Dear Shoe Lady,
I live in East TN. U.S.A. I have such a hard time finding size 10 D shoes that have style!!! I would love to dress up sometimes, to kick the just turned 50 blahs…. but since I have no shoes, its pointless to bother…jeans are nice but these days I want to look a bit nicer for a dinner date….are there ANY stores that carry affordable shoes in my size…or do I have to live in flip flops and rain boots forever? HELP!!!
Maria
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Dear Maria,
There’s nothing like a new pair of shoes to kick the blahs…. at any age!
I want to respond to two parts of your question before going deep into answers. First, what makes you think you are a 10D? This is also a 10W, a wide but not too wide size 10. It is a shame (shame on the shoe industry!) that you have a hard time finding this size. But since you do, and presumably haven’t seen many, I’m wondering why you think it is the right size? You could be a 9 or even an 8 Extra Wide. You could be a 10.5M. Or you could just have a thicker foot or wider forefoot and so need to select shoe styles of a certain shape. Please do read http://www.designershoes.com/about-size/width and http://www.designershoes.com/about-size/measure-feet and then use your knowledge to pick the correct size from this size chart http://www.designershoes.com/size-chart. One of the saddest parts of my job is discovering how few women really know what size (or sizes!) shoes they should wear. But for the purposes of answering your question, I will assume you are a 10 Wide.
Second, what is your definition of “affordable shoes”? The Shoe Lady loves to holiday in the Bergdorf Goodman women’s shoe department. It is free to go there and it is such a huge treat to see all those beautiful shoes. But The Shoe Lady knows that “affordable shoes” at Bergdorf’s are around $500. She assumes (again!) that this is probably not the price you had in mind? Materials are a big component of shoe cost. Leather vs. faux leather. Another big component of cost is the size of the manufacturing run. If the brand made 10,000 pair of that style, it will be a lot cheaper per pair than if the brand made 100 pair. Location is also a factor for two reasons. First, if they were manufactured in a country with low labor rates, they will be cheaper. Second if they were manufactured in a country that keeps their dollar to local currency exchange rate artificially low, allowing the dollar to buy more, they will also be cheaper. (China? Could we be talking about you?) So if you want to buy all leather shoes made in Italy where the cost of labor is based on a living wage and the Euro is strong, then you will pay more, no matter how big the manufacturing run for that style. But you are looking for fun, fashionable shoes to kick those blahs! They don’t have to be leather. And China, in the last decade, has learned how to make excellent shoes. So there are options.
Now let’s find a price range that is affordable. The Shoe Lady thought she’d do an online search to confirm her idea of the average price of women’s shoes. One source says $85. One source says $49. The Shoe Lady was prepared to guess $65. And, as math would have it, the average between these two sources is $67. Let’s go with $65. This includes the occasional pair of leather boots, the fabric sneakers you found on sale, etc. Now let’s make that average more affordable by knocking it down by 25% to $50. I will assume (again!) that this is ok with you?
Let’s go shopping for size 10 wides and see what we can find that would kick those blahs for $50 or less?
I am attaching styles that I found today in size 10 wide at DesignerShoes.com at this address: http://www.designershoes.com/all-products?dir=asc&order=price&p=2&sizewidth=205
The only exception, not on that page, is the Fit in Clouds style ($22) fits size 10W , each size covers half sizes and widths but you should order the size 11M because the 10W isn’t listed. The prices range from $22 to $49.99.
But wait! There’s more! If you sign up for the ShoeNews email from DesignerShoes.com, you will get a new discount coupon about once a week. Those coupons help make shoes more affordable too.
Please do write and let me know if my assumptions about your shoe size and “affordable shoes” are correct?
Best to you,
The Shoe Lady
Bella Vita Deidre Black Patent platform sandal. $46.54.
Dyeables Grandeur in Merlot, strappy dress sandal, $27.97.
Dyeables Elegance White slingback sandal, $13.97. Have it dyed or color it yourself!
Bella Vita brand Sante dressy sandal in Bronze. $48.30
Bellini brand Dubai in Orange (also available in lime green). $49.
Fit In Cloud Black Patent flexi-fit ballet flat. $22.
Touch Ups brand Abby dressy d’Orsay style pump in Silver. $47.
Aerosoles brand Raspberry in Purple Combo. $49.99.
Aerosoles brand Duble Down in Gold Snake. $49.99
Touch Ups brand Gemini dressy pump in Black. $49.99.
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Hiya, I was so surprised to find a response to my comment from you! Thank you!
I have measured my feet and they are 4 1/8th W x 10 1/8th L with what looks to be closer to the A shape than B…wet footprint…thanks to dogs water…lol (yes, I gave them fresh cleaned bowl) shows a very slight side mark between heel and ball of my foot…high arches! Ugh!
I live on my SSDI of 754.00 a month and yes, it is very hard to find shoes!!
I plan to look at the shoes you suggested now but I wante to remember to thank you first!! Peace & thanks again from… hopefully, barefoot & flip flops no more!!!
Maria
