Online shoe-buying blues

[moltoelegante]

There has to be an better way to buy shoes online than this... I have tried 5 times to buy shoes online now and had to send them all back for not fitting properly. I have tried using many shoe fitting guides but they lead to vastly different results, with size suggestions anywhere between 8 and 10 (UK) and widths from normal to extra-wide. In other words, all over the place. Example: if I measure my feet carefully as instructed on the Meccariello site, I come out as a 9.5 E/normal width (UK) but according to the Septième Largeur site, I am an 8-8.5 depending on the last. My most comfortable shoes are a Loake boot size 8.5 (UK) on the Claridge F last.

Today I tried on some Magnanni shoes (bought online) which were too tight in width but already slipping in the heel. A size larger or smaller won't fix that, so it's not just a sizing issue but a proportion issue.

I'm in awe of anyone who manages to find a properly fitting shoe online. Unfortunately there are no brick and mortar shops in my area with real shoes to try on or buy and almost no online shoe shops in Europe are offering free returns, so the whole exercise becomes a big waste of time and shipping costs.

I'm getting to the stage where I am considering buying bulk orders of 10 shoes at one time just to see if I can get lucky with one pair.

How do you all seem to manage it so easily?

 

[breakaway01]

Have you been measured on a Brannock device by someone who knows that they're doing? I am not sure about the situation where you live in Europe, but in the US, Alden and Allen-Edmonds physical stores have trained sales associates who seem to know how to measure your feet on a Brannock and a wide range of sizes/widths to try on.

I apologize if this is very basic and you already know all of this, but the shape of a shoe is determined by the "last" it is constructed around. Different manufacturers use different lasts, and even within the same manufacturer there are different lasts. It can be hard to translate your size in one shoe to a shoe in a different last unless you know the differences between the two lasts.

It is also possible that you have unusually proportioned feet and this is the main cause of your problems. Either way, would recommend going to a store that only sells higher-end shoes for a proper fitting and advice based on your foot shape.

 

[moltoelegante]

Either way, would recommend going to a store that only sells higher-end shoes for a proper fitting and advice based on your foot shape.

I appreciate your helpful reply but there is no such shop in my city or even region. Anyway, those measurements should be achievable in other ways. The problem is with matching those measurements to a pair of oxfords you see online.

 

[breakaway01]

I appreciate your helpful reply but there is no such shop in my city or even region. Anyway, those measurements should be achievable in other ways. The problem is with matching those measurements to a pair of oxfords you see online.

maybe buy a Brannock device on eBay (about $35-50 USD) and start from there? It's just going to be a more standard measurement than trying to measure your feet yourself.

 

[johng70]

Even with a brannock measurement, you're often not going to know how a given last will fit your foot. Usually when I buy a new brand I'll do some analysis here or elsewhere on how the given last compares to a last in a shoe I already own. When I started buying better shoes I started with AE and Alden and brick and mortar. What I found for example, is: I am a very average 9.5D on brannock. But the AE 5 last in 9.5E is my best fit. Other lasts it's 9.5D and some lasts just are poor fits so I can't buy shoes in that last for AE. Alden I've had less problems with (although I followed the advice to size down 1/2 size so my Alden's are 9D instead of 9.5D. But, that's the benefit other buyers or the manufacturer provide. I own several different lasts in Carmina - there are different pinch points in the different lasts. Sizing up will create more problems as the OP noted. They're fine for general office wear but not nearly as comfortable for a lot of walking as shoes from other brands with different lasts. If bad fit is the rule for you rather than the exception, my advice is to buy from places with solid return policy until you find a manufacturer and last that works well for your feet. Then get your core rotation of dress shoes in that last. For casual lasts, this should be much less of an issue with rounder, and taller toe boxes you shouldn't be encountering the problem.

 

[comrade]

The only times I was successful buying shoes online was when I ordered
the exact size and model of a shoe I already owned or had tried in a store.
This has largely been confined to running shoes (trainers) or leather casual
Chukkas.

 

[moltoelegante]

^ That is why the only pair of shoes which I ever ordered online which were a success were exact replacements of shoes I had already owned.

Since starting this thread I have ordered and returned a frustrating 8 more pairs of shoes which didn't fit

 

[Zerase]

I've found this chart by the affiliate Swedish shoe shop Skoaktiebolaget very very helpful

Last and Size Comparisons Library

Use this data as a great source for fitting across many premium shoe brands. You will find comparisons for these brands; John Lobb, Edward Green, Carmina Shoemaker, Löf & Tung, Gazinao & Girling, Enzo Bonafè, Paolo Scafora, Foster & Son, Loake, Carlos Santos, Crockett & Jones, Church's, Saint...

www.skoaktiebolaget.com

I have bought plenty of shoes with the help of this chart and only one pair did not fit.

