shoe sizes

[dheel]

What's up with women's shoe sizes? I wear a US10W in men's, and I have now ordered 3 pairs of women's size 12 shoes from different stores that are too big. But I have another pair of 12's that fit perfectly, and another that are a little small. On two occasions I have tried 11's and they were too small, and I have some 10-1/2's from Nine West that fit fine. It's frustrating, because I don't have the self-confidence to try on shoes in the store - I have to order online. So picking the size is always a guess - and if I'm wrong, it's more time and money for shipping. Has anyone else had trouble with this?

[Laurieheels]

Shoe sizes are a mystery. Personally, I think companies use real women as models. "What size are you?" Woman (trying not to seem like she has large feet) "Why, U.S. 8 of course!" (She's actually 9.5) Thus, company A makes shoes too large. Company B, on the other hand, tries to compensate for this. Woman #2 "I am a 9, I know it." (Woman is honest) Thus, company B, thinking that things will be like company A's research, labels size 9 as a 10, and then, they make shoes too small. Okay, far fetched. But it does seem like every company has their own scale for deciding how long a foot is of a given size. And conversion tables differ all over the place. They only thing you can do is try a brand, and when you find a good sizing, stick with that brand until you buy everything they offer that you like. I know that Jante is great for me if I order women's 11, even though I should be a 10, or 10.5 (yes, I am a slightly taller girl and I have long feet, so what?) But of course, I have UK sized shoes and boots, my favourite boots being 41, but some shoes are 42, and I have one pair listed as 40, but I think 40.5 UK would have been a bit better. Live and learn, and stick with the companies you know fit you. That is all you can do until heel wearing is more diverse among the genders.

[jo]

The shoe width vs your foot width is also an important factor. If the shoe is wider you will be able to fit a smaller size. If it is narrow or pointed, you'll generally need a bigger size.

[jim]

Shoe sizing,now there's a bone of contention!

"Doc Shoe" has talked about this subject in depth but Laurie's summed it up for sure.

I think the best way is to try the shoe before you buy.That way you are assured the style of shoe suits and they are a correct fit.If you are unsure,the sales girls will generally steer you in the right direction. Besides,shopping for shoes in person is great fun..

jim

[Yamyam]

I find sizes quite variable. I have some pairs marked as UK8 and some as UK9. And the Euro<->UK size translation is all over the place! So I try them on and see. It's much more fun and I haven't bought a pair that doesn't fit for ages!

[squirrelheels]

Indeed...! I wish I'd done that with those Mary Janes from Jonathan James yesterday! Ah well! SH

[BobHH]

My limited ventures in that direction seem to indicate that shoes made in China (PRC) are about a size larger than the label would indicate, when compared to U.S. made shoes.

[squirrelheels]

I find that even within the same brand, sizes can still vary. For instance, my 5in loafers and 4in knee boots are made by the same manufacture, both are the same size (8UK), but oddly enough the 4in knee boots are just a tiny bit too small that they end up making my toes hurt, but my 5in loafers are absolutely fine. Looks like there's no pattern to it at all I'm afraid SH

[HeelHolgi]

Shoesizes are very variuos! Normaly I wear EU 43 (= UK 9 = US F 12 = US M 10, like the most sizecharts!). In my closet I´ve some EU 42-44, UK 8-10 and US F 11-13 All my shoes fit nearly perfect (some are a little bit to small or to big, but they fit!), and I don´t know which size would fit from the next brand!? Normaly I order one, and if it not fits, I´d send it back (mostly without any problems!). The best choice is, buying in a shop near home. I could try it on, before buy them. I´ve done this way many times, no problems. HeelHolgi ________________ If you like it, do it!

[squirrelheels]

Absolutely - the only sure fire way of getting the right size is to try them on! I've learnt this lesson the hard way! SH

[HeelHolgi]

Absolutely - the only sure fire way of getting the right size is to try them on! I've learnt this lesson the hard way!

SH

What does you mean: "...the hard way!" ??

