your questions answered
Our standard fit should be right for most people – this is a D fit in our women's shoes and a G fit in our men's shoes. However, if your big toe joint/small toes begin to feel pinched or ache, then you might need to try a wider fit.
Everybody’s feet are wonderfully individual! We develop our shoes to fit as consistently as possible across different styles, but the styling, construction or materials can affect the fit.
For example, a patent leather shoe might feel tighter than the same style made from soft suede. This can be because of the consistency of the material and how it moves with your foot. That said, leather is a natural material, and it might stretch over time to adapt to the shape of your foot.
When we measure your feet in our shops, we measure the length of the foot as well as the circumference to find your shoe size.
As we’re not able to make a range of shoes to accommodate individual variation of measurements, we offer lots of styles in half sizes and different width fittings to help you get the best, most comfortable fit possible.
If you have narrow feet and a low instep/arch, you might benefit from the use of an insock or insole to help reduce any excess volume inside the shoe. This can be especially helpful for women who want to wear shoes without fastenings, like court shoes.
Styles that are low cut at the front and don’t cover your instep are a good place to start, like loafers. Prefer a shoe with more foot coverage? Try styles with some adjustability so you can loosen the lace/buckle. Pull-on boots and mule-type styles are likely to give issues with foot entry.
We’d recommend choosing shoes with a reasonably high cut and avoiding styles with low waists, like low-slung ballerina styles, and some court shoes, as these tend to gape.
Opt for wedges or platform shoes, as these can offer the height of a heel but reduce any achiness in the arch of the foot. The lift of the sole in the forepart means that the arch of the foot is at less of an angle and so feels more comfortable.
Try adding a half insock at the back of the shoe – this helps to lift the foot slightly and raise it off the topline.
Women with wider calves could try wide leg boots with an 'E' fitting, as these have a wide leg. Each whole size has a circumference that is approx. 10mm wider. On an 'E' fitting of the same size, it will be 50mm wider at the top of the leg, then 40mm wider at the lower leg, blending in at the ankle.