- The Futile Search for Perfect Fitting Shoes!
I am convinced that the Holy Grail in life for a lot of people is finding a pair of perfect fitting shoes. A pair that they can comfortably wear all day long without suffering pain or discomfort. I say this because I sold shoes for many years at retail locations including Nordstrom, Aventura, and various specialty shoe stores. I got down on one knee thousands of times to help people put on multiple pairs of shoes only to find out that they didn't fit correctly, regardless of all the pads and stretching devices available to customize the fit of the shoe to the customer’s foot.
Everybody deserves PERFECT FITTING SHOES all day long!
Most shoes are like snowflakes, each one is unique. Because of the way that most shoes are made, there are slight variances from pair to pair, so no two will fit exactly alike. This difference can be exaggerated if you are trying on a shoe that someone else already had on their feet. Trying on a shoe can alter it slightly, especially if the salesperson has already worked on the shoe to try to make it fit another customer. But what are you going to do? Buy 10 pair of the same shoe online hoping to find one that fits better than the rest? That is a waste of your time, money and patience. And will probably not be successful anyway.
A lot of people are shocked when they find out that one source of their shoe problems is the fact that for various reasons, their feet swell during the day. The result of this swelling is that a shoe that was the right size in the morning, is no longer the right size in the afternoon. So unless you are willing to wear shoes like the padded leather moccasins worn by Itzy The Iceman, carry a second pair with you that is proven to fit you better later in the day, or wear sandals or clogs all your life, then you might have to settle for suffering in pain on a daily basis.
People abuse their feet all day long by simply living their lives. According to published reports the average person walks over 75,000 miles before they are 50 years old. Feet are built for long term use but they can change shape and size all day long due to activity, temperature & elevation changes, and other factors. When you consider that each foot has 26 bones (25% of the whole human body), 33 joints; over 100 muscles, ligaments, tendons, a network of blood vessels, nerves, skin and soft tissue, it’s easy to understand why you have problems finding great fitting shoes that still feel good at the end of the day.
Typically, shoes are manufactured on forms (called “lasts”) which are made from solid wood, plastic or metal. These lasts are formed so that a shoe maker can shape the shoe to the ideal foot that the shoe was designed for, but the odds are virtually zero that you were born with that ideal shape, and the only adjustability that is generally built into any shoe is provided over the instep of the foot by laces, Velcro straps, or elastic bands. Of course, with most ladies’ pumps and flats, as with many men’s styles, there is absolutely no adjustability.
Custom made shoes can help. People with foot issues such as hammer toes, bunions, or with having two different size feet (we all do, but some more than others), can have shoes made specifically for each foot with extra room to protect those sensitive areas. A quality custom made shoe or boot from a high-end shoe company like Crockett & Jones (England), John Lobb (England), Pakerson’s (Italy), Saint Crispin’s (Austria), Stallion Boots (TX), or Murray Space Shoe (CA… Steve McQueen wore them!) will provide extra room around your problem spots, which will help to eliminate foot pain and discomfort. Last year a new company in NYC called Antonia Saint Dunbar started offering a custom fitted high heel pump and a flat, both of which included very support features, but this still doesn’t take into account that your feet swell throughout the day. So, there are two problems with custom made shoes. The first is that your feet still change throughout the day, so they won’t fit the same in the evening as they did in the morning. Secondly, as you can imagine, they can be very expensive.
So, what’s the solution? Should you completely forgo style, ignore the dress code at your business, and just wear clogs, moccasins or athletic shoes all day? Or maybe you should resign yourself to a life of foot pain? I say no… don’t settle! The perfect fitting shoe is out there and please tell us what you want to see in your next perfect fitting pair of shoes at www.perfectfittingshoes.com.
Jim Ross
Lead Designer/CEO
Perfect Fitting Shoes
www.perfectfittingshoes.com
