Vanity sizing... In shoes?

Faith

Has anyone noticed serious vanity sizing going on with shoes? I don't think my feet are shrinking because old shoes still fit, but I can no longer trust shoe sizing. Today I tried on a pair of court shoes in Penneys, in my normal size 7. They were at least a size too big. Before that, I'd bought a pair of pumps in New Look, that I normally wear in a 7, and I stupidly didn't try them on (I know they're only pumps, but I had socks and boots on). I tried them on at home and again, they're at least a size too big.

What's going on here?! What could possibly be the point of vanity sizing shoes?

meeeeh

Since my feet stopped growing I'm either 37 or 38. I always have to try the shoes on because it really depends on the brand. And there can be a huge difference. I also wouldn't trust sizing in Pennys or New Look because I'm sure they have different suppliers supplying shoes to them and sizing might vary from supplier to supplier.

April O Neill

Faith wrote: »

Has anyone noticed serious vanity sizing going on with shoes? I don't think my feet are shrinking because old shoes still fit, but I can no longer trust shoe sizing. Today I tried on a pair of court shoes in Penneys, in my normal size 7. They were at least a size too big. Before that, I'd bought a pair of pumps in New Look, that I normally wear in a 7, and I stupidly didn't try them on (I know they're only pumps, but I had socks and boots on). I tried them on at home and again, they're at least a size too big.

What's going on here?! What could possibly be the point of vanity sizing shoes?

Yeah, I'm more often than not finding myself swimming in size 6s when I'd usually be 5.5 to 6. There was a time when size 5s would always pinch, now more often than not, I need the five! Strange.

phasers

I've found the opposite with New Look shoes! I bought a pair of flats in my usual size a month or so ago and they were so small I couldn't get my feet into them! They're so inconsistent :mad:

Totally agree about Penneys shoes though, they're definitely bigger lately. Not that I mind, I used to find them a bit tight..

I'm always a size 8
always

Penneys flats fit a bit better now though :eek:

JuliusCaesar

my entire adult life I've been a size 4. Now after 30 years they're huge. I've bought 31/2 and even 3 O_O
recently

xOxSinéadxOx

Me & my friends are finding the opposite. that they are usually a size too small. I'm a 7 and I've always been exactly a 7 and for example in Schuh I have to buy an 8. I find lots of other high street shops to be wrong also.
My friends also feel the same way, one is a size 8 and the other is a size 9.
I don't care at all cos I can just get the next size but sometimes they can't. It also really bothers me because I just can't buy shoes online ever because you just don't know these days if they'll fit or not.

QuiteInterestin

I think its the difference between European sizes and Irish/UK sizes. EU sizes are measured using centimetres while the UK sizes are measured in inches and so to change from one to the other they often round up/down so depending to what scale the shoes are made, the other sizes will only be approximate. Most people consider a 4 UK to be EU 37 and a UK 5 to be EU38 while really the EU size 38 extends from half of UK 4.5 to a quarter of UK 5.5 (sorry if that makes no sense, its probably easier to understand in the image below).

phasers

According to that graph an 8 should always be a 42, but in a lot of shops it's a 41 and doesn't fit me. Grrr.

Faith

That is interesting, QuiteInterestin!

Lia_lia

I just have awful trouble in general finding shoes to fit, I'm exactly a 5 1/2 and very few places do half sizes!

Haven't encountered the vanity sizing thing.

Miss Lockhart

I have always been a size 7 since I was 12 but everything I've bought in the past two years has been a 6.

pwurple

I was wondering only recently were my feet shrinking! I've always been a 38, but 37's are seeming ok these days.

Teyla Emmagan

Lia_lia wrote: »

I just have awful trouble in general finding shoes to fit, I'm exactly a 5 1/2 and very few places do half sizes!

Haven't encountered the vanity sizing thing.

