What designer's shoes run true to size?

[Jenny5150]

I know Blahnik runs on the small side. I was just curious about some of the others since I have no experience with their shoes.

(I wear a 12, so only recently have some of these designers started manufacturing shoes in my size.)

 

[Deleted 2]

Don't forget, most of the designer shoes are sized in Euro (or French, or Italian) sizes, and some places claim a 42 is a 12. Not even close! 41 is (usually) a US women's 10, but a US woman's 11 is more like a 43 or 44, and I have no idea what a US 12 would be - at least 45, I'd think. The sizing goes pretty much bananas at the larger range, and French 41 equals Italian 40 - among other irregularities.

 

[oceanharlot]

Louboutins run true to size for me
So do Marc Jacobs

small- MB, Anne Klein, Hollywood, Delman, Stuart Weitzman, Jimmy Choo

 

[renferme]

The fitting can depend on the market where the designer has the most customers, so theres not really anything such as a 'true' size.

Caucasian American women tend to have narrower feet than Eurpoean women, African women have very wide heels and Chinese women have very flat, wide feet.

 

[stilista]

I've made the mistake of buying shoes at the end of a days shopping when my feet are swollen and now have tons of shoes far too big to wear - obviously it's best to buy first thing in the morning before you've walked too much but that's not always possible.

Off the top of my head, judging by my own I'd say true to size were :

Marc Jacobs, Ungaro, Chanel, Prada, Louboutin, Dior

Run a little Bigger : Miu Miu, Versace, Marni, Pura Lopez, Cacharel, Clements Ribeiro, Matthew Williamson

Run a little smaller : Westwood, Celine

but it will depend on your feet,and of course the style of shoe

 

[Oria]

Caucasian American women tend to have narrower feet than Eurpoean women, African women have very wide heels and Chinese women have very flat, wide feet.

Could you please place-up where you got this information from?

@ the size of the shoe, in my opinion often depends on where the shoe is actually produced, if it's Europe then it will run the way most European shoes run. Some designers do make larger shoes, but it still doesn't help if you wear a size 11, and have wide feet.

 

[LadyIllusion]

Gucci runs true to size for me. However, Chanel certainly doesnt. I wear an 11b in Gucci, which is the perfect fit, however i have to buy a 12 in Chanel, which fits perfectly. So i agree with whoever said shoes are sized according to where they are manufactured.


Originally Posted by Lady Muck
Caucasian American women tend to have narrower feet than Eurpoean women, African women have very wide heels and Chinese women have very flat, wide feet.

I also disagree about this statement, and would be interested to hear where you got your information from?

 

[stilista]

Gucci runs true to size for me. However, Chanel certainly doesnt. I wear an 11b in Gucci, which is the perfect fit, however i have to buy a 12 in Chanel, which fits perfectly. So i agree with whoever said shoes are sized according to where they are manufactured.

I take the same size in Gucci and Chanel - I wear a 37 in both and both are pretty perfect.

Obviously it depends on the cut of the shoe and the shape of your foot....seems like it's a difficult one to advise on.

 

[Misako]

The fitting can depend on the market where the designer has the most customers, so theres not really anything such as a 'true' size.

Caucasian American women tend to have narrower feet than Eurpoean women, African women have very wide heels and Chinese women have very flat, wide feet.

Question: Where did you get this information? I'm Asian, and I have small (6.5), not wide feet at all. I always wear normal sizes, and so do all the other Asians I know. Most of my friends who are Caucasian wear normal sizes, but I have a few friends that also have wide feet, but I've never gotten that comment from any Asian person. I live in the Bay Area, so I see Asian people quite often...

 

[HeelGuy]

The fitting can depend on the market where the designer has the most customers, so theres not really anything such as a 'true' size.

Caucasian American women tend to have narrower feet than Eurpoean women, African women have very wide heels and Chinese women have very flat, wide feet.

Are you sure your info is correct and accurate??

 

[Oria]

LOL- we all seem to be waiting for the answer on shoe size and ethnicity.

