Narrow feet-- custom shoes?

I have a two fold question: any fellow narrow-footers out there (I am an A or a B)-- where do you get your shoes, and what fits you? Very few shoes fit me well, but I have found a few pairs of narrows here and there that are okay. Mostly I learn to live with loose fitting shoes, or stuff inserts in them, for a less then perfect solution. Are there any brands that offer many of there styles in very narrow sizes, rather then just a few? I am talking especially dress shoes, knowledge of any kind of narrow shoe would be valuable.

Second part: any one know a good place to get custom shoes made in the Boston area? I'd be willing to drop a few bucks for a pair or two of really nice, comfy, proper fitting custom shoes, but I can't find a place! I don't want to spend 2k on a pair, but I could see spending <1k on something special that will last a long time.

Thanks!

Have you tried Allen Edmonds? I don't own any american shoes myself but I hear, that they come in all widths and sizes.

I actually did stop in an allen edmunds store about a year ago, and was surprise that I could not find anything that fit well. Also, they did not seem to stock narrow in many of their styles, even though they might be manufactured in narrow.

Maybe I'll give it another shot this weekend.

srmd22 said:

I actually did stop in an allen edmunds store about a year ago, and was surprise that I could not find anything that fit well. Also, they did not seem to stock narrow in many of their styles, even though they might be manufactured in narrow.

Maybe I'll give it another shot this weekend.

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I'm sure they are more than glad to order them for you. check out their online store. they list all the sizes, width and lasts.

If you're able to, you can always try to find a retailer that offers free/cheap shipping and then order a few different pairs, and ship back the ones that don't fit. It sounds like you're in the US so it shouldn't cost that much.

I believe Alden also has narrow shoes.

I'll chime in as well for Allen Edmonds. I'm a 14AA, and they're the only folks who make comfortable shoes I can wear on my salary.

That said, I did have some MTM boots done up by a local-to-me fourth-generation bootmaker a couple years back, and they are outstanding... but finding them involved a healthy bit of luck.

For American shoes, AE and NOS Florsheim (before they were sold and started producing really crap cheap shoes) go all the way down to AAA width. Grenson's B width shoes are genuinely low volume and narrow for the correct size (though most people just see to size down and put up with a long toe box, it seems to me). Beware NOS Dexter; they're wide, and a "narrow" shoe tends to fit like a normal width one, so ask for sole dimensions.

For some unisex casual shoes (eg Tevas) you can just buy the women's ones in the large sizes and no-one notices. I've been sizing down on sleek lasts, cutting 3mm cork insoles for each pair of shoes, for most of my life

E and Alden both make a range of widths and lasts. For the biggest selection of Aldens, try Shoemart in CT or Moulded Shoe in NYC. The guys at Moulded are amazing fitters, so it could really be worth a trip.

I've also worn Ferragamo "B" widths. Ferragamo shoes run a little narrow, so the B is like an A. The Tramezza line is much better than the other Ferragamo lines, but you have to go with what fits.