Low Instep Shoes Thread

brittain · Dec 14, 2009

I wear a 3/4 insert and tongue pads.

FStyles · Dec 14, 2009

gentlemen, kinda on-topic, yet an (in) step in the wrong direction

Question: By low-instep are ya'll just referring to low arches?

thanks.

Wes Bourne · Dec 14, 2009

^ I believe so.

viator · Dec 14, 2009

Originally Posted by FStyles

gentlemen, kinda on-topic, yet an (in) step in the wrong direction

Question: By low-instep are ya'll just referring to low arches?

thanks.

I thought it referred to the total height of your foot - if your foot is "low," then you will have difficulty getting a shoe to fit snugly by pulling the laces tight.

Dewey · Dec 14, 2009

Originally Posted by viator

I thought it referred to the total height of your foot - if your foot is "low," then you will have difficulty getting a shoe to fit snugly by pulling the laces tight.

^ It's all the same thing. Low arch = "flat" foot = top of your foot does not rise up so much to meet the lacing.

I suppose you could have a high arch and still have a foot that is too low to the ground at the lacing. Your foot would need to be very thin or shallow. It's hard to imagine the shoe would be the right size if you had high arches and still you could not snug them up by lacing down.

Wes, thanks for the tip about those 3/4 orthotics. I will look for them.

viator · Dec 14, 2009

Originally Posted by Dewey

I suppose you could have a high arch and still have a foot that is too low to the ground at the lacing. Your foot would need to be very thin or shallow. It's hard to imagine the shoe would be the right size if you had high arches and still you could not snug them up by lacing down.

This seems to be my situation. Never had a problem with arches, but do often end up pulling laces very tight to get shoes to fit snugly.

longskate88 · Dec 14, 2009

Subscribed, I have completely flat feet.

Are boots the way to go? I wear an orthotic, and in normal low-tops, my heels slip like mad. I can't wear the orthotics in my AE Cliftons at all. Would a high-top boot like an Alden (Can't think of the model, but very high lacing) help solve the heel slip problem, since I can tighten them around my ankle/lower leg?

Xiaogou · Dec 14, 2009

I suffer frm a very low instep. The 7000 last from JLP allows me to use anyone of the 5 arch supports that I have. Since there is an expense factor with these, I wear AE and Alden for casual wear. I am normally a 11.5D. For AE and Alden, I went with a 11.5E (Alden Barrie last is 11E). I am able to use all of my 3/4 length inserts with the extra width.

Journeyman · Dec 15, 2009

I didn't realise it until a couple of years ago, but I suffer from (apparently) a very high instep.

This thread is quite useful to me, as I'll make sure that I steer clear of the shoes that are recommended in this thread!

For what it's worth, I've noticed that - as a general rule - most US and UK manufacturers seem to make "lower" shoes, whereas quite a few Italian shoes seem to have more vertical height. I have never had a problem fitting into Ferragamo (either Tramezza or Lavarazione Originale models), Santoni, or Zegna shoes but often have considerably difficulty closing up the laces on Lobb, C&J, Sargent, or other shoes by British makers. The exception is Edward Green's 202 last, which seem to have quite a bit of vertical height and thus fits me very well.

Sorry to have interrupted the thread, but I thought that I'd provide a view from someone with a high instep!

jpb · Dec 15, 2009

I have a perfectly normal arch but a low instep, I have done well with JM Weston.

Parker · Dec 16, 2009

Can anyone recommend a loafer for a low instep?

srivats · Dec 16, 2009

Originally Posted by jpb

I have a perfectly normal arch but a low instep, I have done well with JM Weston.

I don't understand that ... I thought low instep meant flatter feet, no? How do you have normal arch *and* low instep at the same time?

brandall10 · Dec 16, 2009

I have a normal arch and low instep as well... just really thin, low volume feet.

My solution? I size down a whole size for elongated last shoes. I measure 8.5C on a Brannock, and take a 7.5D on AE #5 (where I have maybe a half inch left in the toe box) and UK6.5 on 337 where I have about an inch). No issues with length... heel to ball-of-foot is spot on, I think mostly because I have a thin heel which 'pushes back' into the shoe a bit more when laced tight.

niidawg3 · Aug 23, 2010

Sorry to resurrect this thread, but hopefully you guys can help me out with the issue i am having in.

Lately, i've noticed that on some of my shoes, i have a gap right beneath my ankle bone on the insides of my foot. The shoes fit perfectly everywhere else. I think i didnt notice it earlier just out of ignorance ... but now i get totally irate when it happens. Its wierd because i dont have that issue on some shoes (Sergio Rossi, AE Mora, CJ Tassle Loafers etc) and have it on others (Magnanni, ) - which from what i've read in this thread sounds like there are different lasts for different shoes.

I'll try and take a picture of this - since it is happening on the shoes i have on today and will post later ... but hopefully my description is clear enough to describe the problem. I feel like getting rid of all my shoes with this issues, but obviously that would be an extremely expensive loss - i neeeeed help

patrickBOOTH · Aug 23, 2010

That means that your arch is high. It seems that some people on this thread are confusing instep with arch. The instep is the top of your foot (the opposite side of your arch). The arch is the bottom of your foot. You could try to get some arch supporters for your shoes, or with future shoe purchases get shoes that have a tighter waist for more support. G&G are great for this, but they go hand in hand with the higher instep. AS are good as well as Barker Black.

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