HeelHolgi

[squirrelheels]

I bought a pair of shoes last weekend in what I thought was my size (8UK), without trying them on in the shop. When I tried them on later, they were too small and caused great pain in my toes, so they had to be returned. SH

[TXT-1]

the hard way = the pain ful way, to jam your foot int a shoe in a vain atempt to put your foot in a shoe (or boot) way too small and pain ensues only done it once but I learned my lesson - don't try it again! later, TXT-1

[raccoon]

Is the right size about brand new shoes or after wearing them in? Two days ago I bought a pair of trainers. They fit perfectly at the shop and now they are already too large... Shoe size is little more than a vague concept I guess.

[Yamyam]

Shoe size is a handy guide as to roughly which end of the shop you should start looking at Sizes vary so much that I have some size 7s, some 8s, some 9s, and they all fit differently. I have one pair of boots that are supposedly a 9 but are about two sizes too big, but another pair that are a 9 that are just right. Most of the pairs that fit me are 8s, but I have one pair of 7s. What's a person to do? Actually, I think socks &c make a big difference. Many of my 8s fit well if i wear knee-highs or ladies thin socks, but if I wear blokey thicker socks, they don't fit. This is why I tend to take a pair of knee-highs with me if there's a chance of shoe shopping

[azraelle]

At least there is some standardization in shoe sizing--rarely does one mfr stray more than a half size from the norm. Be thankful the situation isn't the same as Women's Dress and Pant sizes--they're all over the map, trying to cater to the fickle (and often blatently false) images that many women too often have of themselves. Marketing is the name of the game--if a size 20 woman can be made to think that she is actually a size 14, then she doesn't think she's fat, feels better about herself, keeps on eating, and expresses her gratitude to the mfr or designer that made her so thin by buying more of their line of dresses/jeans/etc. :drinking:

[BobHH]

I bought a pair of Sunset Strip "Slider" platforms because they were so comfortable and were real leather. Then, I bought another pair over the Internet, and they were very different - the tops so narrow I can't get my feet into them! The top is also cut differently than the first pair. Strange that they should be so different when they are the same model from the same manufacturer, or are supposed to be.

[Bubba136]

It would appear that some of the merchants that sell shoes e on eBay buy irregular, rejects, or shoes that fail to pass final quality inspections. I once purchased a pair of shoes on eBay that had white “X” on the bottom. The heel on the left shoe was off center and, as a result, you couldn’t walk in them. They were totally unwearable.

[Yamyam]

It would appear that some of the merchants that sell shoes e on eBay buy irregular, rejects, or shoes that fail to pass final quality inspections. I once purchased a pair of shoes on eBay that had white “X” on the bottom. The heel on the left shoe was off center and, as a result, you couldn’t walk in them. They were totally unwearable.

I'm not surprised. That's why a lot of the stuff has the labels removed. I've seen a fair few auctions that contain the magic words "delabelled at the manufacturer's request", meaning that they could well be QC rejects.

[jo]

I know that my feet are UK size 6.5 or Eur size 39.5. I do find that most things that fit well, do not stray very far from being marked in those sizes.

However, I was once caught out by buying Size 7 marked shoes, in the UK, without first trying them on, and then found that they did not fit at all. It was then realised that they had the US size marked on them, so were only a UK size 5.5 or so. Maybe this is what is happening to you if the size marking seems to be way out?

[shyguy]

My wife takes a 7Uk and I'm an 8 UK. Most of her shoes/boots fit me a little snugly but she bought a pair of size 6 boots from one store which fitted me perfectly and her ok too, go figure. Shyguy

[Highluc]

Xaphod brought my new heeled sandals along from the UK, they are from Sacha London and are marked 8/42 on the box. On the underside of the soles, which are identical in length, one is marked 8/42 and the other 8/41. Actually they are much closer to a 41 as to a 42.

[shrimper]

Sizes vary by maker and style. Shoes at a store like Payless run larger than 9West. Pumps at Payless run smaller than flats. Hope you can find a way to try before you buy.