 

[*Happiness*]

Gucci runs true to size for me. However, Chanel certainly doesnt. I wear an 11b in Gucci, which is the perfect fit, however i have to buy a 12 in Chanel, which fits perfectly. So i agree with whoever said shoes are sized according to where they are manufactured.


Originally Posted by Lady Muck
Caucasian American women tend to have narrower feet than Eurpoean women, African women have very wide heels and Chinese women have very flat, wide feet.

I also disagree about this statement, and would be interested to hear where you got your information from?

I would have to disagree as well.

 

[renferme]

LOL- we all seem to be waiting for the answer on shoe size and ethnicity.

sorry, I've been sick today, so just seen all the replys.

I got the info from several different last makers and biomechanic experts over the years. I've probably had more exposure to studies on foot morphology because I've worked in Athletic footwear on an international basis.

Note: This is an average, so no need to get upset if you do not fit the average. Not everyone will fit this 'average'. I found most of this out because I worked with Biomechanics when I used to design shoes for team sports and the testing and fitting was of great importance to us. For instance I learned that you should never play sport in a shoe intended for a man if you are a woman, because the fitting between sexes is different <---That link also touches on and acknowledges differences in foot shape for race but does not go into it in any detail.

I usually get all my shoes fitted at Satra As you can see from the link, they offer advice on fitting for different markets. (i.e. countries)

Of course, the country is not the only factor - comfort brands tend to have a roomier fit, for instance. Customer preference can also influence the fit.

I used to work for a brand that is based in the UK, but sells in the US - we made all the sample sizes based on an American sized last as opposed to a European sized last. We did make the shoes a bit narrower for the US, I'm telling the truth here.

I also used to have a nightmare working with an American sneaker brand, when we tried to grade the sizes into UK sizes for our UK mail order customers as the sizes don't all neccessarily grade into UK ones exactly. Its a big headache and this is one of the resons you might find the fitting odd on some brands as not everyone grades in the same way.

Take a look at the Bata Size chart and compare - you'll see that the sizes do not match up exactly. That explains that although I'm more or less a size 39, I take anything from a US 7.5 to a US 9.

Can I just say, that this happens in clothing too? My ex husband worked for Etam and they had an absolute nightmare with fitting when they changed from a design team in London to one in Paris. The British girls could not fit into the French fitted clothes because they tend to be taller with a bigger bust and a thicker waist. One of my other friends was a buyer in a store on South Molton Street and I remember her bemoaning the fact that they could not buy into Nina Ricci clothing because it was cut for the Japanese market.

I also speak as someone whose client did not get their collection fitted for the UK (the factory was in China) we now have a big fitting problem because the shoes were not fitted for the UK, market but for the Chinese market!

Heres a medical report on difference in foot shape between Japanese and East Javanese. Report

The main reasons for these studies are not necessarily for footwear fitting - they are also used in archaeology and forensic science and are used to find out more information about a body or a skeleton.

If anyone still doesn't beleive me or thinks I'm talking rubbish, have a chat with SATRA - theres not much published on the web but they do have lots of research into the subject so I'm sure they'd be happy to help.

 

[Oria]

sorry, I've been sick today, so just seen all the replys.

I got the info from several different last makers and biomechanic experts over the years. I've probably had more exposure to studies on foot morphology because I've worked in Athletic footwear on an international basis.

Note: This is an average, so no need to get upset if you do not fit the average. Not everyone will fit this 'average'. I found most of this out because I worked with Biomechanics when I used to design shoes for team sports and the testing and fitting was of great importance to us. For instance I learned that you should never play sport in a shoe intended for a man if you are a woman, because the fitting between sexes is different <---That link also touches on and acknowledges differences in foot shape for race but does not go into it in any detail.

I usually get all my shoes fitted at Satra As you can see from the link, they offer advice on fitting for different markets. (i.e. countries)

Of course, the country is not the only factor - comfort brands tend to have a roomier fit, for instance. Customer preference can also influence the fit.

I used to work for a brand that is based in the UK, but sells in the US - we made all the sample sizes based on an American sized last as opposed to a European sized last. We did make the shoes a bit narrower for the US, I'm telling the truth here.

