Shoes for wide feet

[twister212]

Allen Edmonds don't float my boat. Same with Alden. Any suggestions for 13 wide? All of that shoe Appreciation seems to be unavailable to me.

 

[zjpj83]

What is your price range? The British shoe companies, particularly Lobb and Edward Green, will produce wide shoes for you.

As a side note, I just bought some Alden shell cordovan brogues today, custom made for the NYC store, and I am so incredibly excited about them.

 

[StevenRocks]

+1 on the English shoemakers. Some of the Italian brands offer wides as well.

 

[acidboy]

i have wide feet also, and found no problem wearing c&j, santoni, rl/eg.....

 

[grimslade]

Originally Posted by acidicboy

i have wide feet also, and found no problem wearing c&j, santoni, rl/eg.....

Acidic Boy, do you go up a size, or have wide sizes MTO, or what? I was in C21 the other day trying on the Zegna Couture bluchers, all D width, and I couldn't even get them on my feet.

 

[summej2]

It seems like width varies quite a bit between makers. I wear AE and Moreschi in EEE width and, while I can't wear a regular width in the Italian made Polo shoes, EGs on the 202 last or Zenobi derbies fit just fine in the regular (D) width.

 

[minimal]

I have feet that are EE in the front, D/E in the heel, size 12.5. Finding nice shoes that fit is basically the search for the holy grail for me. Obviously, if you go bespoke the issue is moot, but otherwise here are some RTW options:

Alden: An incredibly wide range of widths, though the "finish details" are usually dodgy. You can get around this by pre-ordering from one of the stores that make special orders: these seem to have more precisely-finished detail than the regular line. Google "Alden Fan" and "Leather Soul Hawaii".

Crockett&Jones: The much-loved 337 last (on which many if not all of the handgrade line is based) is pretty wide (maybe an actual USA E). I can get a good fit, but had to go to their NYC store to try on a few first: the conversion between USA and UK sizes/widths means trial-by-mail is tough. Well worth the effort.

Santoni: A few of their shoes from each of their lines comes in a EE width. Even some of their hand-mades are EE, though these are usually quite expensive ($1000+). See Sherman Brothers website, where you can search by size and brand, for some of the mid-ranged line.

R.M.Williams: Their very-nice and versatile boots come in a variety of widths, including extra-wide. Search in the forum and you'll come across the definitive post on this subject.

Edward Green: If you go to a trunk shoe, you can get them to fit you and make a pair in your size. This is more "MTM" than bespoke, though there is some discussion about the exact meaning of these terms on this forum.

Ferragamo: Some of the excellent "Tramezza" line are available in widths. If you go to their NYC store, they can also special-order wide widths for you in this line.

Church's: Yes, their quality has been hit-or-miss, or so say the shoe afficianados. I find some of their shoes attractive, and they come in all widths. Again, store in NYC and possibly London.

Basically, every time you go into a men's clothing store you have to be alert for shoes that fit, and go through a lot of trial and error.

Good luck! And post any great finds...

p.s. I got a pair of G-width (EEE usa) shoes from one of the Charles Tyrwhitt sales; in the end I don't think it was worth it, even with the substantial discount.

 

[grimslade]

Thanks for the C&J tip. One of these days, I'll have to try to get up to A&T before they close. I picked up a couple of pairs of RM Williams boots recently precisely because I could get them in wide widths; I'd ordered a pair from Orvis earlier that I returned. The price was right, but they don't carry wide RMWs.

 

[minimal]

Originally Posted by grimslade

Thanks for the C&J tip. One of these days, I'll have to try to get up to A&T before they close. I picked up a couple of pairs of RM Williams boots recently precisely because I could get them in wide widths; I'd ordered a pair from Orvis earlier that I returned. The price was right, but they don't carry wide RMWs.

