Shoes for fat feet?

[aleksandr]

I have strangely proportioned feet. My toes 'spread' - such that the front end of my feet is quite a bit wide than my heel. Because of this, I can rarely fit into nice shoes, especially wingtips which are narrow at the end. Either they hurt like hell, or there's enough space at the end to stuff a pair of socks into, and my feet wind up looking like Ronald McDonald's. Short of getting bespoke shoes (pretty much out of the question at the moment) what else do you guys suggest?

 

[FidelCashflow]

Originally Posted by aleksandr

I have strangely proportioned feet. My toes 'spread' - such that the front end of my feet is quite a bit wide than my heel. Because of this, I can rarely fit into nice shoes, especially wingtips which are narrow at the end. Either they hurt like hell, or there's enough space at the end to stuff a pair of socks into, and my feet wind up looking like Ronald McDonald's. Short of getting bespoke shoes (pretty much out of the question at the moment) what else do you guys suggest?

Can't you just buy shoes in a wider width?

 

[Philosoph]

^ Sometimes by the time you get the right width there's so much excess toe space that it looks and feels ridiculous.

 

[aleksandr]

^ what he said. especially wingtips which are narrower to begin with...

 

[Journeyman]

I think that it really entails trying on a lot of shoes, particularly in wider fittings.
I have quite wide feet, with a high instep, and so I've discovered that quite a few desirable brands just do not fit me - much to my chagrin!
However, my feet are not nearly as wide as one of my friends, and he has great difficulty finding nice shoes. Surprisingly, some (Australian) Florsheim models fit him, but he has no chance whatsoever of getting a balmoral-style shoe to fit - he must wear bluchers or, occasionally, a wide loafer/slip-on.
A lot of his shoes are quite clunky and unattractive, simply because those styles are the most comfortable for his unusually wide feet.
Unfortunately, those of us with differently-sized feet are faced with dramatically-reduced choices over those who have slimmer feet with lower insteps...

 

[maf]

My feet are really wide across the ball, but narrow in the heel. Not sure if this is the same as yours, but here's what happens with me. Usually D's or a regular width fit great in the heel and too narrow across the ball. E, EE or whatever they are calling a wider width is very sloppy in the heel, and possibly also in the toe box.

2 things have helped me a lot: shoe stretchers and Superfeet inserts. I can buy normal widths and just stretch them out over a couple of days and they're as comfortable as if I'd had them for a year already. The stretching only works across the ball & vamp areas. I'm almost certain you can't do much to the actual toe box without wrecking the shoe.

Also, I use inserts. My boot fitter recommended these to me and they make a world of difference. I usually size up 1/2 a size, stretch the front part of the shoe, and pop the insert in (I use the black ones, since my feet are pretty flat & they are the lowest profile for dress shoes etc). The insert tightens up the heel fit, adds some cushion to leather soles, and can be trimmed up if you need the extra space toward the front of the shoe.

Sounds involved, but it's not that big a deal. If you have a boot fitter nearby, he can probably do all of this for you. I'm guessing they aren't all that common though.

Good luck!

 

[epa]

I also have what I believe to be wide feet, as many shoes hurt my feet, especially the wee toe. My experience is that it can be difficult to guess how a shoe will fit you just by looking at it. I have a pair of Ferragamos (the Studio line) (EE width) which looks quite slim but actually fits me very well (yes, I know, poor construction but they look nice and are comfortable and when I bought them I had no clue that there was something called Tramezza...).
On the other hand, the other day I had a frustrating experience in what I believe to be the only shop in town that sells C&J: a tried on a beautiful pair of brown double monks that looked very nice and comfortable, but the pair that had the right length really made my feet hurt; just too narrow. And it was only available in the E width.
I spend a lot of time trying on shoes before buying them.

 

[distinctive]

Both Allen Edmonds and Alden carry extra wides (AE up to 3E and Alden up to 5E)