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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Mainstream women's shoes only going up to a size 8

210 replies

AlwaysFreezing · 10/08/2023 17:08

And even then its not always a 42!

Took ds school shoe shopping today and while I was in and out of the various shoe shops, I had a quick look in the women's sections.

I am a 9, but a 43 9. Sometimes a 10. Not a single shoe was bigger than an 8.

Now, luckily I know where I can buy shoes that fit, but I was thinking about this, and isn't it ridiculous?

So, I'm wondering how many women here have feet larger than an 8? I mean, I imagine there aren't tens of thousands of us, but there just be enough to warrant shops selling 9s and 10s?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
FuzzyPuffling · 10/08/2023 18:46

My happy sandals are Teva classics. ( Apparently they are quite trendy...who knew!) The velcro straps mean I can adjust them to my skinny feet.

But let's be honest, they wouldn't do with a smart outfit.

MsAGog · 10/08/2023 18:46

TheSnootiestFox · 10/08/2023 17:42

Absolutely not helpful but just to illustrate the attitude to larger feet, I am a size 8 but went up half a size after each pregnancy and spent a good few years as a size 9. I went to a v. posh Country Living Show in London with my mum, and said to her in a crowd of people 'I just want to look at those shoes as they go up to a size 10.' 2 women in front of us looked at each other wide eyed, pulled a horrified face and burst out laughing and I've been self conscious about my feet ever since. It's not fair as I'm 5ft 9 and would topple over in a strong wind if they were much smaller. Just because I have big feet it does not mean I don't like pretty shoes FFS! Anyway, my go to is Fairfax and Favour as they have size 9 shoes to die for!

Wow, those women were so rude ughh

I've been told my feet are big by a few people. I'm 6ft tall and size 7, so my feet a very much proportional to my size!

Seriously rude to comment on anyhow.

Notbeinfunnehbut · 10/08/2023 18:50

Solidarity OP ,
same size situation here
its soul destroying
also why is it easier to buy “ fashion shoes” in my size rather than trainer/sport shops?

the shop assistants just shrug and say well u can go in the men’s?

I don’t want to I’m not a man , :(

Crumbcatcher · 10/08/2023 19:11

How tall are you all? I'm size 6 at 5'11", I think my DDs will be taller than me so now I'm worrying about shoes!

Dramatic · 10/08/2023 19:17

MrFlibblesEyes · 10/08/2023 17:26

Is that not because you're a half size rather than a small size? I'm a 4 and I can get my size absolutely everywhere! There's often more of them on the shelves as fewer people buy them so they don't sell out as quickly!

Show quote history

I was gonna say the same, I'm a 4 and have never ever had a problem buying shoes. And I've never found a shop that doesn't stock size 4

ThelmaBorden · 10/08/2023 19:25

BCBird · 10/08/2023 17:25

When I was living in France 35 years sho when I asked for a 43, I was brought men's shoes🙄

we had this problem 25 years ago, had to drive into the city, narrow shoes, expensive, not right for small provincial town cobbles, bought sandals in Carrefour

my gd is age 11 size 7 going into size 8. Her mother and auntie both size 9, tall ladies

we need to share information on this definitely

reminds me of the song Clementine

” herring boxes without topses sandals made for Clementine “

BookishBabe · 10/08/2023 19:28

9 here. Or 43 (yes, sometimes 9s are a 42 and do not fit).
Honestly I just wear a unisex 9 in converse every single day now.
I have a variety of colours and just pick a pair that matches each dress/outfit.

I was sick of buying pair after pair that were too small even though they were advertised as a 9. Or places just not even stocking up to a 9.
They're comfy at least and I can't walk in heels anyway.

I do have one nice pair of brown brogues in a size 9 by hotter for my fancier days.

TheBitterBoy · 10/08/2023 19:33

Notbeinfunnehbut · 10/08/2023 18:50

Solidarity OP ,
same size situation here
its soul destroying
also why is it easier to buy “ fashion shoes” in my size rather than trainer/sport shops?

the shop assistants just shrug and say well u can go in the men’s?

I don’t want to I’m not a man , :(

Also, women are not just 'small men'. Mens and womens feet are very different, so offering the mens option isn't the best solution unfortunately.

Zoologydragon · 10/08/2023 19:35

Ah hello fellow big footed women!!!

Mens size ten here (I've given up with women's due to width). My trainers are a 44.5 I've tried nigh on everywhere imaginable for shoes over the years and it's a blooming nightmare! Evans/yours etc don't fit me at all.

On that note, can we take a moment to be annoyed that shoe makers seem to think that all who are large of flipper will also be wide of calf or ankle?

