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shoe fit frustration

negusnegas

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I am not sure if I am the only person, but I just wanted to express my frustration with my inability to find the kind of diversification of shoe fits that one can find in virtually every other item of clothing. To give a bit of background, I wear a 13 or 14, which already puts me in an unenviable position, but on top of that I have very flat feet that are narrow with narrow ankles. This has lead to an incredible amount of frustration, because even if I can find the proper length, I have found either are width issues, or the foot rolls inward too much ruining the line of the shoe or the ankle is entire too loose. It seemingly doesn't matter weather I buy Testoni, Magli, Ferragamo or some budget shoes, because in the end my feet will be hurting and more likely then not the shoe ill fitting. How do people deal with this. It appears that at this point in time there is no reasonably priced MTM or slightly more customized shoe option out there, which is suprising given the number of options that have sprung up for clothing in recent years. Is there any particular reason why there doesn't seem to be anything below 1K, when it comes customizing options?
 

bigbris1

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You should be able to find Alden and Allen Edmonds shoes that fit your feet properly at the very least as they both offer varying ball and heel widths.
 

Cary Grant

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Originally Posted by bigbris1
You should be able to find Alden and Allen Edmonds shoes that fit your feet properly at the very least as they both offer varying ball and heel widths.

Agreed. Have you tried AE? Granted- most stockists don't have narrows on hand, especially your lenth. As another person with narrow feet, I (literally) feel your pain. It might be worth a trip to a main AE store and spend an afternoon trying the various lasts.


Look here. Many AE's available in 14B Several even in 14AAA.

There are also some Martegani's whose last is particularly narrow, dunnow if you can get them in a 14 though.

As to your question "Is there soem reason... < $1000?" It's pretty obvious: supply and demand. I've got the same gripe about RTW shirt sleeves all too short
plain.gif


Additionally, have you visited a podiatrist? It's worth a once-over.
 

DWFII

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Originally Posted by negusnegas
Is there any particular reason why there doesn't seem to be anything below 1K, when it comes customizing options?
No disrespect intended, but why is this so hard to understand? You have a singular foot. I use that word intentionally. How can a manufacturer possibly afford to make a shoe..."a shoe"... that may only sell once every ten years. Maybe not even that, considering that there are other manufacturers who...in an ideal world...would be competing for your one pair of shoes. All feet are unique. Don't blame your feet. But don't blame the manufacturer, either. Better to come to the realization that, having unique, singular, feet, you need a unique, singular, solution. Bespoke shoes are the answer. Maybe not one you want to hear but in your situation perhaps the only credible one. You may not find a bespoke maker that will make you a pair of custom fit shoes for less than 1K but you should be able to find one that will do it for not much more than 1k. Now it won't be a Lobb or a Gaziano or a EG but it may be a very good fit nevertheless. What's more you will not only be fit in the length but in the heelseat and treadwidth. Pronation (rolling to the inside) can be addressed by the structure of a well made bespoke shoe--fittings in the shoe itself that provide a stability that is not often found in a RTW shoe--or in the last and the way that it is shaped. I have access to a old 1930's era West End last that addresses that very issue as well as the issue of narrow heels. But any bespoke maker worth his salt, so to speak, will undoubtedly be aware of these issues and know how to address them.
 

comrade

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I too have difficult to fit feet. I wear 4E running shoes.
and not all 4Es fit. Since you are in New York, and depending
on your budget you might try:

vogelboots.com, or perryercolino.com

Both do true bespoke. Vogel is relatively inexpensive,
and Ercolino produces traditional shoes at a much higher
price-point. I have used neither, but both have been
recommended in this forum
 

philosophe

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I strongly recommend a trip to Moulded Shoe at 10 E 39th St in Manhattan. They specialize in hard to fit feet and have a lot of special Alden models. They also make custom inserts.
 

comrade

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Originally Posted by philosophe
I strongly recommend a trip to Moulded Shoe at 10 E 39th St in Manhattan. They specialize in hard to fit feet and have a lot of special Alden models. They also make custom inserts.