I also used to have a nightmare working with an American sneaker brand, when we tried to grade the sizes into UK sizes for our UK mail order customers as the sizes don't all neccessarily grade into UK ones exactly. Its a big headache and this is one of the resons you might find the fitting odd on some brands as not everyone grades in the same way.

Take a look at the Bata Size chart and compare - you'll see that the sizes do not match up exactly. That explains that although I'm more or less a size 39, I take anything from a US 7.5 to a US 9.

Can I just say, that this happens in clothing too? My ex husband worked for Etam and they had an absolute nightmare with fitting when they changed from a design team in London to one in Paris. The British girls could not fit into the French fitted clothes because they tend to be taller with a bigger bust and a thicker waist. One of my other friends was a buyer in a store on South Molton Street and I remember her bemoaning the fact that they could not buy into Nina Ricci clothing because it was cut for the Japanese market.

I also speak as someone whose client did not get their collection fitted for the UK (the factory was in China) we now have a big fitting problem because the shoes were not fitted for the UK, market but for the Chinese market!

Heres a medical report on difference in foot shape between Japanese and East Javanese. Report

The main reasons for these studies are not necessarily for footwear fitting - they are also used in archaeology and forensic science and are used to find out more information about a body or a skeleton.

If anyone still doesn't beleive me or thinks I'm talking rubbish, have a chat with SATRA - theres not much published on the web but they do have lots of research into the subject so I'm sure they'd be happy to help.

I know all about the fitting for countries, and of course sex, this is very obvious that a man's shoe isn't for a woman. Even the lasts that are made, but I have never been told that "race" is important and I've worked with several factories from China to Brasil that ship all over the world. Not even my last makers have told me this, perhaps there is some "truth" to it, but I certainly don't subscribe to it.

Here is something I tell my friends to do, go to say Kenneth Cole, look under the shoe, try on one "made in spain" and try on one "made in italy" the more expensive ones will be "made in italy" now- after you do this see the difference in the fit. Once they do that they usually understand what I mean by it comes down to where the shoe was made, and to what specifications they are using. Even Spain and Italy will render a different shoe, despite being forerunners in the world of shoemaking.

It's not about offending or not believing, I wanted clarification- now I understand. My personal opinion is that a lot of it is theory based.

 

[renferme]

I know all about the fitting for countries, and of course sex, this is very obvious that a man's shoe isn't for a woman. Even the lasts that are made, but I have never been told that "race" is important and I've worked with several factories from China to Brasil that ship all over the world. Not even my last makers have told me this, perhaps there is some "truth" to it, but I certainly don't subscribe to it.

Here is something I tell my friends to do, go to say Kenneth Cole, look under the shoe, try on one "made in spain" and try on one "made in italy" the more expensive ones will be "made in italy" now- after you do this see the difference in the fit. Once they do that they usually understand what I mean by it comes down to where the shoe was made, and to what specifications they are using. Even Spain and Italy will render a different shoe, despite being forerunners in the world of shoemaking.

It's not about offending or not believing, I wanted clarification- now I understand. My personal opinion is that a lot of it is theory based.

Of course it depends on the last maker too - you can tell a difference bewtwen them and I also think different countries have different preferences (perhaps this is also what I am getting at ) . I find French footwear very strange (narrow and straight) but that's the market preference. But then again another friend of mine was bemoaning the fact that all her African customers order her shoes to be changed to be made open at the back as they find them more comfortable.

 

[Deleted 2]

Ooooookay - I guess we got our answer!

 

[renferme]

Ooooookay - I guess we got our answer!

I'm sorry - I think we are trying to 'outfact' each other here.

 

[Oria]

I'm sorry - I think we are trying to 'outfact' each other here.

No, no not that at all, we are learning from eachother lol.

I do agree with you on the countries and their specifications, and after reading your response I think we agree.

LOL@ Emery that was funny.

 

[Amara]

I also find Anne Klein to run small, I thought it was just me.

I find Miu Miu to run small, but Prada shoes at my size fit perfect...go figure.