big wide feet, high instep, wrecks clarks in weeks help!?

[Bingtata]

DD is (just turned!) 4yo and a size 11 1/2 to 12 with a G or H width and a high instep too, it can be quite hard to find her shoes. I have been stuck with Clarks, but she wrecks them in weeks!

Any recommendations for other places to get shoes? I feel like I'm stuck with converse or trainers for the poor girl!

My three are all afflicted with the wide feet/high instep combo, and I think we usually end up in Russell and Bromley.

I do find it annoying when the assistant asks what they'd like, as I know there'll be two or three pairs at best to fit them in the whole shop, so it's pointless setting their heart on something only to be told they don't have it/it doesn't come in their size.

< Prospect of new-term shopping brings on a rant >.

DD has never been able to wear Clarks. Her feet just won't fit into them properly. She has wide feet with a high instep. She's 3 and 9H. Start Rite have always been fine.

Geox are good and start rite. Have you got an independent shoe shop near you? They often have european makes which come in wider fittings.

Mine both have wide feet/high insteps.I get some from startrite,(but the instep is the main issue there are the shoes can be shallow),and everything else from "the Red Shoes" in crouch end,North london.they stock Angulus (danish,good for width and depth)Compagnucci (italian,soft and flexible) and other continental makes,and they are fantasic at fitting your child and won't let you go out with something unless it is right.I used to live not far from there but now they post things out to me as I have moved several hundred miles away.They are really worth a visit if you are in London and you could call first to see what they might have in your child's size.I spend a lot of money on my dds shoes but I think of it as a health issue,they really do need good shoes,and sadly wide and deep feet will need more expensive shoes.

where abouts are you bingtata?

I agree that you'll do much better at an independent retailer. Geox and Primigi are two of my favourites - continental brands in a good range of sizes and very, very sturdy.

My dd had a high instep and very wide, (although not particularly long) feet. we found Elephanten and Ricosta the best.

have had some good ones from Primigi for similar-shaped dd
£££ though

like hellymelly I always found start-rite too shallow for her fat feet high instep

I'm in Exeter, but family in London, so its a possibility.

I don't know of any particularly good shoe shops here. I've tried Russell and Bromley before and there are limited start-rites there that fit her and because she has such big feet start-rite styles just look so wrong IYSWIM!

Do Geox do shoes too then? I'd always thought of continental shoes being very narrow for some reason, so will try to look for the brands mentioned. Helpfully she is fairly anti-pink so at least I can get away with whatever colours I can find.

Any online shoe shops with a good returns policy?

DD has a high instep/wide feet and we do ok with startrite.

she's never fitted a clarks shoe, they convinced me she did once, I took them back later that day because they just didn't fit at all.

My DD has similar shaped feet. (She is 8 year old and a size 1G - her feet can't be measured on the Clarks machines as they completely fail to pick up the chunkiness of her feet). We always go to an independent retailer and have had success with lots of the brands mentioned above, especially angulus e.g. here - you will see from one look that these are ideal for this foot type and lovely for a four year old plus naturino and pom d'api - both also available on the same site.

At the risk of becoming a mumsnet pariah my DD is currently wearing Lelli Kelly black patent school shoes for school. They were by far the best fit of any she tried last time we went for shoes. This was in March and they currently still look very pristine. She also has some plain white lelli kelly sandals which she got for her first communion which are also a good fit - no garish pink ones though.

here

DD also wear birkies roma for playing out. These are great as adjustable in all directions for a good fit and actually I think uncomfotable if you don't have wide feet. She has also had reasonable success with standard shape crocs though she is now a bit too fashion conscious to wear them other than on the beach.

A word of warning - to get a decent fit that lasts in actual shoes you are probably going to pay considerably more than you would for clarks shoes although I think the price per wear will decrease.

Thank you for the further replies.

I am keen on the angulus ones, I like the look of them - they remind me of the shape I had in a pair of dr marten girls shoes I had for her last year which lasted her all winter and I think are the only pair of shoes she has ever had that she actually grew out of rather than wore out. Unfortunately they don't seem to make them anymore. The angulus ones are expensive, but as you say price per wear is what matters!

BTW even if they are garish pink will the lelli kellys last on the toe? I'm thinking that for £22 I'm not that proud for nursery purposes!

I have heard another mum bemoan the indestructibility of the canvas Lelli Kelly ones; they lasted much longer than she wanted.

I think they can go in the washing machine too which is a plus but definitely much more substantial than doodles. They are actually decently made italian shoes.

I gather from here that the tv advertising is pretty bad but have actually never seen it so far.

Both my DCs have the same wide feet (G/H+) and high instep problem. We've had a lot of Geox recently, some elephanten when they were younger; I've occasionally found Clarks ones that work, but a lot of styles don't. Otherwise we've ended up with all sorts of obscure brands from independent shoe shops, or sometimes from Charles Clinkard - they do a wider range than just the Clarks & Startrite.

But what I usually find is that I buy DD (age 7, size 3 1/2 G or H) some really expensive leather shoes that fit perfectly, and she then spends the next few months in £5 trainers bought at Tesco in an emergency, or crocs, or boy's sports sandals (the kind with several velcro straps so very adjustable for high insteps).

Just wanted to come back on and say thanks again for all the replies. I ordered some lelli kellys and they fit DD so well and she was thrilled that she got some dreaded lelli kellys (and promptly plastered herself with very glittery pink make up ). I'm investing in some angulus ones too, just waiting for those to be delivered.

I will never darken Clarks' door again!

Now you have discovered that Clarks never ever fit the wide and high foot, can I recommend Ricosta, Ecco, and Garvalin ? DS has H+ fit and v high insteps and we go a long way for an independant shop that stocks all of these. They last very, very well too