Dear Shoe lady,

I’m from Malta and have a very large foot size unfortunately here the maximum size available for shoes for women is a 9 which is not even close to my size so i have been wearing mens shoes most of my life. As you can imagine this is not flattering at all and restricts my wardrobe to trousers as men’s shoes look hideous with dresses or skirts!

Last February my mother went on holiday in the United states and bought me 2 pairs of women’s shoes in size 11 W – the length of the shoe is fine however the width is simply too small. When I measure my feet according to the chart on this website I still get a size of 11 W however since I have 2 pairs of shoes in that size which do not fit I am hesitant in buying another pair in the same size. so I was wondering if you could tell me how to better measure the width of my foot to be able to buy the appropriate size.

I have recently finished a Master degree in Pharmacy and will start working with a pharmaceutical company my job will involve many functions with other professionals and I would like to be able to wear women’s shoes since first impressions are important in this business furthermore the fact that I have never owned a pair of womens shoes greatly influences my self esteem.

Many thanks in advance for your advice
Marisabelle

Dearest Marisabelle! I am here for you!

We want you to be the most attractively shod pharmacist on the continent! A size 11W is roughly 26.7 cm long and 10.9 cm wide. But there is a small difference between and 11 and a 12, only 0.6 cm, so your measuring has to be very exact. You’ll need to do a bit more reading about measuring your feet. Also on that page, read about shoe size and shoe width. You MUST make judgments about the SHAPE of your feet beyond what the size charts tell you.

Also, I don’t know which brands your mother bought? Some brands are terrible at making wider sizes, others are great. This article tells you about wide feet and lists some of the better brands to consider. Let me know more information about the shape and size of your feet after you read the articles and I’ll make more suggestions for you.

Keep in touch,
The Shoe Lady