OT: anybody with wide feet? what brand shoes do you buy?

[Mom to Brandon and 2 cats]

I hate my wide feet. Why are all of the wide shoes so ugly and grandma-like?

Are there any "normal" brands which run a little wider?

Thanks...so frustrated.

[newmomto3kids]

I bought the quilted weatherfield shoes from Lands End and find them quite wide, yet still pretty cool. I love that they zip up and they are warm too.
My husband would say that my endorsement of them alone should be enough to classify them as "uncool" though!!

[jayali]

My feet are not only wide but large (size 10). I have great luck with Ann Taylor shoes. They seem to be a little wider then most. I also have bought some Aerosoles that I like. I too have the Landsend zip up shoes from the previous post. They are really wide and run a bit big. Not sure what type of shoes you are looking for, but for dress shoes I also have been wearing Stuart Weitzman and I have two pair of Gucci (on sale) that are really comfy.

[deannamorrison]

How wide are they?

[elliput]

I can commiserate and have had good luck with Born and Clarks (specifically wide width). Shoe shopping is something I have to get myself pysched up for.

[Sillygirl]

Don't know about specific brands, but I can wholeheartedly recommend Zappos.com. They have a great selection of sizes and widths and with free shipping and free returns (including free return shipping) you really can't go wrong. I love Zappos!

[shilo]

another with hobbit feet here (short and wide :). and since i'm local to you, i'll tell you where i shop :).

the footwear, etc. store at stevens creek and de anza (same parking lot as mervyns) carries a lot of the european brands which either run wider or have wide sizes. from them my favorites are mephisto, stonefly and beautifeel. they also carry clarks, siebel, born, dansko, and many others.

nordstroms actually carries a pretty wide variety of brands that come in wide widths, and i've actually had good luck at the nordstroms rack over at westgate. i found my current pair of new balance sneakers (DD width) there. i've also found some mephisto's and a pair of keen's there.

speaking of keen's, REI also over by westgate has a good selection. they run wide and i've had no problem with their sandals or their closed toed shoes. they also carry merrel which i can wear some of - just depends on the style.

valley fair has a clarks store, which as pp mentioned, carry wide widths. clarks also makes a sub-brand called pr!vo which are cute and sporty (like the little trendy euro-sneakers that are 'in' right now). i've seen them at this clarks store, but at nordies and macy's in the mall too. my mom has pretty wide feet (altho not as wide as mine) and has had no problem with these. i think footwear, etc. carries them as well.

and then, there is always payless shoe source. they actually carry a pretty decent selection of WW for when you need a pair of 'match one outfit and may self destruct before you can wear them again, but it's ok b/c they looked cute for the night' - type shoes :)

hth, lori
Sam 5/19/05 How lucky I am that you chose me.

[LD92599]

I wear a 10W and like Naturalizer and Easy Spirit. I just picked up a pair of W boots in JC Penney and a pair of W shoes in Sears and love both so far.

I need one more pair of shoes and i'm thinking of a pair of mini uggs, which run wide.

I'll be keeping an eye on this thread for sure!

Laura
Will is three and a half - we're now making progress with sleeping!

[cmdunn1972]

Another vote for Easy Spirit. Their styles have gotten much more updated since being bought out by Nine West about 10 years ago. Prices are reasonable too.

FTR, I'm a size 6 1/2 W.

[Momof3Labs]

I got a pair of Dexter mary janes off of either shoebuy.com or zappos.com that are quite wide and very cute. Lands End has some wide sizes (though their fit varies all over the board). Clarks has wide shoes, so does Naturalizer (I get my conservative work shoes from them). But, yeah, a lot of grandma styles in wide sizes for whatever reason!!

[bostonsmama]

I love Aerosoles. I have wide feet and can pretty much wear a normal (M) in all of their shoes they are so naturally wide. My favorites are a pair of suede loafers in Cotton Candy pink (very muted natural, though...great w/ khakis) and they are so comfortable I could live in them.

Also, Style Inc. from Macy's has naturally wide high heel shoes...in fact one pair was so wide I fit into a half size smaller shoe.

Another vote for Easy Spirit...my poor mom was blessed with insanely bloated tootsies and lives in her Easy Spirit wide sandals.

