The Wasteland (Where Are The Larger Sizes?)

[HighHeelLover86]

I come to you as a very frustrated fellow. I have been scouring the internet for over a week now and I have come to two conclusions. Number one, all shoes/boots in size 12ww and size 13m/w are either butt ugly or stripper heels. Number two, the only shoes/boots that do not fall under the first category are WAY too expensive. I am not paying more than $150.00 for any footwear or other article of clothing for that matter. This is utterly ridiculous. Maybe its because I'm looking online, I don't know. I prefer to scope out stores online before attempting to go to the "brick & mortar" location. I could also be too picky I admit that. I just want a pair of ankle/mid-calf/kneehigh boots with a very simple style, rounded or square toe, and a thick straight (not sculpted/shaped) block heel of 3in-4in in height with maybe a thin platform, in black or dark brown. Why is this so hard?!?! After discovering that virtually none of my boots fit anymore I can't pursue heeling again without new ones. Can anyone help?

[Curt]

Look at all the department stores. They are clearing out all the boots and getting ready for spring shoes. It will be hard to find boots in the next few months. Try nine west, aldo, payless, and maybe le chateau. I'm a size 10w, so I have a lot to choose from. Next season will be interesting, less platform and higher heels. Good luck with your search!

[HappyinHeels]

hiheellover86,

I see you're quite frustrated about finding size 12/13 heels that'll fit you so I suggest these Nordstrom Rack locations on either side of South Carolina;

Georgia

Atlanta

Buckhead Station

Mall of Georgia Crossing

Northpoint MarketCenter

North Carolina

Charlotte

Carolina Pavilion

Durham

Renaissance Center

Nordstrom Rack is the discount division of Nordstrom, Inc. which is a higher-end retailer known for their fine customer service and they are very friendly toward male heel buyers as the company is very LGBT-friendly anyway. You can find hundreds of wonderful styles usually up to size 13 at their stores. Some stores have only the right shoe displayed, one right next to the other, so once you've tried on a few and made your choices, you take the shoes to a counter that says "Shoe Mate" at the rear of the store and an employee brings you the matching left shoe. This type of set-up doesn't use boxes. Just take the matched shoe to the cashier and they bag them there.

Some stores are now putting the display stock in boxes so no shoe matching would be necessary. The last time I visited a Nordsrom Rack in December I wore a Kenneth Cole Reaction longer women's jacket, bootcut jeans, a Bakers knit cap, and some black high wedges and bought three pairs of sandals for just $82 including tax. The guy at the Shoe Mate counter looked me over but said nothing negative. It is the BEST place to get larger sizes of great-looking shoes, at decent prices. It may be something to do on a weekend but definitely worth a trip. HappyinHeels

[Steve63130]

HHL86, I share your frustration, and I'm a fairly common 12M. The real problem is that this is is just a bad time to be looking for block heels. They aren't in vogue at the moment. They used to be very common a few years ago but the fashion has changed and most heels are now slender or stiletto. Good luck finding something. Steve

[ilikekicks]

HHL86.. I have experienced what you have right now. Your not alone. The selections available out there and variety seems limited. While you look for block-heels, I look for normal classic heels or a wedge without jackstands attached. I have the great fortune of having smaller/thinner feet though. Ive noticed the market forces with shoes go full-on into trends. At one time, thin stilettos were all that were really available. A while later, everything came with jackstands. It wouldnt surprise me if at one point both are abandoned and we only see blocks or wedges. Its like a vicious cycle that must be waited out.

[inquisitor]

It's going to sound odd in this thread when talking about larger sizes to mention that finding 11's came be trying depending on the store, and the time of year. Companies are making larger sizes (looks like Nordstrom gets most of the more stylish looks in 11, 12, and up), but finding the cute styles you'd find in 10 or smaller is still difficult.

[heels59]

Two points. 1. You'll find more larger sizes in urban areas than rural areas. 2. You'l find more larger sizes in stores serving a predominantly black neighborhood than a white neighborhood. Can't really say why, maybe black women have bigger feet. Not racist, just something I've observed in 40 years of looking for 12Wide.

[inquisitor]

Heels, you might be on to something there. The only store I've noticed that bucks that trend is Payless. Urban Burlington Coat Factories tend to have 11s, but suburban locations rarely do.

