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As the man says, we need to shop for shoes just like clothing. I keep telling my wife that a dress size is merely a guide, and to start a size or two low then
by simonblack 4y ago
As the man says, we need to shop for shoes just like clothing. I keep telling my wife that a dress size is merely a guide, and to start a size or two low then keep increasing till the dress fits. Who cares what that final number happens to be.
I live in trainers. I have learned that my size and model is New Balance model 624 in a 4E wide and a size 42 European. I use the European sizing by preference because it gives a finer sizing than the British or American sizing.
It's almost frightening that I can walk into the shoe store and walk out again in less than two minutes with my shoes.
But if I want to buy any other shoes, I have great difficulty. Invariably, the shoes on sale are not wide enough. Sometimes I have bought shoes in a larger size like a 43 or even a 44 to get enough width. But almost invariably again, they are just NQR. And forget about elastic-sided shoes. They are just so tight that I can't even get my foot into the ones with the correct length. I would love a pair of espadrilles. Yeah, right. Dream on.
As I said above, I live in trainers. They're the only ones that 'fit right'.
- cafard 4y agoNew Balance is great for people with very wide feet. I'm not one of them, but have had friends who do.
- kemitchell 4y agoI have never worn a dress, but I've learned that dress sizes are worse than feeble guidance. They have become, for certain brands and items, a sales lever. And a subtly cruel one one at that. Menswear brands creep ever closer to parity. Measure waist and leg on a pair of new Levi's sometime! I like European shoe sizing for putting everyone on scale: men, women, adults, children, everyone. But I understand those sizes refer to last length, rather than foot length. The higher numbers lend a sense of precision, but the limiting factor is what shoe lasts the manufacture uses, not how they number them. Europeans measure in Paris points, or 2/3 of a centimeter. The US and UK measure in barleycorns, or 1/3 of an inch. 1/3 * 1 in * 2.54 cm per in = 0.847 cm, which is very close. And there are often half sizes. There is a pretty, clean, uniform system, Mondopoint, which makes a lot more sense. Basically nobody uses it. Ski boots, I'm told. The wiser online sellers publish fit tables based on heel-toe length, Imperial and metric. When they offer different widths, they publish tables with ball circumferences. Not linear widths, like Brannocks measure.