.  It keeps the shoe on your foot!

Look at DesignerShoes.com’s Trotter’s brand styles:

For example, Heloise style:

Trotters Heloise Pewter Metal at DesignerShoes.com

Heloise by Trotters is a Mid Heel Dressy Loafer

A woven leather will give more flexibility on the top vamp.  The vamp comes higher up your foot so it stays on your foot better.  The texture makes any “toe bumps” less noticeable.

Whatever you do, do NOT buy styles that have reinforced leather, or toe cap seams across the top of the vamp where those hammer toes will hit.  That makes me wince just thinking about it!  A seam or a thicker piece of leather will be like steel or a rod against those poor defenseless toes.

Best to your Grams!

The Shoe Lady

Long Narrow Feet !

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Q: I have a long, narrow, foot, with one foot being a full size larger  than the other – more like a 12 AAA on one foot and 11 AAA  for the  other. You told me quite some time ago about the problem you are  having with shoe companies eliminating the narrow sizes and your hope  to find some that would be more accommodating to the needs of so many  of us. Whenever I order 12 N, I literally walk right out of both of  the shoes – a lot of the “cute” shoes only go up to 11 M (no narrows)  and I’ve ordered some of those, but in every case, have literally  “walked right out of both shoes” –  to the point where it’s almost a  danger for my foot to slip and is a huge effort even to try them out  on the carpets!

I LOVE the looks of the Naturalizer Cyanne blue denim

Naturalizer Cyanne Spring Denim - DesignerShoes.com

Naturalizer Cyanne Spring Denim – DesignerShoes.com

naturally, it doesn’t come in a N in the 12 and even if it did, it would probably be too wide & I’d walk out of it. My question is whether you think an 11N might “work” – not for mall or street walking, but enough so that I could cover my route when I volunteer at the hospital? Open toe shoes are not allowed and I need something that I can not only stand in, but be able to walk throughout the hospital. Sneakers don’t quite “cut it” and in the warm weather, I really like to wear a skirt occasionally and not just slacks all the time, so would like a good-looking, comfortable, shoe that is not “dangerous” for me to wear!!!!

I had wondered if the elastic vamp might be of some help in holding the shoes on and if the denim would be a soft enough fabric so that there would be some “give” to the shoe for my longer foot.

Will be interested in your opinion.

Charlotte –

I just handled a similar question. The shoe makers aren’t getting better about this.

As for trying an 11N, everytime I have made that kind of compromise myself, I’ve regretted it. If you are walking around a hospital being helpful and your toes are scrunched – you will most likely not be pleasant. You can try it. In some instances it works. But that kind of adjustment in size and width usually works for people with wider, more flaccid feet. I’m guessing yours are nerves and bones. They won’t like to be pushed around into a different shape.

Sorry I don’t have better news.

The Shoe Lady

Flat Arches are a Challenge

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Dear Amber,

Your feet are closer to average in length and width than you think. By those two dimensions, you are a size 9.5W, not even an extra wide. The flat arches and the orthotics are the challenges. There are several brands that make styles with removeable inner soles which allows your orthotics to take up the space designed for the inner sole and makes a better fit. Soft Spots and some Naturalizers offer this feature, for example.

But let’s assume you don’t remove the inner soles. Women with flat arches tend to find that the edges, the “throatline” of their shoes gap. I recommend, for this reason and so you can test different widths, wide or extra wide, that you look at “Mary Jane” style pumps. These shoes designed to have a strap over the top of your arch.

Take a look at some of these Mary Jane shoe styles. They come in wide and extra wide widths.

Studio, black suede a Mary Jane style pump by Soft Spots

Studio, black suede a Mary Jane style pump by Soft Spots

Thanks,
The Shoe Lady

Understanding USA Shoe Widths – A European Question

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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

I’m an Athletic Woman Who Needs Stylish Knee High Boots

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Dear Pam,

I would start with a Naturalizer boot. The company has been around a long time and knows a lot about the quirks of shoe fitting. You would think shoemakers would be smart enough to know that a narrow or medium foot can support a muscular or wide calf?!? They are sized to allow you to get a medium width foot and a wide calf in a number of brands. But Naturalizer has been doing it the longest. You also may want to look at the boots that have some stretch material in the shaft. They aren’t “wide shaft” but they can accommodate a wider calf. Annie has some, as does Barefoot Tess. Of course, you have to catch them in season!

Sincerely,
The Shoe Lady

I’m 16 & I hate my big feet!

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Dear Shoe Lady,

I was wondering what you do if you absolutly hate your feet? Im a 16 year old girl with feet the size of Canada. They’re extremely wide and long, and everytime I try to find some shoes that fit I always turn up empty. The shoe is either the right length, but not the right width, or the other way around. What SHOULD i do???

Signed, shoe depressed
Shelby

Dearest Shelby,
Oh my. How familiar this sounds. I used to think I’d like to cut off my toes to be able to shop like everyone else. UGGGHHH. Can you imagine! Now, thanks to those shoe militants at DesignerShoes.com you can have a wide range of choices in larger sizes, in 6 different widths and hundreds of styles and colors. So tell me your size and width and I’ll make some recommendations to get your feet flatteringly fit.

The Shoe Lady

What USA Size and Width for a Bridal Sandal in Norway?

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Dear Shoe Lady,

My name is Kjersti, and I’m writing from Norway. I’m thinking about ordering Dyeables Alyssa White Satin for my wedding, but I’m having trouble figuring out the right size.

I usually wear a EURO size 36, but since we don’t use Width sizes in Norway, I don’t know which USA size that would be correct.

My biggest foot is 23 cm long and 8,5 cm wide, something that would end up in a USA size 6 or 6.5 Medium. But that is about the same as a EURO size 37, which is usually to long for me when it comes to sandals.

I have also experienced that some sandals that I’ve bought in shops here at home can get a bit tight over my foot, but my ankles aren’t really thick.

What size would you recommend for me?

Thank you!

Dear Kjersti,

My goodness!  You are breaking my stereotype about Scandinavian women being tall with long feet.  You have tiny feet!  All your measurements suggest a USA size 6 medium or 6.5 medium.   But a EURO size 36 is closer to a 5 or 5.5 wide.  I tend to pay more attention to the size of the shoes you wear rather than the measurements you took because, well, who knows if you slipped up with the tape measure?  The difference between a size 5 and a size 6 is only 0.8 centimeters or a third of an inch!  So lets assume you should be looking at either a size 5.5 wide or a size 6 medium.

Alyssa, dyeable white strappy sandal by Dyeables

Now, down to business.  Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!  The Alyssa is a beautiful shoe.  It doesn’t come in wide, only medium.  But it is very open.  I think you could wear a 5.5 or a 6 medium.  It depends on how close to the end of the shoe you want your toes to be.  If you  want only a sliver  of the shoe to show under your toes, go for the 5.5.   Otherwise, go for the 6.

Best Wishes on your special day!

The Shoe Lady

Strappy Sandals for a Thicker Foot

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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