 

[prof.contingency]

maybe buy a Brannock device on eBay (about $35-50 USD) and start from there? It's just going to be a more standard measurement than trying to measure your feet yourself.

@breakaway01
Agreed with this! First measure with a brannock and then let either the manufacturer or the retailer know your feet size. Often, manufacturers do not reply, and retailers, sometimes, don't know the size of the lasts that they sell. But specialist and high-end shops will likely know. For example, we have all the measurements to our last lengths and widths at hand.

For almost all of the English makes, there is one very notable, as well as reputable (deservedly so), last maker who will have all the measurements. Indeed, they yield the power to make the most amazing sizing translation guide of all time. But confidentiality and discreetness are often at play.

When one is without the trusty Brannock, the second-best option would be to use a measuring tape (but have someone else do it for you). This will get you in the ballpark range.

There's also the matter of the last shape -- but there's nothing you can do about this except to try a different manufacturer or a shoe style that has a different last.

 

[darkcharger]

I have very difficult feet (US 8.5 4E, flat with high insteap) and outside of in-person/bespoke fittings, the only place I have found success is with Saint Crispin's. They offer modified personal lasts and will send a trial pair to you. They will arrange an online video chat to validate the fit of the trial pair and any modifications you may want/need. Certainly more expensive than ready to wear but a great option for challenging feet/fit.

Cyber Fitting - Saint Crispin's

www.saintcrispins.com

 

[breakaway01]

Even with a brannock measurement, you're often not going to know how a given last will fit your foot. Usually when I buy a new brand I'll do some analysis here or elsewhere on how the given last compares to a last in a shoe I already own.

all true but at least a Brannock measurement gives the OP a starting point. As you wrote, pretty typical to size down 1/2 from Brannock for Alden's Barrie last. But if you don't know where to start from at all, then you have a problem.

To the OP -- if Loake's Claridge last fits you then you should have a good starting point? I find it pretty true to size. So 8.5 UK, medium width. Would guess that you'd fit in an 8.5 UK Carmina Rain, Inca, Forest lasted shoe or boot. Have you tried any of those?

 

[JFWR]

^ That is why the only pair of shoes which I ever ordered online which were a success were exact replacements of shoes I had already owned.

Since starting this thread I have ordered and returned a frustrating 8 more pairs of shoes which didn't fit

Might I ask where you live that you have no shoe stores at all? I mean, any shoe store could measure your foot, which would give you something to go on.

It might also be the case you have a very difficult sized foot.

 

[Phileas Fogg]

There has to be an better way to buy shoes online than this... I have tried 5 times to buy shoes online now and had to send them all back for not fitting properly. I have tried using many shoe fitting guides but they lead to vastly different results, with size suggestions anywhere between 8 and 10 (UK) and widths from normal to extra-wide. In other words, all over the place. Example: if I measure my feet carefully as instructed on the Meccariello site, I come out as a 9.5 E/normal width (UK) but according to the Septième Largeur site, I am an 8-8.5 depending on the last. My most comfortable shoes are a Loake boot size 8.5 (UK) on the Claridge F last.

Today I tried on some Magnanni shoes (bought online) which were too tight in width but already slipping in the heel. A size larger or smaller won't fix that, so it's not just a sizing issue but a proportion issue.

I'm in awe of anyone who manages to find a properly fitting shoe online. Unfortunately there are no brick and mortar shops in my area with real shoes to try on or buy and almost no online shoe shops in Europe are offering free returns, so the whole exercise becomes a big waste of time and shipping costs.

I'm getting to the stage where I am considering buying bulk orders of 10 shoes at one time just to see if I can get lucky with one pair.

How do you all seem to manage it so easily?

where do you live that buying online is your only option?

 

[moltoelegante]

I'm in Catania, Sicily, where the only shoe options are the low-cost plastic high street shoes: Aldo, Bata, Geox, Nike, etc.

When life returns to normal I guess I need to fly to Florence/Rome/Milan for an intensive 2-3 days shoe shopping.

 

[dieworkwear]

In the United States, even stores that sell Aldos and Geox will have a Brannock device. I'm sure you can give the person a small payment for the service for measuring you.

I agree with breakaway that the Brannock should be your first stop in understanding your shoe size.