Fat Feet

The majority of my shoes are medium width, but there are certain styles of shoes that I cannot wear or can only wear if they come in a wide fit. I don't actually have a wide foot. My feet are fat, the top of my foot to be exact. Shopping wide width shoes can be dreadful. The number of shoes available in wide-width is low. And they tend to look functional or orthopedic, but not at all aesthetically pleasing.

The styles of shoes that I like has not changed since I've gained weight so I've had to develop a strategy to get the look I want.

Forgiving Brands

Vince Camuto and Franco Sarto

These are a couple of my go-to brands for shoes. While Franco Sarto does carry wide widths, I find that both brands' medium width shoes are very comfortable for me.

Forgiving Styles

d'Orsay Styles

I'm a pump girl through and through, but some times traditional cuts pinch the top of my feet or my feet look squeeze in. I find that the d'Orsay style offers some relief because one or both sides of the shoe is cut out and the middle of my foot is not constricted.

Low-cut toe boxes

A few years ago, mules made a come back in a big way, but I couldn't find a single mule that fit my foot. The top of my feet were just too fat. I stumbled upon a pair of Vince Camuto mules with a low-cut top of the shoe. I remember this was the subject of conversation during the Louboutin craze because their shoes have this lower cut where the top of the toe box starts right at the top of the toe. Similar to the d'Orsay style, covering just the toes and leaving the top/middle of the foot exposed is less constricting.

Other Strategies

Size up

My regular size is 10.5, but not many brands don't make half sizes beyond 9.5 so I often purchase size 11 shoes. Usually anything larger would not work for me, but depending on the style of shoe, sizes above 11 may work. For example, I was looking for a traditional mule slide. This style of shoe usually does not fit me because of the top of my foot, but I tried these Gianni Bini's in a 12 and they gave me just what I needed in fit and are now one of my favorite pairs of shoes.

There are a lot of things frustrating about plus size fashion, but I have to admit that I'm having fun getting creative and mastering my style.