[ilikekicks]

Two points. 1. You'll find more larger sizes in urban areas than rural areas. 2. You'l find more larger sizes in stores serving a predominantly black neighborhood than a white neighborhood. Can't really say why, maybe black women have bigger feet. Not racist, just something I've observed in 40 years of looking for 12Wide.

You are VERY correct.

' Dots ' and ' Rainbow ' are 2 of the teeny-girl stores in the area. They have multiple locations. The ones in the ghetto have a much wider selection AND larger sizes then the ones in the ' white ' area locations.

[RonC]

Living in the suburban area of a large city, I can definitely confirm the points made in the last three posts. Again, not racist, but there are far more black than white women with large feet.

[LuvyourShoes]

As a black man, I can fully confirm the preceding theories! Lol. The more urban the area, the larger the shoe section size range. Black women do tend to be larger in stature than white women. I rarely find white women with larger than size 10 feet, but I personally know of many black women who wear a size 10 and up. The stores want to make $ so they put the product near the audience. Even urban Payless stores have more 12s and 13s than suburban/rural Payless stores. Simple facts...

[HappyinHeels]

heels59 and others are right on the money, My friend Gary, who runs an independent shoe store in Chicago, has instructed me on much of how shoes are marketed, how they are made, and tendencies of customer groups. I coupled his teachings with my own research and this is what I found. Blacks do tend to have larger feet than whites, hispanics, and asians but are about the same as Native Americans/First Nations and the left foot tends to be larger than the right. So, stores in areas with a higher black population should have larger sizes. The right foot tends to be larger than the left foot for the other races which generally explains why the right shoe is usually the one displayed on the shelf. You guys are not imagining this at all. It's just like nobody's left hand is the same EXACT size as their right hand. These are tendencies and retailers know about it. I have bought many a pair of great heels (5" and over) in size 11 in areas such as DC, Chicago, and Milwaukee. HappyinHeels

[JeffB]

As a black man, I can fully confirm the preceding theories! Lol. The more urban the area, the larger the shoe section size range. Black women do tend to be larger in stature than white women. I rarely find white women with larger than size 10 feet, but I personally know of many black women who wear a size 10 and up.

The stores want to make $ so they put the product near the audience. Even urban Payless stores have more 12s and 13s than suburban/rural Payless stores. Simple facts...

Quite right! It's the same in my neck of the woods where urban Payless stores routinely go up to size 13 while suburban locations often don't. However, I have seen 13's in stores outside Philadelphia, but the selection is small.

[platformpeep]

Check out Lane Bryant, thats where I purchased my one and only pair of boots they carry 12 ww . You may want to see if there are any plus sized women's clothing stores around they tend to carry larger sized women's shoes.

[shrimper]

Two points. 1. You'll find more larger sizes in urban areas than rural areas. 2. You'l find more larger sizes in stores serving a predominantly black neighborhood than a white neighborhood. Can't really say why, maybe black women have bigger feet. Not racist, just something I've observed in 40 years of looking for 12Wide.

Not to argue with you heels59 but my experience has been the exact opposite, with the exception of wide sizes. I will agree with you that black women seem to have wider feet though not necessarily longer.

[HighHeelLover86]

Thanks for all the info guys, especially the store listings HappyinHeels. My girlfriend and I are already planning a trip to Charlotte to go shopping for the day sometime in the next month or so. Unfortunately I don't live in a very urban area. However I do know what you mean about stores that cater to the black population. I have found a number of I'll say decent options online on Ebay and Amazon in the last few days but nothing that I've gotten super excited about. It would seem that the other problem I am having is just how specific I can be when it comes to finding exactly what I want. I am trying to loosen up a bit about that though. So far the closest match I have found is the Pleaser Go-Go boots that a lot of you are probably familiar with. Since my affection for heels really took hold in the late 90's/early 00's in my middle/high school days I'd be overjoyed to find a pair of boots similar to the style teen girls were wearing then. Simple leather thick-heeled/soled boots. Heck a vintage pair from that time in my size would be worth a lot to me. My favorite pair from my current collection look like a platform combat boot with the heel stretched to 4in. I'd load up some pics but I don't have a camera. Anyway thanks again for all your suggestions and wisdom and I look forward to continuing this discussion.