New Balance also carried wide widths, although they're more true wide since I can't fit into the regular widths at all! My DH has a crazy foot fracture that permanently made his feet wide and loves NB's 4E (extra, extra wide). If your feet are at least a size 9-9.5, you'll be able to wear a men's size 8, which comes in 4E, and no, they don't look clunky or manly...you just have to find the right style. Also, any running shoe with mesh sides is going to allow the sides of your feet to spread out more vs. cross trainers which have more rigid (i.e. leather) side stability for balance, so they're going to be tighter on the sides of your foot. Asics is another wide sneaker that's attractive and yet the wide fits my Dh's 4E wide foot, and their normal wide fits my wide feet.

[Saccade]

A total splurge, and maybe slightly OT, but Taryn Rose, an orthopedic surgeon, designs great comfy dress shoes (even 3" strappy sandals). Available at Zappos, and if you don't mind last season's styles, often at half-price. Worth it for the comfort if you can manage the cost, especially if you don't normally wear heels. I figure one pair of comfy good shoes is worth a handful of shoes that get tossed because they are uncomfortable. Anyhow, some Taryn Rose models are really weird looking, but there are nice ones also. She just started making a lower-priced line with a slightly different demographic/style called "Taryn by Taryn Rose" (creative, huh?) -- also on Zappos, may be worthwhile checking out.

ETA: In general many European shoe brands tend to allow more room in the toe box, and they are not all orthopedic looking these days. Check to see if your area has a shoe store specializing in shoes for walking (e.g. http://www.walkshop.com/store/default.asp) -- they have more than just Birkenstocks these days. You do have to browse a bit but there are stylish shoes to be had.

ETA again: Hey, you're in SJ! If you ever get up north, besides The Walk Shop in Berkeley, there's a great shoe store in the Sunset in SF that you might want to check out -- On the Run http://www.ontherunshoes.com/comfort.htm -- around the corner there is a sister store with more formal shoes for work but I'm blanking on the name.

[FONT COLOR="#006600"]Come get wild and wooly with us!
http://s14.invisionfree.com/BBB_Knitters/index.php?act=idx[FONT]

[spunkybaby]

Have you tried Munro? I've bought a few pairs at Nordstroms. Pricey, but comfy, and they come in WW.

Mom to a spunky toddler (3/04) and a new spunky Christmas baby (12/06)

[Momof3Labs]

Yes, Munro can be good too. sierratradingpost often carries them for about half price, and has coupon codes all the time. But I do find that I need to size up a half size when I buy Munro.

[DrSally]

Yes, I bought a pair of suede loafers wide at Payless during my last month of preg, when even my sneakers wouldn't fit. I think my already wideish feet are permanently more wide, so I'll have to clean out a bunch of shoes that will never fit (sniff) and look for some wide ones. I'm going to check out that Zappos.com. I usually just pick something up at TJmax or Marshalls but haven't seen anything recently. Can't wait for summer so I can wear the good old birkenstocks!

[Mom to Brandon and 2 cats]

Thanks, Lori!
You're always so helpful.
I'll check them out next time DS's both take a nap. It's so hard to go shopping these days with 2 little ones!

[Mom to Brandon and 2 cats]

Thanks! We actually are up in SF Sunset area a lot. In-laws live there....

[denna]

Another wide foot here :). I just got a great pair of Nine West boots and they fit perfectly! I was shocked, when they arrived (bought them from shoebuy.com) I thought "great, these will never fit", but they are great, really. Also my UGGs are amazing (cozyboots.com) and I have had good luck w/ Merrells. Hope this help.

[dhano923]

I wear a 9.5W or WW, depending on the style. I buy shoes from Easy Spirit (great selection in the ES store), Nordstrom, and DSW. Stuart Weitzman makes gorgeous dress shoes -- they are a little pricy, but worth it IMO. For boots, I like Fitzwell boots from Zappo.com -- $90 for awesome pointy shoe boots in wide that have gel inserts built in! They are super comfy, even with a 3" skinny heel. Franco Sarto shoes (Nordstrom and DSW) tend to be cut wide in many styles, so sometimes I will size up and get a 10M and they will still fit. I do this especially with point toe shoes since I like a little extra room in the toe box.