Difference in shoe sizes

Shoe sizes mystify me. Sometimes a size 10 fits me fine and sometimes it's much too small. I even encountered an apparently size 11 sandal last year that didn't fit me at all. One very good reason not to buy shoes online.
 
At least most of you only need one size for a pair of shoes.

My feet are 1 1/2 sizes different. It is actually a visible difference. My right foot is a 5 1/2 UK size and wide. My left foot is a size 7 UK size and narrower. It make buying shoes interesting and as a result I have either worn nothing (a very common occurrence would be driving to the supermarket to realise I had no shoes on!) or have lived in canvas shoes/trainers or hiking boots. With my hiking boots I found a shop that would sell me two different sizes as a single pair usually one a size 39.5 and the other a 40.5 in European sizes. In canvas shoes my left big toe would just work it's way through the canvas (the toe nail isn't flat either, it sticks upwards at a slight angle) and when there was a hole, I bought a new pair! Sandals are a much better option though if the weather is warm enough.
 
Duck59 said:
Shoe sizes mystify me. Sometimes a size 10 fits me fine and sometimes it's much too small. I even encountered an apparently size 11 sandal last year that didn't fit me at all. One very good reason not to buy shoes online.
Click to expand...

I never buy clothes or shoes online, I like to see before I buy.
 
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
At least most of you only need one size for a pair of shoes.

My feet are 1 1/2 sizes different. It is actually a visible difference. My right foot is a 5 1/2 UK size and wide. My left foot is a size 7 UK size and narrower. It make buying shoes interesting and as a result I have either worn nothing (a very common occurrence would be driving to the supermarket to realise I had no shoes on!) or have lived in canvas shoes/trainers or hiking boots. With my hiking boots I found a shop that would sell me two different sizes as a single pair usually one a size 39.5 and the other a 40.5 in European sizes. In canvas shoes my left big toe would just work it's way through the canvas (the toe nail isn't flat either, it sticks upwards at a slight angle) and when there was a hole, I bought a new pair! Sandals are a much better option though if the weather is warm enough.
Click to expand...
I have short, stubby toes. An assistant in a "proper" shoe shop measured my feet and told me that if my toes were a normal length I would take size 5 1/2 or 6 instead of the extra wide 4 1/2s I buy. The instep in a lot of shoes is in the wrong place for me because of this, but I often found that most shoes I bought online were OK whereas ones I tried on in shops were not. Strange!
 
I have terrible trouble buying shoes having a 1.92 m frame in a land of midgets.

When working in Shanghai in the late 90s I found a pair of brown suede slip-ons in a department store. I asked the attendant if they had my size (45) in stock and she went into the storage area to check. She came back with a pair of black patent leather laced dress shoes - the only size 45 shoe they had in the store. I explained that they were really not the same and she appeared surprised.
 
Lullabelle said:
I never buy clothes or shoes online, I like to see before I buy.
Click to expand...
That's OK if you've got decent clothes shops around. Other than M&S (whose clothes I don't particularly like), most of the shops around here seem to cater for people far younger than me. Debenhams has "stores within store" and some of those have what I could call ageless fashions but are far too expensive for my modest budget - the last time I shopped in there, a skirt and two summer tops came to £200, and that was 12 years ago, but luckily I wasn't the one picking up the bill. A "Next" store opened up on one of the local industrial estates a couple of years ago, but I find the quality of their clothes is not what it was. Most of the independent shops that used to abound have closed down.
 
Elawin said:
That's OK if you've got decent clothes shops around. Other than M&S (whose clothes I don't particularly like), most of the shops around here seem to cater for people far younger than me. Debenhams has "stores within store" and some of those have what I could call ageless fashions but are far too expensive for my modest budget - the last time I shopped in there, a skirt and two summer tops came to £200, and that was 12 years ago, but luckily I wasn't the one picking up the bill. A "Next" store opened up on one of the local industrial estates a couple of years ago, but I find the quality of their clothes is not what it was. Most of the independent shops that used to abound have closed down.
Click to expand...

I find M&S dull at the best of times as I do Next. I tend to wear younger fashion clothes than most women of my advanced age - mini skirts etc. I do buy on-line sometimes. Its a bit trial and error but I bought this great shoulder peep black top very cheaply from Amazon (it was a £3 add-on item at the time) and its a great fit. I tend to only buy on-line if the clothes are pretty cheap.
Screen Shot 2018-05-31 at 13.48.37.png


As for shoes - they are a constant problem and always have been. I tend to live in sandals, simply because they are comfortable. I have one pair of trainers which are comfortable but make my feet feel hot. I hate my feet being 'encased'! So - I'm known to wear sandals with opaque tights in the Winter... a novel look.

I do have one single pair of comfortable shoes which are a chunky suede lace-up platform. I wish I'd bought more of them at the time.
 
A friend once came into the pub with shorts, white socks and flip-flops. Camel toes!

He never did it again.
 
Elawin said:
That's OK if you've got decent clothes shops around. Other than M&S (whose clothes I don't particularly like), most of the shops around here seem to cater for people far younger than me. Debenhams has "stores within store" and some of those have what I could call ageless fashions but are far too expensive for my modest budget - the last time I shopped in there, a skirt and two summer tops came to £200, and that was 12 years ago, but luckily I wasn't the one picking up the bill. A "Next" store opened up on one of the local industrial estates a couple of years ago, but I find the quality of their clothes is not what it was. Most of the independent shops that used to abound have closed down.
Click to expand...

Next are very up and down, sometimes they have some really lovely stuff, other times horrible stuff, New Look are the same, sometimes good sometimes bad.
 
I have long, narrow feet and long toes, and half a size difference between my feet. In the days when I wore shoes every day I had to have them made as I could never find any to fit off the shelf. The initial cost was a bit eye watering, but a decent pair of handmade shoes would last me 8-10 years with a re - sole every couple of years, so actually worked out cheaper in the long run. I still have the last pair I had made 25 years ago. These days they only come out for weddings and funerals, but they are still a real pleasure to put on. Now, I wear boots in the winter and deck shoes and flip flops in the summer, all fit well straight off the shelf.
 
Size 10 or 11 for me. 9's are always too small and 12's always too big.

Incidentally I was disappointed recently, I popped into a clothes shop for a mooch and spotted an absolutely perfect leather, blouson style jacket in tan colour in a half price sale. It was medium but on trying it the fit was just too tight. So annoying!
 
I invested in shoe stretchers. They're a lifesaver.

I buy some clothing online from eBay, etc. Most, if not all, the clothing from China is very very small. I have to size up about three or four sizes for a u.s. equivalent. There's a huge difference in price - as much as $100 mark- up when purchased here. I've gotten burned too many times with sizes that would fit a child or teenager. Cooling it for a while.

ETA: wondering whatever happened to shoe repair/shoemakers. Maybe it's a dying art?
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom