To want to be able to wear sandals!

[Toms0909]

First world problems, I know.
I have narrow, shallow feet. I don't think they're significantly so, but it's enough that I've never found a pair of sandals that fit. Never really been able to wear ballet pumps (except when there's a style with elasticated edges) Can only wear high heels if they're enclosed enough to wear an insole & they have an ankle strap.

I spend my life in lace up shoes. Is it so unreasonable to want to wear some non frumpy shoes in summer? I'm sure there must be lots of people in this position, why is there so little variation in shoe sizing?

Sorry for the rant but I needed to get it off my chest!

I have very narrow feet and find I ‘slip through’ most sandals
Try Italian, Spanish, Brazilian or even Polish brands - many seem to be cut shallower
I often find them in tkmaxx
Adjustable width ones across toes are another option

Me too OP! Can't wear ballet pumps or heels (also have bunion) so struggle with 'going out shoes'. No solution but watching with interest....

@jacelancs have you come across any particular brands? It's been recommended to me before to try Italian shoes but I don't quite have the budget!
Whilst I've never been able to wear sandals with fixed straps (eg there will be a gap between the top of my foot and the straps above), I have in the past found some narrower styles that sort of fit, but it seems to be getting harder as the standard fittings get wider.

Have a look at Greek sanday on Etsy. There's loads of sellers and hundreds of styles and most of them will make you a custom pair if you message and ask. Not super cheap but very reasonably priced for a nice leather pair. I can recommend kionas sandals but they're probably all much of a muchness

Is it pretty sandals or something to stick on your feet in warm weather? Have you tried FitFlops? I know they don't look all that great but the toe post sandals come up quite far over the top of the foot and are also quite tight. I often have the same issues you describe with sandals - a half inch gap between my feet and the leather. And yet I can hardly get my foot into most designs of FitFlops because they are so narrow. Which I think is very strange considering how many people seem to wear them without difficulty!

@Toms0909
Unisa is first one I can think of will have a look when I get home later

I once worked with a girl who had such narrow feet it was remarkable. Not that I'd have noticed except she pointed them out, mind.

She always said the only sandals she could wear were the Birkenstock Gizeh. I know that Birks do a narrow fit but I don't know if she needed them.

@elspethflashman They look amazing!! I havent seen a shoe, let alone a sandal, with a narrow fit option in years. I'm going to go to a store to try the regular fit on to see how narrow they run, and if they're too wide I know I have the option of ordering online :D
I genuinely only created the thread to rant, I thought I'd exhausted all avenues to find something to wear (excluding specialist online retailers that charge £120 for ballet pumps....) Thank you!

try being a woman with size adult 12 feet(or a 13 in some trainers)

i got to a 11 at 11 then a 12 at 13 and been this size ever since

i haven't wore woman's shoes since i was 10

All Birkenstocks come in a narrow fit, and are adjustable.

I have stupidly narrow feet and I find these do actually fit me, it is amazing. They are brill.

I have narrow feet ( B fitting) and live in my Birkenstock Gizehs! I have them in multiple colours and they last for years.

Shoes are getting wider and wider :(

Try Office shoes for a style called Hallie, the straps are stretchy. They sometimes have last years colours on their discount site offcuts shoes too.

Also a tiny, narrow fitting here (c with insole are way too big) so following with interest. Always say I don’t have a single pair of comfy shoes, they all rub and I walk out of every pair I have. I use lots of blister stick.