To think it's not unusual for a woman to have size 42+ feet ...

[bricka]

... and yet so many shoe ranges only go up to a size 41! Why is that? I've had problems buying shoes ever since my early teens. I rarely own more than 2 pairs at any one time, because finding shoes that I like, and which fit, is so difficult. If size 42 (or more) isn't unusual, then there must be a big untapped market out there.

The size 41 thing drives me mad (as a 5’8” amazon with long bones and proper size 8, size 42 feet).

Dune are terrible for this. I am sorry to say that I used to force my feet into size 41s (alleged size 8, no, they are size seven and a half!) because I liked the styles and thought that I would live with the pain. Which is easier to deal with when it’s high heeled strappy sandals compared to pointy toes.

The thing that really makes me laugh is during sales, where the shops put all the sale shoes of a particular size on a rack. The size 8s (that were really size 41, size 7.5) are always tucked away apologetically in a discreet place. So as not to upset anyone. My equally tall friends and I laugh about ‘the size that dare not speak its name’.

I have decided that the reason for the size 41/size 8 misstatement is shoe sellers cutting corners and trying to save half an inch of leather per shoe!

It's not that unusual at all. I've had quite a few friends who have been a size 9 shoe.

I can't buy shoes from John Lewis because that's as big as they go!

Solidarity! I thought I was the only one in canoes.

it’s the width for me too. Rarely find anything comfortable other than meindl walking shoes.

Simply Be/JD Williams/Evans/Padders/Crazy Clearance all go up to 11, I think, for womens’ shoes.

I live in Dr Martens.

Bugger, Pavers, not Padders! www.pavers.co.uk/search?page=2&size=9&q=womens&gclid=Cj0KCQjw9ZGYBhCEARIsAEUXITUnjk02lEVLhRIYmqmYR3ZdRrtS2Iokp4-2rFks7cxac4FgCnbxKy8aAm61EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Evans: www.evans.co.uk/shoes/ballerinas/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw9ZGYBhCEARIsAEUXITWyhFO_pVSgHhBzYuXrxKU6qmXgndPxXSeoTzDPqMkEMPXbiJddS1waAjzgEALw_wcB

Crazy Clearance: www.crazyclearance.co.uk/shop/c/footwear/f/Shoe%20Size--9?cm_sp=CCL-Footwear--WomensShoeSize--9

The problem with Simply Be and Evans is that they only come in ‘wide’ and ‘extra wide’. Long Tall Sally go up to a size 13.

What really annoys me about the claim that there isn't demand for larger sizes is that you can't buy something that's not available. I would have probably three or four times the quantity of shoes that I have if size was not an issue. Whilst a shop might have an idea of how many people they are turning away disappointed I assume that an online seller has no idea?

Of course it IS unusual, or you wouldn't have difficulties finding what you want!

The image below shows it quite nicely. (I just swiped from an online statistics tutorial; they used data from a real dataset for teaching purposes, so it's probably representative.

In this group 3.24% have UK shoe size 9 or above.

Oh! Formatting fail, my bad.
The statistics tutorial is rpubs.com/PropertyOfMyCat/womens_shoe_sizes

And the original dataset is stat.pugetsound.edu/hoard/projectDetails.aspx?id=53

@TheEponymousGrub but who is collecting this data? I know my children's height and weight is measured periodically at school, but never shoe size.

As an owner of size 43 feet since I was 13, I've never had to tell anyone in an official data gathering capacity. Even if shoe shops trade bodies do so, how would they know about people who have looked, been dissapointed and haven't bought online?

If you're able to order from the US, you might find a bigger selection. Use a size chart though! You'll need to translate into US sizes.

A size 7 is 40. You add the size onto 33.

I'm size 11 and have never found anywhere that does women's shoes that fit me. I rarely see 9s and I've never seen a 10 or 11. I've resigned myself to a life of converse knock-offs and boots.

Not unusual, and there should be more choice. I am size 8/9 depending on whether it translates as size 41 or 42 for an 8, which has been difficult enough to find at times. Dd is size 11!

Try Magnus, Cinderella shoes and Crispins for starters.

A size 7 is 40. You add the size onto 33.
Really?
That would make me a size 0 or 0.5 then, as I wear European 33 or 33.5.
I'm actually a UK 1.5.
The European sizes don't equate directly with the UK ones. For instance a 32 is usually said to be equivalent to a UK 1. 33 or 33.5 will usually be sold as a 1.5 but you will get anything from 34-35.5 sold as a 2, though 35s are sometimes labelled as 2.5. 36 is fairly universally considered to be a UK 3. So that's 5 full EU sizes that span only 3 standard UK sizes.
That's part of the problem I think. The conversion isn't as simple as adding a fixed number to the UK size, a lot of sizes don't match up directly and it's not uncommin to be between sizes. I would i3nagine the same problems occur at either end of the spectrum.

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · Today 14:22
@TheEponymousGrub but who is collecting this data? .... As an owner of size 43 feet since I was 13, I've never had to tell anyone in an official data gathering capacity.
Gosh me neither - I never said it was a nationally representative survey!

I see the link to the raw data doesn't work but the link to the statistics tutorial does work - you didn't try it? It says the data is described as follows:
"Each semester in all of the Introductory Statistics sections at the University of Puget Sound, a survey is given to the students during the first week of class. The survey is voluntary and is used as an example data set throughout the class.
The data set given here is a compilation of much of the data collected in the period from the Fall 2002 semester through the Spring 2008 semester. Values that have been determined to be incorrect (such as 8-foot tall students) have been removed from this data set."

I know it's American women but they are the same height (says Wikipedia), and, the shoe sizes have been converted to UK measures on the statistics tutorial.

Actually it amazes me that women's average height is 5 foot 3 1/2 inches. That seems absolutely titchy to me! Maybe there is a large number of teeny weeny women with teeny weeny feet hiding somewhere, seen by no-one, and bringing down the averages.

But a far greater percentage have size 42/8 feet, it's really not that unusual at all.

And just because people can't find the sizes they need, doesn't mean that the demand doesn't exist, because there are an awful lot of people looking, not finding, and not buying and continuing their search and making do with what they have, or the unsuitable alternatives they can find, such as men's shoes.

Just like bras. The reason that most women are wearing the wrong bra size is because the shop that sells the most bras doesn't actually make bras that fit a lot of women.

I don't think it is that small any more and is probably more like 5'5.

I'm 5'7 and when I was a teenager/young woman 25-30 years ago, I hardly ever saw a woman who was taller than me, so I really noticed when I did.

But now so many of today's teenagers and young women are taller than me, that I don't feel particularly tall any more.

Am 5'9 and used to be a 41 but post children am very much a 42.

I have a lot of luck with www.zalando.co.uk

5 foot 9 and a 41 here. Occasionally I need a 42. I hear you OP!

BarbaraofSeville · Today 16:40

I don't think it is that small any more and is probably more like 5'5

I was surprised too, but I would trust nationally-representative data from the Office of National Statistics, no? It doesn't really matter what impression you (or I) have.

I'm 5ft 8 and size 5.5 (38) feet pre kids and 6 (39) now.