The Vine: March 21, 2008
Hi Sarah,
All of my other resources have let me down; your readers are possibly my final hope.
Here’s the situation: I have an incredibly hard time finding shoes. Like, “I wear a women’s size 14 narrow” incredibly hard time. I know Zappos, I know Shoebuy, I know designershoes.com; the problem is just that there are only a handful of manufacturers out there that make women’s shoes in size 14, and for some reason most of them think I want to wear 3-inch kitten-heel sandals, which just ain’t me.
I’ve decided that the solution is to find someone who can handmake a few basic pairs of shoes for me. Sure, I know it’ll be expensive, but apparently shoes made based to fit just your feet last a really long time, so I’m trying to convince myself that it’ll be worth it. Thing is, I can’t find anyone who does this. Looking online, I found a few makers of “bespoke” gentlemen’s shoes in London, but I don’t think that’s going to help me out.
So, do your readers know anyone who does this sort of thing? Bonus points for someone near Boston, SF, or San Diego (or, heck, London for that matter), since those are places I regularly get to.
Thanks,
I’ve found a few sites for drag queens, so if I wanted knee-high leather platform boots I’d be all set!
Dear Knee-High Leather,
Have you tried visiting or calling the shoe-repair shops near where you live, and asking if they do that sort of thing, or can recommend someone who does? It’s probably relatively rare, but if Daniel Day-Lewis did it for two years or however long, it’s not that rare; you’ve probably got someone in your area who does it. You could also try posting a Craigslist ad, or searching your local online yellow pages for “custom shoe.”
Failing that, you’ve got the TN readers. Readers?
Tags: Ask The Readers retail
We have a shoe smith who does this, I believe, but I’m all the way out in Connecticut. Knee-High, if you’re interested even given the distance, look for the Shoe Smith in Willimantic, Ct. :)
http://zerkahloostrah.etsy.com
I’ve been drooling over the custom-made shoes from this shop, though I haven’t been able to bring myself to shell out the money for them. The proprietor seems confident of tracing/measuring remotely, but is in Holyoke, Mass. which seems to be within a couple hours of Boston.
Ardona already mentioned zerkahloostrah.
Another place I know of is this:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/PrintStory.pl?document_id=2004139871&zsection_id=2003925728&slug=rubaiyat23m&date=20080123
but as you can see from the URL, they’re in Seattle.
I don’t know any custom shoe makers but
http://sierratradingpost.com has a couple (right now, 3) of
women’s shoes that are size 14 (direct link to the shoes – http://tinyurl.com/3293cz).
They’re pretty basic looking (not kitten heels) but seem nice, all by a company called Munro. Sierra makes it easy to return things with a pre-paid return postage sticker provided in the box and great customer service.
Caroline Groves has a bespoke shoe business in London (Marylebone, 37 Chiltern Street). She actually designs a wide range of styles for women, and will work with the client on a custom design. Now you will probably be plunking down in the neighborhood of $3,000 USD for your first pair, but if what you want is 3 pairs of wonderful shoes that you can wear comfortably for 5 years, she is probably a good bet. http://www.carolinegroves.co.uk/
You might actually save money by taking a quick trip to Hong Kong for custom shoes. There’s Mayer’s at the Mandarin Hotel, which is the best known and probably the most expensive. Apparently there are a lot of custom shoe shops in Tsim Sha Tsui, but I don’t know which ones make custom lasts. A good hotel concierge might be able to help.
I do feel your pain about hard-to-fit feet. Fortunately, I can usually make do with backless shoes that fit my medium-sized toes and leave my teeny tiny heels out of it. My sister’s extra-long, extra-narrow feet are closer to what you’re dealing with, but she’s lucky enough to sneak under the manufacturers’ wire with a size 11. Bespoke shoes really do sound like the perfect solution for you.
I went to maps.google.com and typed in custom made shoes in San Francisco. I got 3194 responses in the bay area plus all those google ad links. And Since it’s maps, it automatically shows you where they are located. This could be a way of getting the same response in your hometown.
