• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Shoes for big feet

BlvdDandy

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2004
Messages
225
Reaction score
1
As someone with big feet (I wear a size 13, which I pray will not get any bigger) it's been a lifelong goal of mine to find shoes that flatter my anatomy. With casual footwear it's not that hard - I find shoes with laces closer to the toe accomplish this, as well as shoes with shorter vamps and small soles. But when it comes time to get even a little fancier - say, dressing up for a night on the town or business casual - I'm basically at a loss. I've had good luck recently with a driving moc kind of shoe, something that hugs the foot pretty close and always with a feature (like a tie or a horsebit) that visually breaks up the top part, but I'm wondering what else is out there. Does anyone have any experience with this? I'm thinking of maybe something like this , because I like the way the vamp (is that the right term for the top part of the shoe?) doesn't come up that far, as is does on a shoe like this. Any tips?
 

Manton

RINO
Joined
Apr 20, 2002
Messages
41,314
Reaction score
2,879
Yes, vamp is the correct term. Short or low vamps work best, as you have found. I would also avoid bluchers (derbys) and double soles.

If you're willing to shell out a gazillion bucks, there's nothing like a pair of bespoke shoes -- preferably in brown suede -- to make feet look tiny.  I'm a 12 D myself, and my gunboats look almost dainty in my bespoke shoes.
 

acole

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2004
Messages
221
Reaction score
0
Short or low vamps work best, as you have found.
Interesting consensus. Â I'm a 13C/D as well, and I consciously avoid low-vamp shoes. Â I don't like the vast (to my mind, anyway) expanse of sock that gets displayed, nor the physical interference between trouser cuffs and the tongue of the shoe. Â I gravitate instead toward normal/higher-vamp lace-ups or monks, relying on a generous cuff-break to camouflage any perceived 'excess' terrain. I can understand the logic of "breaking up" visual length with some kind of transition, as tall men are advised to do with contrasting trousers. Â But is length really the problem with big feet? Â To me, it's always been more an issue of fighting overall "clunkiness", which is mitigated by a perception of length. Â To that end, I've found it useful to seek out dress shoes with closed quarters, thin leather soles that do not protrude much to either side, beveled waist (and other sinuous aspects), a somewhat elegant toe shape, and an economy of broguing. Â I try to avoid battleships like this AE shoe:
MacNeil_display.gif
...though at least they're black, and not rubber-soled--the darker shades do seem to help with subtlety. Â This Certo shoe is one of my favorites in the current context, despite the open quarters:
1872.JPG
And of course, barring the bespoke route you mentioned, I'd love to get my grubby mitts on a pair of C&J Weymouths:
Weymouth.jpg
 

A Harris

Distinguished Member
Dubiously Honored
Joined
Jan 6, 2003
Messages
4,599
Reaction score
78
Loafers with a short vamp are going to make the foot look smallest (as far as rtw goes) but they are rarely attractive. The classic Gucci bit loafers are the only real option there.

Toe caps usually make a laceup shoe look shorter, though a well designed plain chiseled to can be even better. The beauty (or lack of) a last design is much more apparent in a sz 13, so be discriminating.
 

PHV

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2004
Messages
685
Reaction score
1
I'm a 13/14 EEE or something monstrous. I've sometimes had to purchase size 16 dress shoes from guys like Kenneth Cole, and suffered in quality just to get something half decent.

Seems to me Allen Edmonds is the only RTW solution for me.
 

redtree00

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2004
Messages
321
Reaction score
0
I am a size 14 U.S, I find that short wing balmorals make my feet look the smallest. (i.e. AE Chester) I don't understand why you would want to hide the fact that you have large feet ? I get interesting looks from women and occasional questions as to how large my feet are. Not a bad thing if you know what I mean
wink.gif
PHV Speak to Ron Rider from Franco's he can order many types of shoes in large sizes. If I remember correctly he had a size 16 Martegani made for someone.
 

hopkins_student

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2004
Messages
3,164
Reaction score
176
This is really off topic, and I apologize, but those AEs posted by acole are hideous. Really. Just hideous.
 

JLibourel

Distinguished Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2004
Messages
8,287
Reaction score
501
Hopkins_student: I find the A-E MacNeil that you find so hideous quite sumptious and striking looking in bugundy cordovan. In fact, I plan to buy a pair when they have their next sale at the Cabazon outlet this fall. Perhaps its a generational thing.

As to the general problem of shoes and big feet, I feel reasonably qualified to discuss this topic since I'm a 13D. I think fairly blunt, rounded captoes tend to make the feet look smaller. Plain toes are supposed to make them look larger. The only time this has ever been an issue for me was when I tried the A-E Seneca. I thought I might like it, especially since I love the dark brown coloration they're offered. However, the combination of the pointy toe and the extended welt on this style made them look like clown shoes on my big feet.
 

acole

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2004
Messages
221
Reaction score
0
I guess that's my main problem with the shoe; I find its excess busy and unsubtle. Â The only design motif I really can't stand in its own right is the "long wing"--the long sweep of broguing parallel to the line of the welt. Â If I'm going to commit to that much broguing, I vastly prefer the abbreviated, curved lines of the "short" wing design. Â As for generational differences, aren't you at least heartened that we callow youth are discussing wing-tips at all? Â
smile.gif
 

PHV

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2004
Messages
685
Reaction score
1
I am a size 14 U.S, I find that short wing balmorals make my feet look the smallest. (i.e. AE Chester) I don't understand why you would want to hide the fact that you have large feet ? I get interesting looks from women and occasional questions as to how large my feet are. Not a bad thing if you know what I mean
wink.gif
PHV Speak to Ron Rider from Franco's he can order many types of shoes in large sizes. If I remember correctly he had a size 16 Martegani made for someone.
Where is Franco's located?
 

beargonefishing

Stylish Dinosaur
Supporting Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2009
Messages
33,772
Reaction score
40,746
The community needs a revived thread for human hominids with large feet. So, where do you guys buy your large dress shoes from?

Also, I just got a Yeossal Scotts GMTO. I took a shot on the sizing and the manufacturers advice was ungood. As such, I have a size 50 that I suspect is closer to a US 15 than a US 13, which is my size. These are hand welted and look really good. The color is versatile as well. If I can't get them sold, I intend on adding a heal and tonge pad to fill out. Pictures here:

Just got these in and they are stunning. Tried them on for a brief second and seem like a decent fit (probably a bit to big but the heal cups fairly well).
View attachment 1162476 View attachment 1162477 View attachment 1162478 View attachment 1162479

Hit me up if you are interested.
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 35.5%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 60 38.7%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 17 11.0%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 27 17.4%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 28 18.1%

Forum statistics

Threads
505,192
Messages
10,579,239
Members
223,905
Latest member
glucotilsugar5
Top