Beyond Size 9: Where Do You Buy Your Shoes?
Over at The Rotund, Marianne recently posted a piece about the normalizing power of shoe shopping.
Because they are never JUST shoes. They’re what I was, for a long time, allowed – when you’re fat and your options are limited, sometimes shoes become the thing you use to express yourself…
It’s one of the only areas in which I’ve ever had just as much choice as any other person on the street when it comes to things required for getting dressed. And that’s a powerful thing. It’s one reason I have what feels like so many shoes. It’s one reason I have so many DISTINCTIVE shoes – it matters less that my fashion options are limited if I can make a statement with my shoes.
In her post, Marianne acknowledges that this is only possible for those who wear a readily available size shoe. And this reminded me I’ve been meaning to do a post for those of us who, like me, don’t wear a common shoe size.
I have always been tall and had large feet—I was wearing a size 9 shoe when I was 13. And of course, Persons of Size also sometimes have wider than average feet. All of this means we can’t walk into a shoe store and expect to find something that fits. Except Payless which, god bless em, goes up to a 12 and has wide widths, to boot. (HA! TO BOOT!) But, you know, Payless shoes do tend to fall apart sometimes.
So, what are our options? We can search Zappos by size or width, paying close attention to the customer notes in the comments (some brands tend to run large or small) which allows us to hit shoes at a variety of price points.
As for specific designers, Fluevogs go up to size 13, and they have some “unisex” styles as well. I know Weetabix has gotten Stuart Weitzmans and Guccis in size 12 at Nordstrom (which is currently having a “free shipping on shoes” sale). She’s the fancy Nordstrom shoe shopper, whereas I am the Payless shoe shopper.
And in this comment, Lisa mentioned that drag queen shops usually have women’s shoes in generous sizes. (Well, they would.) So if you need a red leather stiletto boot in a size 15, this is your lucky day.
So, how about it? Ladies with Feet of Size, which brands work for you, and where do you buy them?
Posted by mo pie
Filed under: Fashion, Fat Positive, Question
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I buy almost all my shoes at Zappos these days. I’ve had to return a couple pairs, but it’s pretty easy to do. Like you mentioned, read the comments to know whether they run large or small; doing that, most of the shoes I’ve bought there have fit great. I love Zappos. I wear a wide size 11, and they have the best selection.
Size 12’s. Nordstroms. I never heard of “zappos.”
I’m a 9 1/2 or 10 wide, and find I’m restricted to Payless, Nordstrom Rack (for some reason I can never find wide shoes in a regular Nordstrom), Avenue and Zappos.
Torrid carries up to a size 12, all of their shoes are wide width, and wide calf in the case of boots. The quality is iffy, so don’t expect them to last forever.
Also, Payless, sometimes Nordstrom Rack. I don’t buy a lot of girl shoes, the shoes I mostly need to replace are sandals and tennis shoes which I wear until they fall apart. I mostly just by mens for those, they are more comfortable anyway. (I also got my snow boots in the men’s section at Nordstrom’s, which is so much more pleasant to shop in IMHO.)
I have a couple really cute pairs I got from Torrid, I have some sparkly black ballet flats that I have worn the crap out of and some cute stilletos from there as well that I got for like 12 bucks.
My boyfriend has an even harder time finding shoes than I do. He wears a men’s 18.
Size 12M here. Lately I’ve been wearing Aerosoles & Clarks Indigo shoes. I also like Franco Sarto, Sofft, Naturalizer, and J. Crew.
I get very irritated when websites list a size 42 as a size US 12. That is so not right.
I’ve had bad luck with Fluevogs in size 12. I think they adhere to the 42=12 as well, and their shoes are always too short.
I also don’t buy the Fluevog 12. I have two pairs and both are unkind to my high arch.
