What's up with shoes these days?
 

I've been looking for new shoes and finally found two pair that looked nice with slacks and fit comfortably. Is it me or has shoe sizes changed? I tried on a dozen pair before I found some that fit like shoes use to fit. I got Clarks and Born shoe brands. They fit the best of all the brands I tried. I use to love Naturalizer but they don't fit as comfortable as they use to. I must say I wished I had a pre teen girl to buy shoes for, the new shoes are so much fun now for that age.

Our feet change as we get older. Plus the Clarks and Born shoes, I believe, are made on an European last. (mold) They tend to me more foot friendly. JMHO. :)

I used to love shoes. These days shoes have only gotten uglier and uglier and the one size fits all has taken the place of shoes that actually fit. I love to see the No Half Sizes so order up a size, and how about the width! You need shoes and the companies don't care. They have simplified the manufacturing to the bare bones of construction and we have to buy them.

I haven't found a pair of shoes to love for years. At work I am reduced to wearing walking/running shoes, AGHHHH!

Every spare second I have is spent barefoot, my favorite way to be.

Hope you find a brand to like.
peace

I'm a huge fan of Born, but also really love Keen.

Walking/running shoes just don't look that great with slacks. I wear slacks instead of jeans because they are more comfortable for me and I feel I can go anywhere with a nice pair of slacks and decent top on a moment's notice.

I mostly wear casual shoes these days, like Free Spirit. But I got a couple pairs of nice Dansk(sp?) clogs that I wear with nice pants or dresses. Can you tell I only like slip-ons

My toes like lots of room, so I look for Wide width when shoe shopping. I can wear a medium width, but prefer those harder to find Ws!

Shoes that are WW are especially tough for someone like me. And with all the hip and back problems I've had, I much prefer comfort which means New Balance walking shoes, which I order to get my required fit.

Being diabetic I am NEVER without something on my feet.

When at home I ALWAYS have my slippers on, they only
change when I am leaving the house and depending on
where I am going and the weather will depend on what shoes
I put on.

But alas like many of you I have a hard time finding shoes
that are comfortable and look nice.

My favorite pair of shoes is Sketcher's slip clogs but they tend
to be harder to find now unless I go online and then they are
still pretty pricey.

Dr. Scholl's used to have some really comfortable shoes but
darn if I can find them now either.

I'm with UBE barefoot is the way to go!! Not too happy with the shoes today either. :(

Your feet continue to grow as you grow older. The bones spread and the fat cushioning on the bottom of your feet decrease...and don't talk to me about the foot swelling at the end of the day.:(

I really like good arch support too. That's where I find shoes kind of failing.

Used to be when I was teen-twenties a size 5 was the "sample" size so I was lucky to be able to buy them at a very reduced price! Try to find size 5 now! Have to get them on-line and pay extra for shipping, then if they don't fit well...Arghh! On my budget, I can't shop for $50 and up! I think with more healthy diets as babes, people are growing bigger all over!

Wish that were the case Tartan! I'm 72 now. How much longer before they grow?! I swear that like the rest of me they are shrinking!:o

I do know that when I lost weight my foot problems decreased tremendously and that in turn solved my back aches. Being overweight for me had lots of hidden ills.

I've gained about a half size in length! My feet were always long and thin. I took a size 9 with a double A heel. If you thought a size 9 with a double A heel was hard to find, try looking for a 1/2 size! I usually settle for a sling back so I don't walk out of them. Of course, you have to be mighty special for me to get out my fancy shoes nowadays.:D

Agree with Tartan!! I have suffered the dreaded spread also! I worked in Retail management for almost 20 years and had to wear dress shoes all the time, and was on my feet for 10+ hours a day. Now that I'm in my 5th year of retirement I rarely wear dress shoes! In the house it's always "slides", and outside it's athletic shoes. I need a wide fit...found I have better luck with men's shoes!! Hope you find something that works for you!!

OMG, isn't THAT the truth!! I can't wear most shoes because they have no arch support, and you can forget sandals unless they're Keen's or Merrill's. I've seen so many cute shoes, and 99% of them have absolutely NO arch support. I just found some Sketcher GO!'s that are amazing. Arch support AND lots of cushion - they feel like slippers and are just cute as a button!

At 70, I no longer feel the need to wear high heels; however, I do need a bit of a heel, about an inch and a half up to two and a half inches, otherwise I get a backache. Comes from wearing high heels every day for about 20 years And so many dressy shoes have no toe room, (called the box) no arch support either. I buy Clarke's when I find them on sale and wear them til they start looking badly. Cannot bear going bare foot.

I still wear shoes and jeans from my jr.high school days-late 60's- they are both size 7's to get those sizes now they are way to big on my feet and I can almost get a second pair of pants out of new jeans in a #7.. There was a show on PBS about 2 yrs ago addressing this weirdness in sizing cloths and footwear. ''Due to the rise in obesity there is also a rise in low self esteem issues. So by putting a size 7 tag in apparel that should be tagged as a 14 helps to lower the numbers of low self esteem issues. I wonder how many millions of $$ the government granted for that study???

Isn't it ironic that Skechers used to be the "thing" for teens in the 80s-90s and now they are favorites of us baby boomers?! :)

My family was paycheck to paycheck BUT, the one thing that was stressed was to buy good shoes! As children, we wore Stride Rites. Good shoes give you a lifetime of good foot health. I do not have any feet issues. I still fork out the $$$ for good, quality shoes. No "payless" for my feet! comfort and support is key.