M&S do half sizes. I'm exactly a 4.5 and I can pick a pair of shoes up in there and always know they will fit perfectly. Their sizing never seems to change. Some of their shoes are quite Mammy of course though.

Little Acorn

I've heard somewhere before that people who get into running sometimes notice their shoe size shrink.
I don't know if this was just related to barefoot running and the rising of foot arches, regular running, or just the resulting weight loss that resulted in smaller foot size. If it's just weight loss then wouldn't have to be linked to running.

starlight09

I'm glad to have found this thread. I have a problem I hope you girls can give me advice on. I must have the strangest feet when it comes to heels. I try to wear 3 inch for occasions. I have several pairs of sandals and shoes that have ended up in a box never to be worn again. I dread going shopping for shoes and I so envy women that can wear anything. My problem with shoes is that my big toes turn up slightly and if I try to wear slip ons I walk out of them. I also suffer from severe burn and pain in the ball of my foot. I find that the inside soles are made very thin with joining just under the ball of the foot. I need an education on buying shoes. Are designer shoes made with better insoles? I ended up wearing 1 and a half inch scandals this year but oh I felt so old. Please can you girls help me.

jenizzle

I find that in Penneys itself, the sizes can be all over the shop. I recently bought a size 8 pair of boots that are really comfy and fit me well, but then I'd try on a size 9 from the Sole Desire range and a 9 wouldn't fit me. Yet a 9 in another boot from the range would. The same happens in most shops.

It's turning into the same as clothes shopping now - ye can't just buy a pair in your size, you've to try on everything.

amtc

I was taking to a buyer for Dune recently - apparently designers used to use Italians as models, but now Spanish/Portugese whose feet are bigger and flatter and wider.

SusieBlue

Lia_lia wrote: »

I just have awful trouble in general finding shoes to fit, I'm exactly a 5 1/2 and very few places do half sizes!

Haven't encountered the vanity sizing thing.

Me too! Only with heels though. In converse, uggs, pumps etc I'm a 5, but with heels, the 5 pinch me to the point that I can't even walk. The 6 are hanging off and there's a gap at the gap. Lose lose situation, I normally get the 6 so I can walk though

Slime Princess

jenizzle wrote: »

I find that in Penneys itself, the sizes can be all over the shop. I recently bought a size 8 pair of boots that are really comfy and fit me well, but then I'd try on a size 9 from the Sole Desire range and a 9 wouldn't fit me. Yet a 9 in another boot from the range would. The same happens in most shops.

It's turning into the same as clothes shopping now - ye can't just buy a pair in your size, you've to try on everything.

I bought 2 pairs of flats from Penneys in the last couple of months both the same size (7) and same design but in different colours. The first pair in red fit perfect. So I went in to get another pair in black but didn't bother to try them on as I'd already gotten some in my size and they were fine.

The second pair in black are so loose they're basically unwearable.

TheBoffin

Bring back the machine in clark's that terrified us all as children. Remember the one where you ask a 5 yr old to stick their foot in while the sides come in and look like its about to crush ur foot!!

rainbow kirby

Miss Lockhart wrote: »

I have always been a size 7 since I was 12 but everything I've bought in the past two years has been a 6.

Pretty much the same thing here - I even had a couple of pairs of trainers in my teens that were a size 8, and still mostly take a 7 in shoes worn for sporting purposes.

I now own a pair of M&S boots and a pair of Rockport heels in a size 5.5!

bnagrrl

I'm a 7, sometimes an 8(!), in EVERYTHING! Wish I could squeeze into a 5

FueledByAisling

Back in about 2007 I went from a size 6 (sometimes 7) to a size four in shoes. However, the other day i bought a size 6.5 in H&M :eek:

Alicat

I don't trust ANY sizing, anywhere, in anything anymore. All the shops are too unreliable, whether it's shoes, tops, trousers, dresses or bras. Now I have to try everything on, and online shopping is out for me as I just can't deal with the hassle of sending stuff back all the time.