Nine West, Nine West, Nine WEST! I am a 12M and my mom is an 11M, so we get our shoes almost exclusively at Nine West. Not every shoe is available over a size 9, but a good chunk of them are, and the sales are definitely the way to go. Most of the time I get a pair for between $20-50, discounted from well over $100. The quality is amazing: my mom has shoes from well over 10 years back, and in my several years of careful shoe buying, I have not yet had to throw out a pair.
I have 11.5m narrow, flat feet that absolutely require good arch support. Walk into a shoe store, any shoe store, and find a pair for those on the rack, I dare you. Or go on over to Zappos and look at what’s available in 11.5 A. My grandma’s special diabetic shoes were more stylish. The regular 11.5s have a lot more options but what’s work-appropriate and is usually well out of my budget.
Occasionally I’ll see something so wonderful in regular 11.5 or even 11 or 12 that I decide to go for it, provided free returns are available. It hasn’t worked yet, but hope springs eternal.
So, I’m left to roam the aisles of DSW trying on 11s to see if they run big and 12s to see if they run small. If I save up for a few months I can get a pair of lovely Børns in 11 from Dillards, as they tend to run a bit long but narrow and Dillards will stretch them a bit more for free. I do hit Payless regularly, as shoddy workmanship means sizes can be a bit erratic, and thus will occasionally fit. I need to make sure my prescription insoles fit in these though, cause they almost never have the support I need.
I spend a lot of my shoe-shopping time fantasizing about having size 8 feet with strong, strapping arches….
I have size 11/12 feet so this has been an issue for me since I was in middle school.
I like avenue because they have wide shoes that go up to 12 (maybe 13). There shoes can be cute and they aren’t too expensive. I also use nordstroms for special occassions usally but they can be expensive.
I had to get comfortable closed toe shoes for work but I’m not a huge fan of sneakers and I got a cute pair of croc flats. I don’t like the typical crocs but they’ve come out with some cute flats in the last year and I got a size 11 and they fit well with my wide feet.
For sneakers, usually I try mens sizes since they run bigger sizes and are wider and can always find a cute pair that I like.
Size 12 WW-13 here. I buy Cloudwalkers through Avenue and they also carry 13’s in their stores too.
Silhouettes also carries wide widths in their catalogs and so do Woman Within and Roaman’s.
Lane Bryant goes up to 12 W, but sometimes the quality can be iffy.
Maryland Square also carries wide widths, but if you’re one that doesn’t care about trends and style, that’s the place for you.
Zappos or Endless – I like that I can filter by size so I don’t end up drooling over a pair of shoes that stops at a size 10 (I’m a 10.5W or an 11). And with the free shipping I’ll just order 4 or 5 pairs in the color/general style I’m looking for and ship what doesn’t work back. I’m also lucky in that where I live, I usually get overnight shipping from Zappos without paying for the upgrade.
Nordstrom is my only in-person shoe store. Once I find brands there that I like and trust the sizing [Weitzman, Pliner, Cole Haan, Taryn Rose] I’ll look for those brands on Bluefly or ebay to try to get them on the cheap.
Byrneout, have you tried Ros Hommerson? They don’t look amazing when you look at them online, but in person, they are super cute in person.
Oh to be able to afford a pair of Taryn Rose shoes. *sigh*
I am a 10, though sometimes I dip into 9 1/2 territory, depending on the brand, and size 9 flip-flops fit just fine, since they are less restrictive sizing-wise.
Being a 10 usually means that there are less options in general when I go shoe shopping, but my feet are not wide, they are of “standard” width (my ankles, feet, wrists, and hands are all small compared to the rest of my frame), so that really does help matters, meaning that I can almost always find shoes in my size with not too much difficulty.
Unless, of course, the store in question simply decides that 10 is an almost unheard-of size and doesn’t really stock anything in a 10. Yes, SHOE PAVILION, I am talking about you! I had heard all of these great things about that store, and I suppose that they had a great selection for people within a certain range of sizes, but seriously! I think I found about three shoes in my size there! And of course, if your feet are larger than a 10, than forget about it!