The couldn't fit me except in ugly Alden orthopedic shoes.
They are really great to deal with however and really seem
to know fitting.
 

negusnegas

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Thank you for all the replies. I definitely will check into all of the different AE and Aldens. I don't know what it is with some people on the forum, but the snide remarks are entirely unnecessary. I was merely expressing a frustration of mine after walking into yet another shoe store(Barker Black) only to find that the shoes just won't fit. I was an Econ major so I have a decent enough command of supply and demand, but I would almost argue that given the number of options existing for MTM shirts, it is surprising that there either isn't enough demand or just difficulty in working out a profitable enough business model to provide more customizable footwear that doesn't look hideously ugly. So yes, I know I am one foot, and as such don't present enough of a market for a seller. However, considering the amount of time people spend on their feet, I find it amazing that people accept subpar shoe fit even at rather expensive prices. I mean even in the $700 plus space, it seems like buying shoes is still a gamble at best.
 

DWFII

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Originally Posted by negusnegas
Thank you for all the replies. I definitely will check into all of the different AE and Aldens. I don't know what it is with some people on the forum, but the snide remarks are entirely unnecessary. I was merely expressing a frustration of mine after walking into yet another shoe store(Barker Black) only to find that the shoes just won't fit. I was an Econ major so I have a decent enough command of supply and demand, but I would almost argue that given the number of options existing for MTM shirts, it is surprising that there either isn't enough demand or just difficulty in working out a profitable enough business model to provide more customizable footwear that doesn't look hideously ugly. So yes, I know I am one foot, and as such don't present enough of a market for a seller. However, considering the amount of time people spend on their feet, I find it amazing that people accept subpar shoe fit even at rather expensive prices. I mean even in the $700 plus space, it seems like buying shoes is still a gamble at best.
If you are referring to my post, there was no intent to be snide or offensive. It wasn't personal. And I apologize if it came off that way. I was just expressing my frustration that so many otherwise intelligent people fail to understand that buying OTR shoes will always be a gamble...always. Fail to understand that the foot isn't a static lump of wood or plastic that can be squeezed into any old box that happens to be empty and at hand. In your case, the gamble will always be high stakes, low return. In all my years in the Trade I cannot tell you how many people I have seen who have "singular" feet--for bespoke shoemakers, a large proportion of the feet we see do not fit the bell curve. Unfortunately many of those we see have spent a good portion of their lives making that gamble...and losing it...over and over again, as if it was a compulsion they could not break. Years of refusing to accept that, no matter what the brand, no matter what the price, another pair RTW shoes isn't going to fit any better than the last pair. These customers may understand economics (almost certainly better than I do), they may be rocket scientists, but there seems to be a disconnect when it comes to their feet. By the time they finally understand the futility of endlessly repeating the same mistake, the damage is done and it is much harder to make them comfortable...if it can be done at all. Suit yourself. You will anyway. I know one subject pretty well...I was just trying to offer some practical, no nonsense, drawn-from-a-lifetime-of-experience, straight-from-the-bench, advice in response to your complaint. No charge. But in the end it's just words...and you get what you pay for.
 

negusnegas

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To previous poster, I most certainly appreciate you responding at lenght and providing your insight free of charge. My post was a statement as much in regard to my actual conundrum as it was about what you had previously mentioned, more than anything people accept subpar fit when they purchase shoes. I find this somewhat amazing, because the amount of time people spend on their feet. One generally can choose to wear their shirt a bit too tight or loose without serious discomfort, but what cannot stand or walk for extended periods in shoes that do not fit without feeling the pain. So my frustration is directed as much to my situation as it is the fact that in a free market society, the market has not responded as one would expect it and/or consumer have not been vocal enough in making their desires known. Either way, not knowing too much about the cost of quality shoe leathers, manufacturing equipment, hourly wages of cobblers, I feel there has to be a embedded operating margin somewhere that would allow someone to provide a higher degree of customization, while still providing stylish and comfortable shoes at a price point below $900 given enough sales volume. Once again, you would probably know better than I, but it's just something that really motivated me to write the thread. I would rather own three well fitting pairs of shoes than the ten pseudo fitting pairs that I have now, but the price point of bespoke shoes is just in a different stratosphere. Just my thoughts.
 

philosophe

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Originally Posted by comrade
The couldn't fit me except in ugly Alden orthopedic shoes.
They are really great to deal with however and really seem
to know fitting.