[bladerunner]

I recently bought a pair of boots from shelleys in the SALES and assumed because i had some already from here that size 8 was ok! it was'nt the sizing that was the problem but the design,you could'nt get your feet into the boot without a shoe horn and then the fun began just trying to get them off.Needless to say they went back!

[Firefox]

I usually find 41 too long, but right width. Anyway, last year I bought some 41 boots from Barratts which are mostly good in sizing. They were too short and the zip split away from the leather when zipping up. In the end I modified them. It shows how important it is to try before. I did try these and knew they were tight, but they were only £5.00 in the sale so that's why I got them.

[genebujold]

I think one of Doc's posts said it best, when he described the numerous measurements required for a great fit (length, width, where the widest width happens to be, girth, and arch). If I had to add anything, it would be where the ankle-bone happens to stick out, as I've tried on several pairs of oxfords whose high sides rubbed severely on my anklebone. I guess the shoe industry has never heard of CADCAM! (Computer-Aided Design/Computer Aided Machining). Experts in the field could EASILY design a system that would automatically and precisely measure one's foot for any height of heel (or all heights), and cheaply, too (perhaps $50, at the most). Then, armed with that blueprint, one would be able to enter those parameters online and the computer-aided machining would auto-last the heel to the buyer's precise specifications. The only glitch in the matrix, folks, is the fact that low off-shore labor costs mean that shoe's are being made by a combination of machine and by hand. For this to work, someone would have to design an "auto-last" that would replicate the buyer's foot as his/her shoe were made. And, said buyer might have to wait a while, as it might take a month or two for his/her shoe to ship through the supply chain. Just some ideas...

[Bubba136]

I think I've seen a report on TV where a person can have blue jeans made to order by CAD. Levies, I think. It should work. But then, pants are so much easier to make to fit than shoes. Isn't there a firm in London that is famous for making custom fitting shoes? I think I remember seeing some film of their basement where they store the hand carved lasts for customers that have had their shoes made by them. There were several thousand pairs of wooden lasts...each numbered and labeled with the customer's name. Now that's the kind of service I think I could get use to.

[dressboots]

Shoe size varies for listed size in women's and men's shoes. I buy a men's 11 B sneaker but have men's dress shoes in 10 B. More expensive shoes tend to fit better. The same is true in my experince in women's fashions. I have some women's knee boots in size 12 B that in theory should not fit if the conversion rules where to hold true to my sneaker size, but they fit with room to spare. Others were so tight I thought the vendor mistakenly labled a size 11, a 12. I find some brands that have consistently fit me over the years. Others, I can count on them not to fit properly. Generally the less expensive the brand, the less likely I will find it to fit well. Some brands available in America I have had excellent success with include, Joyce, Sudini, Revelations (don't think they exist anymore - too bad ), and Trotters.

[genebujold]

Hey! Looks like someone's been taking notes about how shoes should be made to order...

http://jean-gaborit.biz/

...and on the styles we like and requirement for extended sizes!

[dressboots]

Some additional notes. One's foot tends to spread in a lower heel. For instance, a B width in a high heel that fits perfectly may prove too narrow in a low heel. This has been my experience and have read it in articles on the subject. Another factor in shoe size that came to mind is the pattern. I understand in that in clothing manufacture as a pattern is used over and over it becomes slightly smaller, thus shrinking in size yielded. Even with machine cut material there is slight loss of the edge of the pattern with each cut. I have purchased clothing that is the exact same style, size and brand, but different colour, only to find that the fit varies as much as an entire size. I have heard that discount clothing is often "the end of the run" and is so in part, due to the expected shrinking factor in the pattern. Could this be a factor in shoes? The leather shoes in particular, have memory. As the pattern shrinks the leather has to be stretched tighter and tighter over the unforgiving last only to shrink once the last is removed at the end of the assembly process. Just a theory but one that makes sense to me. Can anyone can confirm this?