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.

Can I take this thread on a tangent?

Why do kids shoes which don't require VAT added only go up to a 5? Surely all the size 8+ ladies were wearing size 5s aged about 11! What about their brothers/sons!? That law needs reform!!!

Oh yes, buying trousers for DD is a nightmare, she has longer legs than her Dad who is 6ft 2. At least now she is going to college she no longer needs school uniform.

I am the opposite with little legs, however petite ranges don't work for me, short legs and big hips don't go together apparently. I do wish more shops did trousers in a S, R and L length as a basic though.

Did you mean to be so bloody rude? You know you’re talking to actual people?

It's easier to add VAT to a shoe size rather than an age. Or we'd all be sending our small children into shoe shops for our size 8s..."they're for me guv, honest"!

I think it's quite unusual as I don't know any women wearing a size 8. Most I know wear 4-6s.

@downfield my DH is also a 13 and it is a nightmare - better now shoes can be ordered online, it is barely worth going to shops as they hardly have any 13s in. DH also hates that some styles just don’t translate well to bigger sizes, and can look quite clownish (his word!).

My DD is a size 8 at age 12, so she clearly takes after DH!

I would have thought that most people know how averages work.

I get you! I am a runner and I buy my trainers from this great shop where the guy told me that actually sizes 42,43,44 are among the most common women's shoe he sells. And heck yeah, I want the bright pink or multicolored trainers, not some clumpy masculine pair!

Most people really don't know averages work or how that, even when something is above or below average, it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Half of all people are of below average intelligence, sometimes it feels like a lot more than that.

This.

If I shared a photo of my feet, most people would think they belonged to a man.

My ex had weird feet. He was 5ft10, but had size 6.5 "low volume" feet. Finding shoes that he was happy with was a nightmare.
I used to work with a man who was 5ft7 but had size 13 slabs. Proper clown feet.

🙄I'm UK size 7 and don't have particularly huge feet. (and am female)

Of course women do have a range of foot sizes which goes much smaller than most men. I knew a woman who had size 3 feet! Who was a fairly similar height to me so not extremely petite all over.

There's probably a good correlation between height and foot size, but like most things, it's not absolute. I have the same size feet as DM, but I'm also about 6 inches taller than she is.

Both my sisters have feet a size or two bigger than me, meaning that half of the women in my immediate family have size 42 or bigger feet.

I’m a size 9/43. My Dad had big feet (13/14) and my teen sons also have big feet. My 14 year old is already in 12/13s. I know several women who take larger sizes than me. We might not be legion but we are definitely not well catered for.

When I go into Clarks I ask to see what they have in stock in my size and see if there’s a style I like. The choice is always limited so it’s easier that way round. Clarks have massively curtailed their size 9 offering since the pandemic started. I’m now very limited for options, more or less online only.

My Mum (77) is an 8, again no great lover of shoes, I think she has Hotter mainly now though. I vaguely remember something about her going to Dolcis once and only once as apparently they were very rude about her need for a bigger shoe. (A pp mentioning them reminded me)

Socks are a nightmare for her, and not helped by the fact she has very dry and cracked skin on her heels. I got her some from Aldi once which I think gave her a better fit. DD gets men's but they are so much longer.

I have found my people

Nice to know I'm not alone. I really struggle to find nice shoes that fit my wide size 42/43 feet but have seen a few great suggestions on this thread that I'll investigate

My own recommendations are next and ASOS. Office has some size 9s too and it my go to for work shoes. Have long given up trying to shop in person, it's too depressing. All online for me.

Maybe your friends are a similar height to you too? Mine are, and so I have friends with similar size feet - in fact I remember having a conversation about shoe size the first time I met one of my best friends - we bonded over it. 😁

When I was growing up in the eighties, in the North-East, 5'8" seemed very tall, but now I live in London and often feel relatively short. During that time the range of clothes sizes seems to have increased, but most shoe brands still only go up to an EU41.

Thanks to all who have posted suggestions..I've bookmarked some of those. (I like Josef Siebel, which do go up to a 42 but are often out of stock because they sell out).

Odd that you would drop that into the end of a thread of almost 200 posters, most of whom are saying they do wear that size.

Which shops do people recommend for those with size 10+ feet? They must have a physical storefront as I cannot afford to buy 5+ pairs to see if one of them is comfortable.

Most shoe shops do size 8 and below and quite a few do size 9, but sizes above that in normal shops are just non existent.

I’m another one who is fed up of shops calling a 41 an 8. I’m surprised that people struggle to find a size 42 though. I have 80+ pairs of shoes and I can’t remember the last time I saw a pair of shoes and could get them in a 42.

DD is a size 6.5-7 at age 11 so I suspect she is going to have bigger feet than me so that’s something to look forward too!

@rngage why, do you live in a cave? How can you not fathom that women all have different sized feet? One of the weirdest replies I've ever read on here.

I’m 5ft 3 and take 8s.

How interesting! I have the reverse issue, tall with size 6 feet.. can wear big 5.5s. Forever over balancing as I have nothing to anchor me!

M&S do their women’s socks in two sizes. I always buy their socks because of this.

I used to know someone who was 5ft10 and wore size 2s.

Size 42 here, I hate buying shoes, they only seem to stock a few of each style in the larger sizes.

how many time I’ve been told we don’t keep 42s in stock because we don’t sell many, no shit Sherlock. Perhaps if they stocked them it would enable customers to buy them.