Shoes for larger feet! Grrrr...... (product, girls, red, mens)

[omigawd]

Before I had my daughter (13 years ago), my feet were a size 9 or 9 1/2 depending on the shoe. I never had a problem finding shoes that fit properly, looked great, and were comfortable.

Well, ever since being pregnant, my feet grew. I also gained a lot of weight since having her and haven't been able to lose. I'm now in a size 11 wide --- that's 2 sizes and 1 width bigger than what I previously wore!

Anyway, my problem now is finding shoes that are nice looking, comfortable, and fit properly. I don't like buying shoes online. I'd rather buy them at a store where I can try them on, walk around a bit, and see how they look and feel but it seems no stores carry larger sizes and, if they do, they're cheap synthetic shoes or aren't nice looking or look like "old lady" shoes.

Does anyone know of any stores that sell larger shoes for women???

[WyoNewk]

You don't say where you live, so it would be hard for someone to recommend a shoe store, especially since you mentioned that you don't like to shop online for shoes, which is probably wise.

I owned and ran an upscale shoe store in the 80s, so I'm sure things have changed some since then, but I'll tell you how it was then.

Most of our "budget priced" designer brands, such as 9-West and Calico, didn't offer shoes in your size (11W) at all. Their sizes were usually 5M to 10M. We carried a wide selection of sizes in Red Cross with the hope that we could offer something to fit anyone who came in, but I don't believe we carried 11W in any woman's dress shoe. We did carry 11M and 11N, but in 11W I think all we had were a few casual shoes and nurses shoes which we carried up to size 12W. For 11W in a dress shoe we'd have had to special order it, I believe from Red Cross. (Yes, Red Cross offered a decent variety of nice dress shoes.)

Special orders usually took about a week for us to get out here in Wyoming. Our policy with special orders was that you had to pay for them at the time of ordering. If they didn't fit we'd send them back and get another size, but that seldom, if ever, happened.

If you're in a city you might try the big and tall specialty shops. If none of those carry shoes you like or if you're in a smaller city, I'd suggest getting on the phone and calling the better shoe stores in your area and asking if they can help you. Sometimes the smaller, family-owned stores will work harder and have more experienced staff on hand to fit you properly. Had you called my store when I had it, we'd have been very happy to assist you in getting shoes that were appealing to you and fit properly, as once we had established a good relationship with you we'd figure we probably had a loyal customer.

Good luck! I know it can be tough finding unusual sizes. I dated a gal once who had tiny feet (size 3). She had to buy girls' shoes or boys' tennis shoes.

Incidentally, and I'm sure you're already aware of this, but for walking shoes or athletic shoes, consider shopping in the men's department. Some of the styles are the same as ladies styles but run wider, and you shouldn't have any problem at all finding a proper fit. A man's 9M would probably be about right for you, although you just never know with shoe sizes. Unfortunately, as we all know, shoe sizes are not standardized very well.

[omigawd]

Oops!! Sorry; I should have mentioned that I'm in New York --- Manhattan and Long Island.

When you say "Red Cross" -- do you mean as in the American Red Cross disaster organization?

The big/tall women's clothing stores mainly carry either cheaply made/synthetic shoes or shoes that are way overpriced.

I agree with you about the men's sneakers. They do tend to run wider and they're much more comfortable than women's.

Thank you!!!!!

[TheImportersWife]

size 12 here. (Been a size 12 since HS, so you can imagine my struggles.)

I used to go to Craft Shoes in Commack and Nordstrom's at Roosevelt Field BUT I'm a Zappos.com and Endless.com addict now. Their search features make it so easy to find my size & styles I like; they usually offer free shipping and free returns and for most, they upgrade the shipping to free next day shipping (I'm a VIP at Zappos, so I always get the free next day shipping.) I just order a bunch of pairs and return what I don't like/don't fit.


Most shoe stores don't carry my size, so I don't waste my time at retail stores. I've been buying my shoes from catalogs since the late 80s and online since the late 90s.

[JustJulia]

I think a lot of shoe manufacturers (9 West, Naturalizer, etc.) offer more sizes on their websites. Department stores tend to only buy common sizes, rather than risk having some 11Ws on the back shelves, not selling.

Naturalizer Spring Denim Leather Beata

[omigawd]

Thanks, everyone. Great suggestions and thanks for reminding me of Zappos (never even thought of that!) and Endless (never knew about it) I also thought about going to the manufacturers site, but never did.

Great advice!!!

Thanks again!!

[ayasoso]

Womens Nike Dunk shoe new colors at low prices now, You can find thoes shoes, not only save your money but aslo comfortable for your feet.

[SXMGirl]

Maryland Square has shoes to a size 14 and in many different widths. Visit their website. If you have a DSW near you, stop in and see what they have.

[Hedgehog_Mom]

I like the shoes at Avenue. My problem is that they're all wide widths. I don't wear heels that often so I don't need them to last a million years, so usually I buy party shoes from Avenue.

For athletic shoes, I wear men's sizes, usually...but Skechers are easy to find in a ladies 11 and often run wide, so if I want something cuter than men's shoes, I look for Skechers.

Oh, and for sandals...the best I've found were Okabashi in men's sizes...their LL fits a women's 11. They're super-cheap too, you can get them at Walgreens for $10 and they last a year. There's about a two-week break in period for them though, during which your feet will ache.

[Bluesmama]

Opposite problem here. I'm a 7 but mine are narrow, and it's a rare shoe that fits comfortably. Very, very frustrating.