A Shoe Store Owner's Secrets to Shoe Shopping

One of our store owners, Evie, recently sat down with New Orleans Living Magazine to answer some of their questions about shoe-fitting. We decided to share her wisdom with you, too, loyal readers! Enjoy!

• What time of day is best to go shoe shopping and why?

Technically, the best time of day to try on shoes is late in the day, when your feet are already naturally swollen due to gravity, running around all day, standing, etc. That being said, keep in mind that your feet may be unusually swollen first thing in the morning after a night of eating rich, salty foods and/or drinking alcohol. But I don’t recommend going shoe shopping in the morning in that condition, as it may skew how shoes really fit your feet.

• None of us have two perfectly sized feet. What do you recommend when one foot is slightly bigger than the other?

This is a no-brainer. Always – always – fit your bigger foot, first and foremost! I tell my customers this constantly, and I train my employees to tell customers this, too. You can always doctor up the inside of the shoe on your smaller foot with shoe pads, to better fit your foot. But you can never ease the pain of a trying to cram your bigger foot into a shoe that is too small and ill fitting. If you are truly between sizes in a shoe, err on the side of extra room for your toes to spread out comfortably, than downsizing into a shoe that will hurt, pinch, or cut into your toes or the ball of your foot.

• If a shoe is slightly too tight or uncomfortable in the store, will it get better over time and wear? Suede and leather tend to stretch, especially in warmer weather...yes or no?

The minute I hear a customer say a shoe hurts them, is uncomfortable, or cuts into their foot – and we know they are trying on the correct shoe length – I tell them not to get that shoe. It’s clearly not the right shoe for their foot. If a pair of shoes hurts you in the store after wearing them for one minute, it will hurt a thousand times more when wearing them outside “in the real world.”

Perhaps I’m overly candid, but I also tell my customers that I don’t like to sell them a pair of shoes based on the promise that the shoes will stretch out over time with wear. I believe shoes need to feel good the minute you put them on – not possibly, maybe, hopefully down the road.

Keep in mind that leather and suede do “break in” and give a bit – they will mold to your feet over time with the help of body heat and moisture –  but how much they stretch out depends on the grade of leather; how or if it’s been treated; if there are any manmade materials on other parts of the shoe; and perhaps most importantly, how you walk. If you tend to shuffle and scuff the bottoms of your feet when you walk, you will likely stretch out your shoes more so than a person who deliberately picks up their feet when they walk.

Also, keep in mind that manmade materials (faux leather, silk, satin, etc.) do not break in or stretch out the way leather or suede do. They may give ever so slightly, but not to the degree leather or suede do. It’s risky business buying a painful or ill fitting shoe, hoping or assuming you can make it work. Like a romantic relationship, it should feel right from the get-go.

• Just like designer clothes, do sizes vary from designer to designer for shoes? What's your advice about this?

I often feel like I a broken record when telling my customers and employees that because shoes are made all over the world, shoe sizing is a very relative thing these days. We currently stock shoes made in Italy, Spain, Brazil, Israel, Mexico, China, India, Thailand, and Poland. Every country – and every factory – has its own sizing grid and international size translations. Also, some brands only do whole sizes only – no half sizes. Needless to say, sizing varies drastically from one brand to the next. Even within the same brand, one shoe silhouette can fit very differently than the next – one can run big, the other can run small. Nothing is set in stone, and everything is relative. So, when in doubt, try everything on! We have customers that can go up or down one to two whole sizes from their usual shoe size, depending on the brand and the fit.

Like clothing, you never know how something will come off until you try it on. Get the shoes on your feet – both of your feet! – then stand up, walk around the room in them, get a sense of how it feels to move in them. Remember, shoes fit differently sitting down versus standing up, thanks to gravity. And as we already discussed, you have one foot bigger than the other. The rule of thumb is to always fit that bigger foot!

• When trying shoes on, it's recommended that you walk around in both. Also on tile floor and carpet... why is that?

See above comments….Also, in our stores, we have thin wall-to-wall carpeting, to protect the bottoms of our shoes. If we know someone is buying a pair of shoes to take home to see if it will work with their outfit, then we do ask that they try on the shoes on carpeting or rugs only – again, to protect the bottoms of the shoes, in case they decide to return them. We do not recommend trying on our shoes on tile or cement or hard wood floors because it may ruin the bottoms of the shoes, unfortunately.

• Is there a difference between sizing a woman for a pair of flats versus a pair of stilettos?

No, it doesn’t matter what type of shoe it is. I always tell my customers that shoe shopping is like shopping for bathing suits and blue jeans – ignore the (size) numbers, trying everything on, and always go with the fit and the feel.

• Round toe versus pointed...what's better for our toes?

Generally speaking, a rounded toe box gives your toes more room to spread out. But there are plenty of pointed toe shoes that are comfortable. It really depends on the last of the shoe (i.e., the foot model on which the shoe was constructed) and the shape of your feet (wider ball and toes or narrower).

• Lastly, share with me the most common problem you see with women when they trying to fit into shoes...to small? too big? Trying to put in too many pads in the front of the shoe to make it fit? What are the solutions?

See my comments above…and, I would say the most common problem I witness is women trying to force their foot to work in a shoe that’s not meant for them. Remember, if your feet hurt, the rest of you hurts. If you are in pain due to an ill fitting pair of shoes, you will be miserable and end up not enjoying your special event. Always, always err on the side of ensuring your feet’s comfort. Remember, ignore the number – and go with the fit and the feel!

Don’t ever let your vanity or your pride get the better of you, and cause you to cram yourself into a smaller pair of shoes, just so you can say you wear a certain size number. It’s simply not worth it. It will come back to haunt you. As I tell my customers, if a shoe hurts or is too small, and you insist on buying it, then you won’t end up wearing it because you know it hurts. And then you don’t end up getting your money’s worth out of them. So, buying the right shoe size – even if it is a larger number than you would care to admit – equals a better return on your investment!

As for shoe pads, I am a big fan of using them within reason. Remember, back in the day, shoes were all custom made to fit your individual feet. Now, they are factory made to fit one kind of shoe last. And feet, I’m convinced, are the most unique and subjective part of the human body. Just like you often have to take your clothes to the tailor to have them fit your body type correctly, you also should use shoe pads to help “customize” shoes to your feet. I highly recommend the Footpetals brand of adhesive shoe pads that we sell to doctor up the insides of shoes to either make them fit better or more comfortably. We go through them like water, and I’m constantly reordering them.

P.S. You can check out the Footpetals ball of foot cushions here. I seriously have Tip Toes in every pair of heels I own! They are a lifesaver!