Shoes for big feet

[Doolallygirl]

Why isn't there a clothes section?! I've got big feet for a woman (size 9) and I have great difficulty getting feminine styles of shoe. Can anyone recommend a shoe shop for people with larger feet but with a small budget? I've tried most high street stores but even though they claim to sell size 9 (NEXT!!) they rarely have any in stock or if they do they only do the nasty looking shoes! I'm desperate!

[natalie_1982]

I'm a 6-7. but my mum's an 8 and I think Barrett's are good for having larger sizes and being quite reasonable. Also, try somewhere like Brantano or Shoe Express, if you'r anywhere near Reading there's a shop called PricesLess and they're cheap but have loads of shoes that are nice and big sizes again.

[Doolallygirl]

Nowhere near Reading! I live in Kent so quite close to London/Bluewater/Lakeside but I've tried all of the shops and if I find a pair I like (not that picky, shoes are shoes afterall!) they never have them in my size. I've been to Barretts and size 8's are too small in most shoes to be comfortable. I've had to squeeze into them for now but I'm not happy! My feet are getting cut up! Maybe I should bind my feet like people in different cultures?!

[hectic]

Try ebay, they cater for all sorts on there

[Doolallygirl]

No joy on e-bay either. Although this one woman was offering her rather old and dirty jesus creepers which amused me slightly! And anyway they are too specific, I want to look through a range of different shoes rather than be forced into wearing either someone else's cast off's or paying through the nose for some. I was hoping somebody could give me a name of a shop?

[vittoria]

You have all my sympathy as I am in a similar predicament. I used to be a size 9, while I was pregnant I went up to 11, now back to 10. I have a number of references but they are all very old as I have not bought shoes for ages, so please check them out before setting out on a trip. Elephant feet, 63 Atlantic Road, London SW9. Tel. [phone]. www.elephantfeet.com. This is the best ref. I have because a friend of mine passed this to me recently, the rest are all old bits of paper I have accumulated over the years. The Glass Slipper, (also mail order), 65 High Street, Tunbridge Wells, tel. [phone]. Tall & Small, selling through a variety of stockists. The last catalogue I have is from 1995/96 so I can�t guarantee they are all still there but the following outlets were listed on the back: Lilly & Skinner, 360 Oxford St. (near Marble Arch), London. Tel. [phone]. Saxone, lots of branches in Oxford Street, London. It also lists Shoe City and Saxone at Thurrock Lakeside, I gather you live near there so you�re probably better placed than me to check they are still there and stocking larger sizes. To be continued.

[vittoria]

Magnus, Northampton (mail order also) tel. [phone]. Www.magnusshoes.com. Crispins, Chiltern St, London, tel. [phone]. Panache in Camberwell Road, Walworth Road, Camberwell, London SW5 (I don�t have any more info on this one, I am not even sure if these are two branches or a complicated address). Sally Small tel [phone]. Small & Tall Shop, (also mail order), 71 York Street, London W1. Tel. [phone] Nive to Elleven Footwear Ltd, (mail order), tel. [phone], www.9211.co.uk The British Footwear Manufacturers Federation once published a booklet entitled "Footwear for Special Needs". The address I had for them was 5, Portland Place, London W1N 3AA tel. [phone]. A journalist called Annalisa Barbieri who used to have a regular column on the Sunday Independent compiled "The Big Shoe Directory". If all else fails you could try tracking her down, I think she still writes regularly on various newspapers. At the pricier end Jimmy Choo, Russell & Bromley, Hobbs and Jones Bootmaker do some styles in larger sizes, let me know if you want to know about these. The end.

[Doolallygirl]

Now that's what I call a proper answer!! Thank you so much, you've been great! I can't wait to check out all my new shoe shops! Cheers!

[londondave]

Not being funny, but try some transvestite sites on the net, they have all sorts of amazing shoes in large sizes.

[Kay]

"THE SHOE TAILOR" You can find it online.