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Original poster

Are shoes changing size?

29 replies

newyoik · 20/02/2022 09:50

I’ve bought 3 pairs of shoes recently and they’ve all been far too big- like tripping out of them big.

I’ve always been a 4.5 and tended to need a 5 if I couldn’t get the half size, but the last 3 pairs have been 4s and massive! Is it just me?

OP posts:
blibblibs · 20/02/2022 09:55

I've just had to return a pair of vagabond trainers as they were far too big.
Always been a size 4 and never had issues ordering online but these were at least a size too big. Really liked them aswell but the smaller size was sold out.

Original poster
newyoik · 20/02/2022 10:18

Hmmm. Maybe there is something in it.

OP posts:
PickleSarnie · 20/02/2022 10:21

I think they are. I used to usually be a size 8. Now I'm never bigger than a 7.

It feels like they've started vanity sizing shoes which is ridiculous.

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thequeenofsandwich · 20/02/2022 10:29

This is interesting. I ordered a gorgeous pair of heels for my sons wedding in my usual size 3. Even with a heel grip added I could put my finger in the back , couldn’t walk without them slipping off.Had to return them and they don’t produce a smaller size.
Really struggling to get smart heels in a small size

HunterHearstHelmsley · 20/02/2022 10:32

I used to be a 7, now I'm 5.5-6

I haven't found it to be that recent though. Probably 10 years or so.

Askinvillarblues · 20/02/2022 10:33

Yes I’ve noticed this too and it is a massive pain if you are a size 3, which was hard enough to find in the first place. Now more often than not, 3 is too big which leaves me with nowhere to go really 😫. Very annoying!

Talipesmum · 20/02/2022 10:34

No, I haven’t found that at all. Maybe the style of shoe is different with a wider cut, or a different brand to usual? I find I am whole different shoe sizes across different brands and whether they fit me or not is wholly dependent on the cut of the actual shoe, not so much the size.

BernardsarenotalwaysSaints · 20/02/2022 10:39

I've gone from 6.5-7 down to a 6-6.5 over the course of 5 pregnancies & children. I think it's partly because I have very narrow feet. My Great Aunt found it went the other way when she had her dc (her youngest is just 50), started with tiny size 2 feet & ended up at 4.5.

Original poster
newyoik · 20/02/2022 10:57

I have very wide feet so I know something is up if I’m a 3! Must be very annoying if you are now being sized out.

OP posts:
caranations · 20/02/2022 10:59

I find the sizing somewhat annoying because I'm a size 6 bordering on a 6 1/2. Most are sold now as continental sizing and a 39 can be too small, but a 40 not only goes up in length but is wider too, so it flops about.

OneRingToRuleThemAll · 20/02/2022 11:00

I haven't noticed this at all. Maybe my feet are getting bigger to compensate. I'm a 7 in all but Dr Martens, where I am a 6.

Redact · 20/02/2022 13:34

@newyoik

I’ve bought 3 pairs of shoes recently and they’ve all been far too big- like tripping out of them big.

I’ve always been a 4.5 and tended to need a 5 if I couldn’t get the half size, but the last 3 pairs have been 4s and massive! Is it just me?

Exactly the same here OP. I thought my feet maybe shrinking as I'm getting older but glad to hear I'm not the only one!
dizzydizzydizzy · 20/02/2022 13:44

Well I hadn't noticed but if it's true I might be able to move down to an 8 and have a wider choice of shoes to choose from. Hooray!

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 20/02/2022 13:49

Still a 6.5, like when I was 18!
But finding it tricky for DD, she's 10 with size 4, and most are too wide for her.

degsydoodoos · 20/02/2022 13:58

Hmm, now you come to mention it, I have found this with one or two pairs of shoes recently. I've always been a 6.5. A 6 was always very uncomfortable and pinched my toes. A few months ago though, I bought a pair of DM-like boots from Tesco, and they didn't have a 6.5 so I picked up a 6, thinking they'd probably be too tight, but was surprised that they fitted fine. Now I've worn them a few times, they actually feel a bit big if anything, which would normally be unheard of for a size 6! The same also happened with a pair of Birkenstock-style sandals I got last summer, although they weren't from Tesco - maybe M&S though? I can't remember exactly. Definitely agree though that shoes are seeming bigger, you can understand it in a way with clothes (vanity sizing) but why mess with shoe sizes??!!

Zazdar · 20/02/2022 14:03

My husband has noticed it the other way around. He has always been a 12 but increasingly has to buy 13s.

Neolara · 20/02/2022 14:07

I've always worn a size 6, 6.5 or 7 shoe, having to go up sometimes to get the correct width. A year or so back when none of the shoes I was trying on fitted, Clarks measured me feet and declared I was size 5. I haven't worn size 5 shoes since I was a teenager, many, many decades ago.

Magpiecomplex · 20/02/2022 14:24

I'm with Zazdar's husband - always used to buy 7s but increasingly having to buy 8s now.

JellybabyGina87 · 20/02/2022 15:07

I've been a size 5 since I was ten years old, now a few pairs of size 5s are a bit big on me.

pradavilla · 20/02/2022 15:30

I think it cld be a vanity sizing thing as I think folks feet are getting bigger.
Although not for Nike trainers. I usually wear size 4 sometimes 4.5 but my feet were all cramped up in a 4 I had to send back and get a 5 which I was quite surprised at!

Currently wearing pair of dune boots in size 4 and I have lot of room cld probably have done with a 3.5.

Fabuleuse · 20/02/2022 15:34

I would love it if either my (large) feet were shrinking or shoes were being vanity sized. Sadly I am exactly the same size as I've been for 20+ years, 9 with a very occasional 8 in brands that size larger like Skechers.

Elphame · 20/02/2022 15:45

I'm down from a 6.5 to a 6 or even 5.5 in some ranges.

More annoyingly they have also got wider so most high street shoes are like boats on me. I have to buy expensive French or Italian brands if I want any to fit. Even Russell and Bromley are too wide.

CourtRand · 20/02/2022 15:50

Not in my exp. I've always been a 4 and I'm still a 4. I do have wide feet though.

CourtRand · 20/02/2022 15:52

If shoes are getting wider it's probably because narrow shoes have been shown to damage feet over a lifetime.

Elphame · 20/02/2022 16:04

@CourtRand

If shoes are getting wider it's probably because narrow shoes have been shown to damage feet over a lifetime.
I'll take the risk over the risk of a broken ankle when my foot slides out of them. I was in plaster for 2 weeks with a bad sprain last time.

As a B fitting I really struggle to get shoes that I can safely wear.