Realize that shoes manufacturers are having them produced cheaply. Clarks used to be a bRand made in England....no more. And the quality is lacking now. I used to be a Clarks junky...no more. I am willing to pay more for the better quality but I expect better quality. Been buying Alegria, Sperry. Sketchers is my fav walking shoe. Love my Dansko Sofia sandals. (Not much incline)

my doctor told me not wear high heels anymore (i am in my 50's) . I had to laugh...have not bought "heels" in years! The older I get, the closer to the ground I want to be.

sandy

Growing up I discovered that British and Spanish shoes were the best fit for me. While in Nordstrom's shoe dept one day I mentioned to the dept manager how hard it was to find shoes that fit nowadays. He asked me about my background. I told him I was born in Scotland. He said that means you probably have northern European body structure (narrower with longer toes). Most shoes today are made in China or Brazil and are built to the average foot size of the larger world population (wider with shorter toes). I did discover a company in England, Hotter Shoes, that still makes their own shoes. I really like their leisure shoes. You can download a fitting chart to see which length and width fits you best. If you order shoes from them and they don't fit, they will take them back at no charge. They will send you catalogues and are on the internet.

Gee, I thought it was just me. I'm having the same trouble. I think the manufacturers have changed their sizes.

I have foot problems so I have to be really careful what I wear. I am wearing Clarks, Easy Spirit and Birkenstock. I am finding some cute colors and patterns.

There use to be a shoe shop repair and shoe maker in town when my kids were small. I had all their shoes made. They wore the high tip lace ups until they started to school and then it was I'm not wearing baby shoes! LOL. They never wore out their shoes, they out grew them. Now kids shoes seems to wear out in a few months.

I used to have a favourite brand which were a little expensive. Then they changed their last and now the only ones I can find that fit are a German brand which is very expensive - double what the others cost. I would like useful shoes in a sensible price range.

If you want a wide toe shoe try REIKER. Love my Clarks and Bojrn's. If your feet are happy then you have a good day. My Mother said you should change shoes every day to the second pair. Teaching and Retail was my work so I went down to about a 1 and 1/2 in. heels years ago. Have a foot happy day every one! Hugs,

Seems to depend on what Country makes them also. I've noticed they are wider across my foot these days and harder to keep on my feet. Very irritating. If possible i have to buy 1/2 size smaller just to keep them on.

I haven't been able to go into a shoe store and buy shoes for years now. This is due to my feet swelling and the more I walk around and try shoes on the worse they get. Trying on wide shoes doesn't work because I normally have a narrow foot with a very narrow heel. My solution has been to wear my daughters hand me downs since they are already stretched out and fortunately we wear the same size.

I never go barefoot, did it too much as a kid, and was born with a "C" width foot and an"E" width foot, so finding shoes has always been a nightmare. When you add to that, that as I have aged, my feet went from a size 9, to the size 11 that they are now, buying shoes has never been fun for me, until I went to a free class my health insurance sponsored about taking care of my feet. That is when I had a gait study done and was told to buy Birkenstocks with special inserts. Well I went to buy the shoes only to discover they are built too narrow for my 'fat foot'. When I was bemoaning my luck, the sales girl pointed me to a brand called "Alegrias". Success! Not only do they fit well, but they come in fun prints (over a hundred) and many styles. They do cost as much as "Birkenstock" but are much prettier. I did find them online for about half as much, but those may be 'last year's' if that matters to you. Can you tell I love my new shoes? (Without my new shoes I have to use two canes to walk, but with them and the inserts, I can walk unaided. My own little miracle!

The picture below is the pair I got so you can see one of the fun designs, and they match everything I own!

Being in AZ, if you go outside, it is fair to say, you will be wearing some type of shoe. But I was born bare foot and I will die bare foot. My grandmother had a terrible time with bunions, my mother had less problems but still had problems. I refuse to wear heels and I don't have a problem with bunions. Now, will my daughters listen, no!

I discovered NAOTs a few years ago, we were going to Hawaii and I wanted sandals that would also be a little dressy. Went to shoe store and they showed me NAOT sandal, the feel on my foot was heaven. They have great arch support with a wide toe box and the insert is replaceable. There was no break in period and I now own 7 pairs, they last forever. They are expensive ($150 and up) but your feet will love them.

I wear SAS or New Balance. Nobody else carries a double wide in women's shoes. I'm fed up with being told that "nobody" wears a double wide shoe. I do!! I wish I could find comfortable shoes that fit me for less then $100+.

I have to wear shoes that have good soles. I have a broken bone in my foot and have had it for the last 3 years. Dr told me to always have a good pair of shoes on my feet. I had a shot this last winter and it sure has helped with the pain and swelling that I had.

Pat in MN

Truthfully have not read all response. I agree our feet change over time... particularly as we age. I have ugly aryhritis in my feet. Live in flip flops. probably not the best choicebut it works for me.

Skecher's are pricey, but I have 3 pairs and live in them. Finally a shoe I am totally comfortable wearing.

I buy my shoes at The Walking Company, 1/2 sizes, different width, the Abeo line has built in orthotics. They are expensive but so worth it. I think the website is www.thewalkingcompany.com

I have a problem I've not seen addressed here. My foot is extremely narrow. I wear a S or SS...8.5. Even the expensive shoes seldom have a size that I can wear. So, I wear a cheap tennis shoe and Good Feet arch supports. I can cinch up the shoelaces on the tennis shoes so that they work and feel comfortable. Like so many, the front part of my foot has widened, but never the heel. When I use to wear heels, I had to wear only ones with an ankle strap to hold them on.....I guess it isn't profitable for companies to make the "odd" sizes.....:(