10W here, and I still love Nordstroms mostly for the utter lack of BS when it comes to shoe shopping. I walk in, I tell them what I’m looking for and what size, and they tell me yes, no, or “here’s what we’ve got”.
The other thing I like about Nordstroms is that their shoe department people actually know something about their products. I fell in love with a pair of purple patent pumps but they didn’t come in wide – the person helping me said “Me Too (that’s the brand) runs wide, you should try them” and darned if they didn’t fit. Of course I bought them – they were on sale!
I also have bought from Endless and Shoebuy.
I gave up shopping for shoes in person (except at Payless) during a humiliating high school trip when my dad forced me to ask the saleswoman at Macy’s if each individual shoe I liked came in an 11.5. Now, I don’t even buy Payless in person, because there’s so much more variety online. Not all Paylesses and Aerosoleses carry 12s (Aerosoles usually puts a sign in the window if they do). Oddly, I have found that my inability to find shoes in my size *not* meant for drag queens has sent my tastes toward the queeny. Amazon has everything by Pleaser USA, which is mostly shoes for actual strippers, but there’s some gorgeous things in their Bordello line.
For everyday shoes:
Payless
Zappos (Have you noticed that I like shopping by size?)
barefoottess.com (I got the cutest galoshes)
For special shoes:
Pleaser at Amazon (or Zappos)
For when I win the lottery:
Did you know that the super high end brands like Manolo Blahnik and Christian Louboutin usually carry up to a 13 in their stores?
Sarah, my mom, another big footed lady, always told me that if I wanted to be able to buy shoes in stores, I had to let them know I wanted them. So any time we saw shoes we liked in a store, we’d ask if they had our size. I still do this. I don’t know if those front line salespeople ever pass the request on, but it makes me feel a little proactive.
It’s true: Paris Hilton is a size 12 and clearly she wears the super high end brands. Certain Nordstroms also carry those high end larger sizes. Mopie and I had a great afternoon in the Nordstrom on Michigan Avenue in Chicago trying on the Blahniks, Louboutins, Jimmy Choos and Guccis, all in our size.
I wear a 13 W. Only catalog purchase is possible. I use Zappos.com, 6pm.com & just discovered endless.com. All can be filtered by size & have easy return policies.
I wear from a 7 to an 8 (depends on the style and brand). Average width. I know…wah. I’m relatively thin below the knee; (the largest part of my calf is maybe 13.5 inches around and my ankles are about 7.5 inches around.)
I have the worst time with boots. If the boot doesn’t have a full zip, I can’t get my foot into it. My ankle cannot get past that curve between the leg and the footbed. And even some full zip boots are tight around the calf. The boots cut for larger sizes (which I am, except for below the knee and below the elbow!)at Torrid, Lane Bryant, etc., tend to be too loose and often have a wider foot bed so I’m floating around in them.
Any advice?
I can turn you on to some socks (because, believe it or not, a lot of “standard” size knee socks are way tight at the top of my calf–painfully tight). Sock It To Me socks rock and are generously-sized. And cute! http://www.sockittome.com/cart/index.php. Also, http://www.sockdreams.com has a plus-sized section.
If you’ve got the bucks, barefoottess.com is AMAZING! They have so many beautiful shoes, and I think they somehow are able to negotiate contracts with certain brands to produce larger size lines. I bought a pair of FSNY Sloop flats from them- I had to go to a 13 because the shoes by nature run small. However, when I say “if you have the bucks” I mean it. A lot of the shoes are over $100 easy. However, they do notify you of sales by email. For me, it’s worth the cost to get a great, fashionable pair of shoes. I’ve gotten used to paying more when I find a pair of shoes I love that i know will fit me.
I also wanted to address the idea of the normalizing feeling of shoe shopping- I used to get really really depressed about the fact that I could never find shoes. As much as it’s nice that Payless had my size, I really hated the quality of the merchandise. I really felt like I couldn’t be fashionable either way- no cool plus sized digs, and no cool large-size shoes. I am now (most of the time) grateful for my over-sized tootsies because it helps me really consider what I want do to cost. My mom wastes a lot of money buying shoes she never wears, and ends up donating, and I am glad I don’t get the chance to do that as much. Now I buy what I really want, and I buy good quality so they will last me a long time.