If you can make it to the C&J in NYC, you really *must* go. The staff is very knowledgeable: they know their lasts, leathers, and how far each can be "pushed" for a wide fit. Although I ordered my first C&J's from Ben Silver, I could have saved myself considerble time by just showing up at the store. Just resign yourself to paying full retail for one pair...

 

[grimslade]

Originally Posted by minimal

If you can make it to the C&J in NYC, you really *must* go. The staff is very knowledgeable: they know their lasts, leathers, and how far each can be "pushed" for a wide fit. Although I ordered my first C&J's from Ben Silver, I could have saved myself considerble time by just showing up at the store. Just resign yourself to paying full retail for one pair...

C&J doesn't actually have a storefront in New York, but that their shoes were sold out of the top floor of Turnbull & Asser. No?

 

[minimal]

Originally Posted by grimslade

C&J doesn't actually have a storefront in New York, but that their shoes were sold out of the top floor of Turnbull & Asser. No?

Well, they do have their own (very small) window net to the T&A windows. But you are correct: you can't get to the shoes by wandering aimlessly through T&A. Instead, you go into T&A, then take the elevator to the C&J floor. To me, it feels like a store-within-a-store. A bit strange.

 

[DMcG]

Originally Posted by minimal

Crockett&Jones: The much-loved 337 last (on which many if not all of the handgrade line is based) is pretty wide (maybe an actual USA E). I can get a good fit, but had to go to their NYC store to try on a few first: the conversion between USA and UK sizes/widths means trial-by-mail is tough. Well worth the effort.

That is very good know. I've been looking for a pair of wholecuts that fit my feet and haven't had much luck yet. My feet aren't that wide but they're wide enough to cause a problem. I wear a 13 and am probably an E width in the ball of my foot and a D in the hell. I can actually wear some D width shoes like Allen Edmonds 4 last (although they are a bit snug around the ball of my feet) but with an AE 5 last I definitely need a E width. Unfortunately I'm not really sold on the look of the AE wholecuts.

What size did you end of going with for the C&Js? Since pediwear's site lists them as a UK "E fitting" I assumed they would be narrow but thats obviously not the case. Maybe a pair a Weymouths is in my future although I didn't want to spend that much.

I ordered a pair of the Brooks Brothers Peal and Co wholecuts in 13D during their friends and family sale but they are way too narrow. The laces have to be spread as wide as possible (as opposed to a nice little 1/4" - 1/2" gap) and they put a lot of pressure on my little toes. Does anyone know who makes these shoes for Brooks?

 

[minimal]

Originally Posted by DMcG

[...snip...]

What size did you end of going with for the C&Js? Since pediwear's site lists them as a UK "E fitting" I assumed they would be narrow but thats obviously not the case. Maybe a pair a Weymouths is in my future although I didn't want to spend that much.

[...snip...]

Well, at the moment I won't be able to give you a straight answer: I got the weymouths in size 12E from Ben Silver. It's not clear that their sizes match the C&J UK or C&J store sizes. I had gone to the store just to see if they could fit me, and once they did I basically forgot which size they used, since I will go to them when I get my next pair. I *think* they put a 12E on me, in the 337 last, but I'm not sure if that was a US size or a UK size.

Yes, it all sounds confusing, or at least I sound confused. Hence my recommendation to show up in person and test!

Good luck with it.

 

[a tailor]

for those wearing extreemly wide shoes. try [www.wideshoes.com].
been wearing theirs for years. mine are 8 eeeee. got ducks feet.
they stock eee to eeeeee.
most are "popular"priced. but there are a few nice english made.

 

[acidboy]

Originally Posted by grimslade

Acidic Boy, do you go up a size, or have wide sizes MTO, or what? I was in C21 the other day trying on the Zegna Couture bluchers, all D width, and I couldn't even get them on my feet.

grim,
i usually traverse between sizes 10 & 10-1/2. the size and the fit depends on the shoes, really. of course i do encounter shoes that are too narrow for my feet, and i move on. but i have also bought santonis & c&j 337 models with their slim lasts that fit me well.