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

[AlwaysFreezing]

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?

I am a 5, average height and within the normal BMI rang for my height.
6 definitely isn't massive. 8 isn't massive.
British feet are 'getting bigger and wider' - BBC News
"British feet are getting bigger - growing, on average, two shoe sizes since the 1970s, says the College of Podiatry."
"Today, the average male wears a UK size 10 compared with a size eight shoe 40 years ago.
The average woman wears a size six versus a size four, its research suggests.
Our taller, heavier bodies are to blame - our feet have compensated by growing longer and wider, says the college."

The annoying thing is, a 5'9'' man would have no problem at all getting a size nine 9 (and above) shoe. Why should a woman of the same height be any different?

Our feet may be slimmer but they still have to support the same height skeleton and they are going to be a similar size. And we want nice, dressy heels sometimes not always trainers or ugly clodhoppers.

I feel your pain....I have been trying to buy new walking boots this week...size 9 ladies...went into at least 6 shops in the walking capital of the country and ended up feeling like a freak as all the assistants looked at me sideways and said ' oh no ... You'll have to try mens' boots'....

That's just rude.

@BrioNotBiro , but the average for men is size 10, compared to an average of size 6 for women. Men who are a size 13 probably don't have a lot of choice.
XP was a size 13 with narrow feet, and was fairly limited.

Very rude...my feet may be larger than average, but at least I have manners

I think size 7 must be the magic size to be, a choice of men's or women's shoes.

I'm a size 5 which sounds straightforward but very narrow low volume feet, as a child they used to measure my feet and then say they had nothing suitable.

But men don't need a lot of choice; a pair of smart black and brown shoes, trainers etc, it's much of a muchness.

Taller women with larger feet are hugely restricted to trainers, some fugly flatties or very expensive and still limited online retailers. Even office low black heels are a problem let alone party shoes or winter boots. Oh to be able to walk into a high street shop and have a normal choice.

I have one foot which is a 7 and the other an 8 and its so difficult finding decent leather/suede shoes that fit.

Foe me, its the ankles which tend to be too wide.

8a are always sold out so getting a 9 must be impossible.

You'd think.

DH has more shoes than me at home. I try to point out he could have one pair of brown leather smart shoes at once, wear them out then buy a new pair, but for some reason he needs several pairs of shoes, all ever so slightly different.

Says the woman with four pairs of court shoes in her office drawer - but they are pink, light blue, dark blue and black, at least!

I’m a 9 sometimes a 10. It’s shit! I’ve had this size feet since I was a young teen in the 90s and honestly it was horrible back then as it was impossible to find shoes. It’s a bit better now at least but still most places don’t see 9s. I know so so many women personally who are the same size, so it can’t be that the demand isn’t there!

@BrioNotBiro , but we could limit ourselves to only a few pairs of shoes.

I've tried - one dressy pair (got 2 pairs as they are comfortable), one pair of 'going to the shop' trainers, proper running shoes, slippers (crocs), one pair of smart black shoes, one pair of wellies, many, many pairs of boots, sandals, birkies, plimsoll type shoes, hiking boots.

Other than the many, many pairs of boots, i don't think that would be a lot for a man.
I look after my shoes and they last me decades, possibly why I have so many.

DD2 is 5'11" (and still growing) - what size feet would you expect a 5'11" man or boy has?

FWIW DD's feet are actually two sizes smaller than DH who is also 5'11". I know at least 4 or 5 women in my close acquaintance with larger than size 8 feet, it's not exactly rare.

My feet are size 6 - I never thought I'd have the smallest feet in the house. 🙂

Narrow 9 here and it's a nightmare.
Clarks, Next etc are not a proper 9.

I'd guess a 5'11" man to be about a size 10 or 11, but you can't really tell without knowing their build and weight.
One myth is that once you're an adult, your feet don't change, and that is not true. If you lose/gain a lot of weight or change your lifestyle, they may well do.

Agreed. Very weird of you @SheRaaaaa to come on this thread to be insulting to other women. Is this the only way you can convince yourself that you're more feminine or something? Sad.

Has anyone tried saving their pennies and going for Otto & Ivy - she designs shoes form size 42 upwards after getting fed up with struggling to find well made larger sizes. she’s on my wish list!

https://ottoandivy.com

I like some of those, @TheCatterall and they aren’t desperately expensive. The ruby tan sandal looks a bit like Birkenstock, but not as pricey.

Yes, thanks for the link @TheCatterall . They look nice quality shoes, leather lined and a decent price. I'll definitely be looking into them.

As a teen back in the early 90s I worked in saxone’s “tall and small” department. Sizes 1-3 and 7-10. before the internet.
I am a 3 and buy online mostly as so many ranges start at 4. I assumed most large foot people shopped online too.

Saxon was the go to for me and my giant, size 8 feet back in the day, now I see it mentioned.

I am a ladies 11. My 2 DD's are a 10 and 9.5.
DH and DS are 13 s. Shoe shopping is not fun 😞

I don't shoe shop online as I cannot afford to. When large size shoes are normally around £100 per pair and you don't know if they will fit or be comfortable without trying them on first. I cannot afford to have £400+ locked up in shoes (even if I can get a refund later) or spend weeks/months getting a single pair of shoes if I buy one pair at a time.

Kids shoes are quite cool now, so if a smaller size look at the kids section.
Not exactly mainstream, but I've been known to buy on line from trans websites, as they go up to 11.
I used to find hotter were good, but then something odd happened to their manufacturing, and their sizes seemed to get smaller...or maybe they went more with the European sizing? I find a 42 is more 7.5 than an 8, but it really depends on the manufacturer. I fit a women's 9, a man's 8 🤷‍♀️! Luckily I don't need smart shoes for work, so comfy trainers are fine. I did have to order my wedding shoes off a trans website though.

Not sure why you quoted me. I was talking to the poster who thought we were all freaks.