Shoe question

Bengal-Stripe or any others familiar with European shoe sizes.  I received my first pair of C&J handgrade Whitehalls the other day from Foxx's Malaysia connection and love them. But I have a question on the sizing.  In American shoes I wear 91/2 D, and I ordered, on the recommendation of the salesman, 81/2 E for the Whitehalls.

Due to a childhood accident, my right foot is slightly smaller than my left. The right C&J fit snug but just about right, while the left was a bit painful. I am stretching it now, with newspaper and a shoe tree. Two questions:  The leather will open up a bit and with time this should be allright, correct?

The other question, would an F width perhaps be better for the next time? The shoes are OK in the length, they are a bit painful on the top of the foot and in the heel. Is it better to buy English shoes snug and stretch them, or should I consider an F width next time?

I suppose it's rather difficult to say what size might have been better. My instincts would probably go for 9 E and if necessary to add an insole to compensate for the right (smaller) foot. In an ideal world you would have tried on 8 ½ F and 9 E and could have decided which was the better size. Shoe sizes vary from last to last even within the same manufacturers range (Alden has a difference of ½ size between the "Barry" and the "Aberdeen" last.) They can vary enormously between different makers (In Prada shoes you might have to go 1 ½ sizes smaller.) To a certain extend leather will stretch and will adjust to your foot. Also every shoe repairer should be able to stretch a pair of shoes (within reason). You said the length is all right. That's the most important thing, as the length cannot really be increased. Have a word with a good cobbler; he should be able to advise you. http://www.shoesonthenet.com/shoe_repair_column.html If the shoe in question does not need too much stretching, get a bottle of liquid and let your foot do the stretching; the advantage is you cannot overstretch and bust stitching that way. Otherwise you might have to get some devise to do the stretching: http://www.emocs.com/stretchers.htm Just don't overdo it.

I have the same problem, my left foot is bigger than my right by a quarter inch or so. Apparently, most people have one foot larger than the other, and usually it's the left (so I feel a bit normal Usually I buy shoes sized to the larger foot, then compensate as necessary for the right (in the shoes I'm wearing now, I have a regular Dr. Scholls Air Pillo insole in the right.)