Shoes have been my nemesis since I was a size 8 at age 11 25 years ago!! (Most fashionable Shoes stopped at a 7 then)

gogomoto · 10/08/2023 19:40

My dd1 is a 2.5, dd2 is 3.5 I'm 4.5 ... really hard to get specialist shoes for my girls (well dd2 had to have custom made by her employer!)

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 10/08/2023 19:41

dramoy · 10/08/2023 18:34

I think sizes have got bigger, I was a 39 which was a 6, now 6 is often a 40 which is too big for me. Plus my feet are wider then when I was young.

I think you're right, but most manufacturers still stop at 42, which is more often than not a 8, or even 7.5.

The correlation between UK and European sizes is not direct. There's usually a fraction of a size hanging, which some manufacturers round up, and some round down.

nothingcomestonothing · 10/08/2023 19:49

My 14 year old DD is a 9 and has sensory issues. Buying school shoes is a nightmare.

happyasaseagullstealingchips · 10/08/2023 19:50

I'm a 3 and it's awkward too I assume they don't stock many of that size as it's not so popular.

My long dead gran was a size 13 kids size. She was always wore heels and had to have them specially made. She had a trip to.Dublin from the country several times a year to have them made to measure.

namechangingplatypus · 10/08/2023 19:50

9 is 41 or 42.

Are you American? 41 (which is the size that fits me best) is usually considered either a 7 or 7½ in the UK.

PurpleWhirple · 10/08/2023 19:51

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 10/08/2023 17:42

I guess it’s a profit thing? They don’t go above an 8 or below a 3 - kind off comparable sizes in terms of distance from the average which I think is 5.5 - because there aren’t enough people at those sizes to make the profit they want?

As it is those sizes always end up in the sale - if you’re a middle size like 5 you never get shoes in the sale.

Obviously you need to buy shoes OP, and I’m not saying it’s ok that everything is profit, profit but that’s probably why. I don’t know what the answer is for you or for women who take a size 2!

This is 100% incorrect

Have you never looked at the sale racks in a shoe shop? Rows and rows of size 4, 5 and 6, then half a shelf combined for size 8 and 9. Similar for size 3.

ladygindiva · 10/08/2023 19:51

enchantedsquirrelwood · 10/08/2023 17:10

My mum complains of the opposite - she and I are both size 4.5. I tend to buy all my shoes online, but she goes into shoe shops where she lives and says they often don't have anything smaller than a 5!

Yup I'm a wide 4 have the same experience

Bonfire23 · 10/08/2023 19:54

I'm a size 41/42 so buy anything from 7-8 depending how it's labelled and what brand
5ft 10 and top heavy so I would fall over with smaller feet!

PurpleWhirple · 10/08/2023 19:54

There was a thread about this recently, I will see if I can find it as it had some good suggestions on it. Personally I find LTS good for big shoes and next okay. I have given up trying to buy them in shops though, I just order online and return most of what I buy.

user1467639835 · 10/08/2023 19:56

Me, I'm an 8.5. So can fit into some 8s.
Thank god for the internet. I remember in the early 90's traipsing round shops all day with not one shoe that fit me. Being told to either try men's shoes or possibly a transvestites shoe shop 😳

Original poster
AlwaysFreezing · 10/08/2023 19:57

namechangingplatypus · 10/08/2023 19:50

9 is 41 or 42.

Are you American? 41 (which is the size that fits me best) is usually considered either a 7 or 7½ in the UK.

I can't understand this. Are you replying to someone?

How can a 9 be a 41 or 42 when you say a 41 is 7 in the next sentence?

OP posts:
PurpleWhirple · 10/08/2023 19:59

Okay so not that recent but here it is

To think it's not unusual for a woman to have size 42+ feet ... http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/amiibeingunreasonable/4612972-to-think-its-not-unusual-for-a-woman-to-have-size-42-feet

gemsgv · 10/08/2023 20:03

It's the same with men's shoes. They only go to 11 or 12 and the 12 is often sold out because they don't stock many in case they get stuck with them

KirstenBlest · 10/08/2023 20:07

@AlwaysFreezing , sorry yes. UK 7 is 40 or 41.

Seddon · 10/08/2023 20:09

In outside the UK and don't have an issue - I'm a 9, occasionally a 10 in sports shoes, and have an alarming number of shoes.

I wonder if this is linked to the UK population being shorter, on average, compared to US/Australia/parts of Europe and therefore the average shoe size is also smaller?

My sons wear 13 and 15, the latter is tricky but not impossible thanks to online shopping from the US.

AuditAngel · 10/08/2023 20:17

Sometimes TK Max have size 9’s, although usually nothing to my taste. I’m an 8, and wide so you have my sympathies. I looked at Clark’s as they used to do a fair number of 9’s, but not much showing. M&S advertised some, but other brands