Medieval pointy-toed shoes led to Cambridge bunion surge

[Fiberglass Cyborg]

I've had people tell me my shoes might last longer if I bought more expensive shoes. Thanks, but quality men's shoes are all designed for people with feet shaped like palette knives. I basically have scaled-up hobbit feet - I already have to go two or three sizes up just to accomodate the width, without dealing with 1.5 cm of headroom in there too.

 

[Montero]

Lovely turn of phrase there @Fiberglass Cyborg

I have spread out to the toes feet and find if I get the width, the heel is sloppy..... sigh. For a short time I was very happy in a pair of made to measure clogs, with extra depth to allow for a padded insole - and then the podiatrist I started seeing for several problems shot them down as being wrong in so many ways. (Insufficient cushioning in the sole, skidding around on the internal padding, not a full rocker sole.)
Well, they were better than wellies.
In fact I am getting tempted to revive the clogs now that so many of my foot problems are better..... mmmm, have to think on that. I no longer absolutely have to have a rocker sole....
Currently dealing with a six month old pair of boots that was waterproof and is now leaking.

 

[Ursa major]

I already have to go two or three sizes up just to accomodate the width

Me too... but as the size of the shoe increases, the distance between the back of the shoe and the place where the shoe is at its widest also increases. This means that the shoe one has to buy may (depending on the shape of one's foot) be wider than it needs to be.

This can also mean that, in spite of accommodating one's foot, the shoe is not a good fit (even if one ignores the fact that it is too long).

 

[Guttersnipe]

Elves and genies never seem to have that problem...

 

[Montero]

Elves and genies never seem to have that problem...

It's why so many people hate them.

 

[Elentarri]

Me too... but as the size of the shoe increases, the distance between the back of the shoe and the place where the shoe is at its widest also increases. This means that the shoe one has to buy may (depending on the shape of one's foot) be wider than it needs to be.

This can also mean that, in spite of accommodating one's foot, the shoe is not a good fit (even if one ignores the fact that it is too long).

That's when you get inner soles. You can slip them into the too big shoes for a tighter fit so they don't slip, but still get the width. There are full and half inner soles available.

Most shoes I try on are too short and no matter how many sizes you go up, they still stay too short but just widen out, so you end up with something that looks like a boat on your foot. I've come to the conclusion that these types of shoes are made in China (says so on the label) and apparently whoever designed them still thinks women don't have/need toes.

 

[Elentarri]

Elves and genies never seem to have that problem...

Their feet never touch the ground, so it doesn't matter what the shoes look or fit like.

 

[Danny McG]

My wife has been getting these for a couple of summers now for beach trips, they're basically stick on soles that adhere to your bare feet!

 

[Elentarri]

I thought one of the points to beach trips was to walk on the sand in bare feet? Unless your beach happens to be the one with gravel like shards of glass? Then I think you need something a bit more heavy duty anyway?

 

[Montero]

I walk on perfect lawns in bare feet - far superior to sand. We don't own a perfect lawn, we go for wildflowers and chickens. You do not want to tread in chicken poo. Wildflowers can be prickly. However, if there is an unsupervised lawn at a stately home or open garden, I'm off wandering in bare feet really enjoying the texture. There is the springiness, the warm patches in the sun, the cool sometimes dewy patches in the shade, wonderful.

 

[Elentarri]

I walk on perfect lawns in bare feet - far superior to sand. We don't own a perfect lawn, we go for wildflowers and chickens. You do not want to tread in chicken poo. Wildflowers can be prickly. However, if there is an unsupervised lawn at a stately home or open garden, I'm off wandering in bare feet really enjoying the texture. There is the springiness, the warm patches in the sun, the cool sometimes dewy patches in the shade, wonderful.

I don't think those stick on soles will save you from chicken poop but I agree with the bare feet in grass sentiment. Wonderful stuff.

 

[Montero]

The height that chickens can manage in one poop, especially if it is a once a day, super-stinky, broody hen special, then the only thing that can save you is boots. Sandals nope. Mind you I once walked into a dog turd in sandals and managed to scoop it into the sandal. I was then walking on park grass barefoot, but not happily. An awful lot of "bleh, bleh" and rubbing and looking for a cleaner patch of grass with some wipeability to it.

 

[Danny McG]

One of the problems we have raising kids is there's no standardisation of shoe sizes.

We have two foot gauges to measure the various kids feet, they're both for buying kids shoes in the UK but very different scales on them.

We found it was a bit pointless taking them to the expensive Clark's shoe shops because the 'expert professional measuring' is actually very inconsistent.
Now we carefully measure at home and then order online without (so far) any problems