Thanks for the great post!
I’ve tried barefootess as well. And they are usually very well made shoes. I’ve tried a couple of their styles, and they seem to run short and narrow. Which seems weird for a company that is supposed to be catering to the big footed. But I would definitely give them a look if you can afford them.
Ugh. My feet are so weird that I really honestly don’t know what size I am- I think lengthwise I’m a 10.5 but I almost never buy that, because I have, well, the only word for it is thick feet as well as wide, so even if they fit in width and length there’s still a good chance they won’t be ‘tall’ enough in the foot area.
Also, I know a lot of places go up to bigger sizes (especially on zappos) but I’ve found that as soon as you start getting into the bigger sizes, the cute options dry up. I mean there are some adorable shoes by Fluevog that I’d like, but despite the fact that they *in theory* go up to size 13 (I usually end up in a 12 WW womens and just deal with the toe room issues), the shoes they have that *I* like tend to, you know, not go that big.
Oh, also, just adding the whole boots thing.. I have HUGE calves. So big that even the plus calf stuff doesn’t fit me. I would cry tears of joy if someone ever gave me a pair of green suede knee-high boots that actually fit me.
I’m a 5.5. Yeah, tiny. The problem? I have big calves, and have to buy wide-calf boots. The other problem? Very few wide-calf boots come in a size smaller than 6. So, when I can find a pair of boots to fit my calves, they are so big in the foot that I have to wear multiple pairs of thick socks with them.
I wear a size 9W or 9WW depending on the shoe. There are a few shoe stores near me that carry wide shoes, but mostly I buy online. I like Clark’s, Clark’s Artisan, Naturalizer, and sometimes Softspots. For the most part they come from three places: Zappo’s, Footsmart (which is also a treasure trove of groovy arch supports, shoe stretchers, insoles, and other treats for the feets), and Massey’s. All three sites let you search by size and width. Footsmart often has the same shoes as Zappo’s for a bit less, but then again, you have to pay for the shipping.
I’m just commenting the same comment I did on the original Rotund thread to let everyone know about barefoottess.com! I can see it’s already mentioned here but quite seriously, I almost cried when I found that website (I’m a women’s size 14, so I’m usually sized out of even the more generous Payless or places like that)
Another vote for zappos.com – I love that I can search by size, so I don’t even glance at all the cute things not available in Wide.
I went shoe shopping today at DSW and couldn’t find simple black heels in a 7W. Given their selection I was surprised, but I hadn’t been there in years. Walked down the mall a little ways and found a Payless, walked out with 2 pair. I hadn’t been to a payless in years either, and was pleasantly surprised that it seemed 10-20% of the stock was wide width.
So great to be able to ‘talk’ with people who can commiserate! I don’t have as hard a time with sizing as some folks (I’m a 9.5W in most shoes), but I still remember going into some mall store and asking if they carried anything in a wide. The look I got in return! It had been so long since I shopped in a non-payless, I had no idea that this was a thing.
These days, I mostly stick to goodwill and ebay. I won’t buy new leather shoes for vegetarian hippie reasons, but I haven’t found more than a smattering of wide vegetarian shoes that are a) remotely attractive and b) able to hold up to any kind of long-term wear.
I really wish that we could harness technology into some form where there was a Red Wings model for cute shoes. (They make certain styles of work boots custom to your measurements.) I’d still need the veggie version, which might be touch from a materials science standpoint, but the idea of truly customizeable shoe size is too tempting for me to ever give up on this idea for long.
Totally agree about Red Wings! I was stunned the first time I went to one with my husband and he was like, “I’m a 12 EEE,” and the salesguy didn’t bat an eye.
