Shoe size Issues

[brandonA718]

Hello everyone
My shoe issue involves finding nice shoes that fit, i wear a size 14.5. I have just turned 17 so bespoke shoes or any really high priced shoes are not an option. However I am fortunate enough to be able to spend a decent amount of money. I wear shoes to school everyday with slacks, a shirt and tie so they would be used regularly.
Thanks in advance for any help

 

[mensimageconsultant]

Allen Edmonds comes to mind, but what is your country of residence and what brand(s) do you wear now?

 

[MyOtherLife]

Welcome to Styleforum brandonA718.
Is your 14.5 sizing based on sneaker size per chance?

 

[brandonA718]

im in the US. New York specifically. And yes the 14.5 was sneakers. I usually get a 14 with a wide width when I buy shoes, though recently I bought a pair of Tods drivers and a 13 fit so I'm not 100% sure on a definite size. And currently I wear a pair of gucci loafers i was given awhile ago. Thanks for your feedback

 

[mensimageconsultant]

Leather slip-ons stretch, so the educated guess is the correct shoe size is closer to 13.5. You need to try things on. New York as in the city? A simple tactic would be to visit Nordstrom and try on brands like Allen Edmonds, Ferragamo, and Bruno Magli. Call ahead to get an idea of how many 13.5+ dress shoes the local store carries.

 

[brandonA718]

Thanks a lot for the suggestion. I usually go to Neiman Marcus but their selection of shoes over a 12 is very limited. I'll be sure to try Nordstrom. What price range should I be expecting and/or looking for? And lastly does it make sense to save for a pair of really high end bespoke shoes if I'm not sure that my feet are done growing? Might be a silly question.

 

[random-adam]

Not a silly question at all -- my shoe size matched my age until I was a sophomore in high school. By all means start saving now but give your feet 12-18 months to see if size fluctuates before you pull the trigger.

I'll second the Allen Edmonds advice. If possible, visit a factory store; I have heard tell that in the more extreme sizes department stores might compromise proper width measurement to sell what they have instead of what is perfect, and when you're first starting out it's worth doing it right. Do this later in the day after you've been on your feet for a while. Once your feet have been properly Brannock'd and you've tried on a couple different lasts, you can start investigating eBay. Outlying-sized feet can often mean insane deals on NOS shoes way off the right side of the bell curve.

 

[brandonA718]

Thanks for the advice. As soon as I can I'll look into Allen Edmonds and the factory stores. I'll start saving now so I can be prepared to make what I believe is a sizable bespoke shoe purchase. Should I avoid department stores for measurement altogether?

 

[mw313]

Hey Brandon,

I know how you feel. I had the same problem when I was in high school because my feet were always growing. Do not go by your sneaker size to figure out your shoe size. Your shoe size usually will be smaller in any nicer brand of shoes and it can vary a bit more depending on the last that the shoe is made on. The width of your foot can have an impact on them too.

To give you an example with me. I am about a US 16 in sneakers but I am a 15 in shoes and sometimes can wear a 14 depending on the fit of the last, like a Barrie/Truebalance from Alden. The most important part for you in length is where the shoe bends. You need to have "wiggle room" in the front of your shoe (a thumb nail space is a good rule of thumb, but some people like a little more and some a little less. that is up to you, especially when you get into the large sizes like this because that amount of space is not that much in comparison to the length of your foot.

Go by where the widest part of your foot (the ball) is. That should line up with the widest part of the shoe and your foot should bend at that spot on the shoe. That is the most important.

The width of your shoes make much more of a difference than you would think. In sneakers it really isn't that big of a deal because sneakers with mesh really don't get problems and "leather" sneakers like for basketball are not anywhere close to the type in nice shoes. A nice shoe will get unusual creases that decrease the life of the shoe.
If your foot is pretty regular in size, you won't have a problem with getting shoes in your size range. Allen Edmonds, Alden, Bruno Magli, Ferragamo, Magnanni, and Mezlan are just a few that can be closer to your price range. There actually are quite a few others too, so you do not need bespoke shoes. If you are a very unusual width, then you may have some problems, but there are many brands who don't charge extremely expensive prices, especially like the ones of bespoke makers.

I personally am the worst they come. 15AAA so i have personally spoken to just about every shoe maker on the planet and i'm not exaggerating either. Every major British, Italian, Spanish, Eastern European, and American shoe maker that i could find. I also have spoken to many bespoke makers. Most have even laughed when they heard my size because they didn't even know that it existed. To make things worse, my heel is even more narrow like a 5A. So if you want more info, just ask. Narrow's are my specialty because they are the most difficult to find. the best to contact for at least somewhat narrow are Allen Edmonds, Alden, and a couple British and Italian.

Being wide can be quite a problem too, but there are quite a few who work well with wides, like the British, American, and Eastern European.

I have been able to make enough contacts over the time of figuring out who can make what sizes, so it would be great if we can figure out who else is into shoes and has some of these large sizes. I may be able to work some kind of deal out for us if there are enough who would be interested.

Sorry for such a long message but this is actually my first post on here and i wanted to show that i hope to have a good impact on the information side of the shoe section of this great site. I'm in medical school for podiatry as well as foot/ankle surgery so i know quite a bit about the side already and hope to help in any way that i can.

-Matt

 

[mw313]

Also if I know what region you're from, I may have a contact or two who can help fit you properly too. Just let me know because I have quite a few contacts around the country.

 

[mw313]

Were you okay in finding shoes in your size?