Welcome to our new series 'Finding the Perfect Fit - Abbot's Tips for Choosing the Right Size'. In part one, we’re looking at some important things to consider before choosing your shoe size in hand-made formal footwear.
When buying a quality pair of hand-made shoes, finding the right size is perhaps the most important aspect in making sure you have a great experience. A hand-made dress shoe should be comfortable straight away. Poorly fitting shoes can not only affect their overall appearance, but can of course mean discomfort for your feet and even long-term injuries.
But with so many brands, styles and lasts out there it can be difficult to find the right size. Here are a few tips from Abbot’s that will help you find the perfect fit.
One size might not fit all
Before you buy a pair of quality formal shoes, it's important to remember that what applies for regular shoes, and indeed other brands you may have owned previously, may not apply to your new pair. Hand-made footwear shapes and sizes are full of intricacies born from hundreds of years of manufacturing. Each of the great shoemakers have their own take on style and silhouette, and in turn, fit. Each shoe brand uses their own ‘Lasts’, which is essentially a wooden foot which shoes will be made and moulded around to provide their shape. Lasts can differ greatly in shape, this in turn can mean that your size between brands, and even within brands varying lasts, may be different.
What shoe brands and sizes do you normally wear?
Hand-made formal shoes fit differently to regular trainers and off-the-shelf shoes, which means that you shouldn’t always follow your regular size. This is because hand-made shoes do not use the same generic shapes and man-made materials as trainers/high street shoes use. Hand-made shoes are designed to hug the foot more closely and gradually mould to the foot and thus, come up large to size in comparison to mass-manufactured footwear.
For example, you may take a size 9 in Nike or Converse trainers but you will most likely be a size 8 in most shoes we sell. If you were a size 9 in an off-the-shelf shoe brand like Next or M&S then you will likely be a 8 or 8.5 in the brands we sell.
When our customers are trying to work out their size for the first time. We would ask customers to consider the following:
- Which of your current shoes fit you best and what size/brand they are?
- Which brand, style and size are you considering on our website?
Contacting us with this information will allow us to get a general idea of your shoe size in the brands we sell, provide fitting advice and make a sizing recommendation.
We’ve included a comparison chart in oursize guide so you can better understand how to convert your when selecting your pair.
Consider the style of shoe
Another aspect to consider is the style of shoe you are buying. For example, Derby and monk shoes can be much more forgiving in fit. The open lacing/buckles can allow for much adjustability; they will also be more suitable to individuals with a higher instep. Oxfords on the other hand can’t open as much, so tend to have less space for movement - those with a lower instep or narrower foot might prefer this fit as a result. Loafers are notoriously difficult to fit, and some wearers may need an insole or tongue pad to get them to fit correctly.
There is no substitute for trying shoes on
While this guide will give you a good barometer of your size, there is no substitute for trying shoes on - and at Abbot’s we offerfree UK returns and easy International returns in case yours aren’t quite right. We encourage customers to wear purchased shoes for around 30 minutes on a carpeted surface around the house. This will give you the best idea as to whether they are the right size. You can read our blog post all about trying on your shoes in part three of this series
Ask the Experts
It may require a little more effort, but that extra research before you buy can make all the difference to ensuring you’ve got the right size, and it always helps to ask the experts. At Abbot’s we’re always on hand to answer your sizing questions - you candrop us a line via email or simply give us a call - we’ll just need to know what size you normally wear and what pairs and brands you're interested in, and we’ll let you know what should fit you best. If you’re after more buyer’s advice, there are also plenty of articles and advice from fashion forums online too, where buyers have given their own thoughts on different brand sizes and how they’ve found them to fit.
If you need advice on sizing or are unsure of your size, do not hesitate to contact us - we're always happy to help.