Oh, the humiliations of shopping for shoes! I’ve worn a size 11 (medium) since I was about 12. What I hate most is rude, unhelpful salespeople, which I have experienced often. You know the ones: they spend two minutes scrounging around in the back and come back with a couple of ugly pairs of shoes, often in the wrong size (“oh, I thought you could try a 10 1/2”), and when those don’t fit, they shrug and say that’s all they have. This has even happened to me at Nordstrom’s, which used to be pretty good. I’ve also had salespeople bring out men’s shoes (usually too wide and clunky for my feet) without mentioning that they are men’s styles. Some act like big feet are a moral failing. I understand that selling shoes isn’t a great job, but c’mon.
This is why these days I generally buy shoes at either self-service stores (though most have very few sizes over 10) like DSW, The Shoe Department, or Payless, or at Zappos (because of the free two-way shipping). And why my shoe wardrobe has never been large, and why I keep the good ones for years, until they fall apart.
Why can I never try half sizes beyond 9.5 in-store? I’m a 10 or 10.5(screw you, places that run small….also the places with no 10.5) and I can never find half sizes above 10.
Space to rub and hurt is the same amount of space for any shoe size. It’s not as if bigger feet get less sensitive or magically grow to fill the rub space.
I wonder which has the worse selection:
1) Medium-width long feet, or
2) Extra wide feet of an average length.
10WW high instep here. For comfort, I like Propet. For online shopping I like Shoebuy, which no one else has yet mentioned. Curses upon stores which not only don’t cater to me, but have salesmen who act as if I had asked for free shoes or something.
Does anyone know where I might find a chart that shows what % of the population wears a particular shoe size? I seriously doubt that WW is such a rarity.
I wear an 11W and I am lucky that a C width will work but a D is more comfortable. I shop at Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack, Zappos/6PM.com, and FootSmart. It is impossible to find shoes that fit me at any local shoe store. Also, I have high arches and that creates its own problem.
Bronwyn, you are my foot twin!
What I don’t understand is why manufacturers often don’t make 1/2 sizes above size 10 (Payless I’m talkin’ to you). If you make shoes in size 11, then you admit that people have feet that size, right? Then doesn’t it make sense that just as many people wear 10.5? Makes me crazy!
6pm.com is the outlet for Zappos, you just have to pay for shipping, and the return policy is shorter. So, if you know what you like at Zappos, check and see if it’s on 6pm.com
Brands:
Sofft, but only open back. I can wear a 10 that way, but if you look at the size chart on the shoebox, they make a 10.5 in the euro equivalent, but no one carries it!
Clarks, some styles are cheaper on qvc.com. I wear an 11w from them. They seem to have allowance for thicker feet.
David Tate, some styles have arch support. I wear 10 or 10.5 for sandals, and they come in WW.
Ryka, also on qvc.com in wide sizes. I wear 11w from them.
Dansko, but I don’t like the way the toes go up. I wear a 42 w/them.
Keens, run small in length so I get an 11 there, but only styles that have adjustments available work. I just bought some really cute Keen snow boots on 6pm.com. I’m not sliding around this winter!
For any kind of athletic shoe or hiking boot I just get a men’s size 10 and get custom orthotics.
It is a challenge having special feet! Thanks for some space to rant and share.
Actually, my perfect size is 11.5 W, so I feel you too! One thing you could check on: Munro. I found them at Nordstrom one day (My typical routine at Nordies is to just tell them to bring out all the non-ugly size 12w black shoes, because I can get away with it as they don’t have very many to choose from and it’s easier than picking out shoes and having them tell me that they don’t have it in my size) and they are super comfy. Also, I’m seconding the Sofft love, which I believe I did buy in 11.5W somehow, although I don’t remember exactly what the magic phrase was that called them to me.
Interesting article. As a fat guy with big feet (13 4E), I can definitely relate to the issues with shoe selection. I remember going to the shoe store to look for sneakers as a kid and being pretty upset that they only had a couple of styles of sneakers in my size in a uniform color. Of course, this was around 15 years ago and we didn’t really shop around.
