Big Feet

[Sunnywaves]

I am really struggling at the moment to find nice shoes in my size. I was always a 7/7.5 but since having children I am now in an 8. It used to be a 41 but now that is too small. In some shops they class uk8 as 41 but I'm sure that used to be 7.5.
Does anyone else have the same problem? I look at all these tall models and think surely they can't all have small feet but yet they wear beautiful shoes. I have whole shops I just can't shop in anymore because the biggest size is 41.
Any tips on where to shop that goes up to a 42?

Boden do 41.5 and 42 in most styles.

Thanks Perdita I will take a look. I suppose I'm mostly frustrated at the lack of choice in the higher end shops. They sell an 8 but when it arrives its a 41.

I'm with you sunnywaves. I'm a size 8, a proper size 8 and find it very hard to get shoes. I also have narrow feet and that makes it worse - as shoes get longer they also get wider, so most are like boats on me.

Fed up with it, especially as I reckon many of the tall models must have long feet too.

However, I can't recommend shoe shops as I wear flip flops, wellington boots (Le Chameau are great) or canvas pumps. No style, me!

Same here size 8 narrow feet. Good news is there is always stock in our size left in the online sales!

I have no luck at all in the sales. All that is left seems to be things that for one reason or another are comedy shoes.

You can also try crispin’s shoes. They have a store in Marylebone and have a good selection of really well made shoes in larger sizes. They have a website too.

I think that a 41 is a 7.5-8 but it depends on the style. I get so frustrated with my size 8 feet, because I find there is so little choice in nice shoes. Plus some styles make my feet look huge. It has been nice to wear trainers every day during lockdown!

@PerditaNitt

Boden do 41.5 and 42 in most styles.

They do, but their shoes are very much in the small side for their size.

I’m a size 43, which can be 8.5, 9 or 9.5 in different manufacturers and wide. I can fit a Clark’s women’s 9 and have some Duo boots. I have a pair of Fly London boots which I got years and years ago which randomly fit, although none of their others have, before or since. Other than that my shoes are all from men’s ranges - Converse, DM, Birkenstock, Blundstone. I have no “pretty” shoes.

Try having size 9 🙄🙄

Next do larger shoes

I am a size 8 with wide feet and haven't particularly noticed 8s going down to 41, I think all mine are 42s.

Having said that, I don't wear anything that you would call high end either! I tend to wear ankle boots for work, from Next or Clarks or new look who all have a good wide fit selection. My feet tend to be very painful so I never ever wear uncomfortable shoes like heels.

What kinds of thing are you looking for?

^ I used to be a big 8 before I had dc. Definitely a 9 now, which has pushed me above the size that high street shoes stop.

Russell and Bromley do 41 and 42, I’ve got bigger feet post dc too and find boots a winner.

Dr. Martens, Timberland, Toms, Carverla.

Dr. Martens come up large in my experience!

La Redoute do a mixture of branded and their own brand shoes which come in large and half sizes, currently have a sale on!

Are you looking for a particular style?

Magnus shoes also have a shop in Marylebone and a website.
I’ve been Size 9 since age 11, I’ve had so many years of high street shops telling me they don’t stock my size because there’s no demand. When I’m there, asking for my size.
Anyway
Gabor make larger sizes too as do Think shoes

For higher end, I second Crispin’s Shoes (you’d probably be a 41 there) also Russell and Bromley and LK Bennett do 42. Plenty of designers also do 42 or even 43, eg Chanel, Ferragamo, Jimmy Choo etc.

Tory Burch is another designer. Her size 11 is about 42-42.5

And Tod’s - you’d need to size down to 41-41.5 there.

I have size 7 feet and had to buy size 8 recently as 41 were marketed at size 8.

what style do you like. I wear a lot if DMs and size 8s are not an issue there. But I know they aren't everyone's style.

I have a few nice office shoes from Clarks and would think they do a 42.

I mean a size 8

Echoing PP who said try being a 9. And a proper 9/43 which isn't a Clarks/Next size 9.
Have a look on Zalando.

Just popping on to say Next .. they go up to size 9 (43) in most styles.

I feel your pain, although there is definitely much more choice now than there was in my teen years. I was limited to Kickers or DMs for size 8.

I agree with you completely about the sizes changing. I was always an 8 which was difficult but then some shops 8 was a 42 and those fitted. After kids I'm more like a 9/43 and there is so little choice. Could have probably squeezed into 8/42s but they don't exist anymore. A bit in Next, Evans, New Look, Clark's and not found anything really more expensive or to my taste as I don't even bother with most shoe shops that I know I would go in if I was a 6. I pretty much cry when I find something that I like that fits. My DD is 11 and a size 6 so I know she has this ahead as well if things don't change. Other younger daughter clearly has somebody else's feet genes as is much smaller (and I may openly refer to her having troll feet), but the last time I took her to Clark's which is the only place I could find shoes wide enough they told me she was H/I and you guessed it they don't stock Is. Fortunately have got round that for the time being by going up a size.

Have done a bit of googling on why we're in this situation and found these:

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/business-40777046

Also just found this 8 is about 27cm, 9 28cm so lots of women in this situation - it is very frustrating!
www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-55432-z/figures/2

I think sizes have changed. I always used to be able to fit a Clark’s 9, but not recently. I mean, my existing size 9 shoes still fit, but I tried a couple of new pairs in earlier this year and they were very tight - more than just new shoe tightness, they barely fitted.

Off the top of my head, Next, Clark’s and M&S size 8s are all 42s