Sorry to hear that. I have a good looking Alden split toe from Moulded Shoe, and they had some nice captoes as well. They do make custom shoes.

To the OP, Moulded Shoe does have a helluva lot of shoes in specialty sizes, and the owners are great guys. Even if you don't find the perfect shoes there, you will probably learn a few things.
 

bullethead

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you may want to try C&amp;J in a 348 last, which runs narrow and can fit a 14US
 

Bartolo

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I'll add one more factor that frustrates the shoe fitting process -- the 'it needs to break in' syndrome. An odd jacket or pair of trousers doesn't change much once you bring it home. If it doesn't fit when you leave the store or tailor's shop, it's very likely not going to get any better on its own. A dress shirt does shink by some factor, often unknown to the buyer, but often not enough to pose a problem to most. But shoes? We all-too-often hear "they stretch," they feel better after x wearings," "they just need to break in," etc etc. This adds yet another variable that makes it difficult to decide whether to purchase a pair of shoes based on a short try-on period. For me, if they don't feel pretty darned good initially, I'm not giving them a chance. Still, some of my shoes feel and fit better than others. And it's why so many of us find a brand and last that work and then stick with it. It's why you so often see the "which last is that on" question. Heck it might even prompt some kook to purchase multiple pairs of the same shoe! At least that's what I've heard . . .
wink.gif
 

Cary Grant

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Originally Posted by negusnegas
To previous poster, I most certainly appreciate you responding at lenght and providing your insight free of charge. My post was a statement as much in regard to my actual conundrum as it was about what you had previously mentioned, more than anything people accept subpar fit when they purchase shoes.

The honest reality is: most people just don't know what proper fit is. 99.9% are brought up buying what is available that they can afford. In otherwords, they don't know what they don't know.

Truthfully, most folks do have feet that typical OTR shoes fit well enough. They cause no pain, wear OK. For folks like you and me with odd feet and discomfort, it's a whole different game.
 

DWFII

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Originally Posted by Cary Grant
The honest reality is: most people just don't know what proper fit is. 99.9% are brought up buying what is available that they can afford. In otherwords, they don't know what they don't know. Truthfully, most folks do have feet that typical OTR shoes fit well enough. They cause no pain, wear OK. For folks like you and me with odd feet and discomfort, it's a whole different game.
I agree with you...up to a point....where I differ is that, in my opinion, most people could benefit from a bespoke shoe. [Although once they had a bespoke shoe they might not be satisfied going back to RTW.
devil.gif
] I am certain, from long experience, that people have different levels of tolerance and sensitivity to pain or discomfort. The point is that just because the RTW customer feels no pain, that does not indicate a 'proper' fit or even a satisfactory fit. Now having said that, the definition of a healthy "normal" foot is one that functions without pain. So, by extension the definition of a functional fit, is one that causes no pain. But it is well to remember that the foot can tolerate tremendous variances from proper fit--it is functionally flexible--without immediate pain or discomfort. The problem is that over the long run, being constrained in an ill fitting shoe will permanently damage the foot--just as surely as a shoddy job of trimming the hooves of a horse can cripple it. To the OP...there are any number of isolated (not in SF, LA, London or NYC), low-overhead, bespoke shoemakers who could make you a shoe for $900.00. They won't be a Gaziano or a Lobb (in such cases part of what you are buying is "blue sky"--a name, IOW) but if you choose correctly you might not only get a surprisingly good fit, you might get a level of skill and attention to detail that surpasses even the high-priced, big name makers. My own prices start at that level. The real issue is what do you do when you have a problem like you have...when your foot is outside of the bounds of the statistical norm? No amount of wishing or imagining can create a large scale economic model that is viable for this kind of specialized work. Yet there is an economic model that addresses your situation...it is, as I said previously, the bespoke maker.
 

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