One thing I really appreciate is how the Internet has improved shoe shopping. Granted, shoes are something it’s practical to be able to try on in person. Still, I like how you can filter results by size, so you only see your options. I find New Balance makes shoes in a pretty wide range of sizes for men, and you can get some in stores but they’re really expensive (100+). But you can find good sneakers in a couple of pretty decent styles on the Internet for $60.
I really wish that more shoes stores carried a wider range of sizes, or that there were a shoe store that catered to people with bigger/wider feet.
Duo Boots. Based in the UK they will ship. Wide and narrow fit shoes and boots. Size range 35-43 (european which I think is up to a US 12), calf width 30-50 cm, shoe width 19.5-23.5 cm. They have a good returns policy and have been really helpful when I emailed them with questions (I’m based in Australia). The boots are great quality – I’m just finishing my second winter season with a pair I bought a couple of years ago and they are still going strong and wearing well. They aren’t cheap but worth it to get boots that fit my rather large calves. http://www.duoboots.com/.
Yay, I was just coming to mention Duo! I’ve had a couple of pairs of Duo boots which I wore to death – not cheap, but if I averaged it out per wear they were definitely worth it!
Oh my, oh my, oh my! Knee high boots that will actually fit me. I have two pairs of “wide” boots that are still too small for my calves. This makes me very happy!
Argh! Shoe width above should be up to 27 cm. Stupid fingers.
Buy New Zealand made shoes. Or perhaps Hawaiian, or several other South Pacific nations. The people of the South Pacific are generally tall, broad folks and therefore require bigger shoes than a lot of the stuff made in other parts of the world (particularly Asia, where the shoes are beautiful but tend to be small).
I recommend Saucony for athletic shoes–I’m a 10W with a monster high instep and they’re the only company that seems to make shoes that don’t hurt my feet. Helps that they’re incredibly light-weight, too.
I think I’m the biggest gal here–I wear women’s size 15WW, but where do you find that size?? Nowhere–until I found Dreamshoes. This place has been a blessing for me! I can finally find shoes that are fashionable and don’t look like stripper shoes. They don’t even bother with size 10 or 11 and they go all the way to size 16!
I wear a size 13 sometimes 14. barefoottess.com and endless.com are my favs. The service at barefoot tess is unmatched and the selection is great.
Nordstroms carries larger women’s shoes. Pricey! BUT if you are lucky enough to have a Nordstrom Rack in your town that is what I would recommend. Literally tons of brand-named shoes and they even will add you on their large size shoe event mailer for special occasions when they bring in a lot more options
Ladies!
Online shopping is your friend here, look at brands like T.U.K, Demonia and Doc Marten (their new collections have heels! And damn fine heels at that).
They’re pretty much always true to size and a majority have square toes which generally caters for the foot that needs just a little more room.
PLUS….these three are very alternative. I’ve been buying since I was about 14 – now 18 – and I’ve still got the first pair I ever bought. So…Longeity ladies, pretty decent quality for the price (around 65 AUD a pair plus shipping).
UK and USA ladies are lucky, they’re much cheaper in your countries….I brought back 8 pairs when I went to the UK last month simply because the postage is crippling!
Happy shopping!
XX
BB
And a little PS: Can I just say for anyone considering ordering from pleaser or the bordello line……They’re so narrow it’s not funny. Even for the unwide foot they pinch.
XX
I wear a size 13 and i’ve looked on each and every website there is and I love how now we with sizes 12 and up are included but why is that when we find shoes that run people size 5 shoes cost $20 to $40 and my size jumps up to $179 i’ve just about had it trying to wear heels!!!
So late to the party on this post, but I wanted to mention Marmi:
http://shop.marmishoes.com/index.htm
You can buy online, or if you have the luck to have a store near you, they stock sizes from 4-13, in widths from super slim to wide. There’s one in NYC that I visited, and I dropped over $300 there, but I was very happy with the quality of the shoes. :)