This might not be the most helpful, as they’re a) in Australia, and b) vegan (only a problem if leather is absolutely a requirement), but… I understand that veganwares.com does custom orders, and they’re supposed to be well-made and of excellent materials (meaning not cheap-ass plastic). Haven’t used them myself, but I’ve been coveting some of their shoes for some time.
http://www.duoboots.com/
I have really wide feet and calves and duo makes REALLY cute styles and tailors them to your exact measurements. They’re pricey, but they really last, so it might be worth it to invest in a few staples.
I recently was in Hong Kong and found an amazing shop where they hand make shoes, you pick out style, colour, leather, everything. They measure your feet to the last mm. It is called Alan Chan – there is no website. I got a pair made and they posted them to me 2 weeks later. I love them and they fit perfectly (of course!) They cost me £170 (inc. postage) which is about $340 but I had fancy shoes made – you could get some more basic shoes for cheaper. The downside? You have to pay for your flight to Hong Kong!
The address of their shops is:
LIII LIII Couture Shoes Ltd.
Shop No. 75, 1/F, Tower 2, Admiralty Centre
18 Harcourt Road
Hong Kong
J. Nina Shoes and Bags
Shop 34, 1/F, Admiralty Centre
18 Harcourt Road
Hong Kong
If you don’t have the resources for some of the custom places referred to above, you may want to look into custom shoemakers who serve the historical re-enactment market. Granted, they are going to specialize in turnshoes or pilgrim shoes or pirate boots or whatever, but many of them are willing to work with you to create a design and have pretty reasonable prices if you’re companing them to the hundreds or thousands you’d likely pay otherwise. Of course, they probably won’t look as fancy, so it’s a trade-off. It might be a good way to get some basic leather slip ons or ankle boots or whatever.
I know several women with larger shoe sizes who have a lot of trouble finding shoes, and almost no one who wears a size lower than seven. I’m not sure why the shoemakers of the world haven’t adjusted to this new reality.
Try shopping at http://www.endless.com; they seem to have a good variety of shoes available in your size…they offer free overnight shipping and a $5.00 discount off the listed prices. I’ve had good luck with them so far.
Nordstrom has many shoes that come in a 14, but none in a narrow.
If you’re looking for something less formal, this company does custom shoes: http://www.russellmoccasin.com/ Their website looks a little cheesy, but they have a really nice (real looking) catalog that you should be able to request.
There used to be someone in Toronto who did custom shoes. The web site is still up but there is a message that the business was closing down. You might be able to find out how to get in touch with her through the website though. http://www.roteringshoes.com/ The web site mentions doing custom work for theatrical productions so you might get some good leads from theater people.
Jenny, I am so happy you posted this! I think I need to arrange a trip to Hong Kong for, like, all of my female family members. We all have seriously non-average feet, and 5 pairs of custom shoes at those prices would probably cost less than the dozens of pairs of shoes I’ve bought over the years and then worn only a few times due to PAIN. Why have we not caught on to this in the U.S.?
I’ve heard good things about Catskill Mtn Moccasins.
http://www.catskill-moc.com/
They make everything from a custom mold of your foot. Pricey, though.
Hey Katherine,
Glad to help. I realise I gave two addresses and one of them is not the shop I refer to. Didn’t mean to confuse. The top address is the shop I went to. I got the address by doing a search for Alan Chan. It does have 2 shops though – very near each other in a shopping mall. You can see my shoes here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mossie/2307798127/
I’ve had great luck with barefoot tess. They have shoes in all sorts of different styles going up to a size 15, but I’m not sure about the width of the shoes. The customer service is also amazing.
The site is http://www.barefoottess.com
Good luck!
Or you can have them made in Italy if you get a chance to go there. The website is in Italian but I know that he has at least one assistant who speaks English. They weren’t really that expensive 2 or 3 years ago, maybe 250 for a pair of loafery shoes in plain leather although with the dollar being so down right now….
http://www.carlofagiani.com/
I just found this.. and i have to second the Barefoot Tess
comment. I too am a 14 and I know how hard it is to find shoes. I have heard all the referrals.. and most just lead to ugly shoes in my size if anything. I have been obsessed with this site since i found it last year. they just got a new website and the actually incorporated a few changes i suggested (im sure they were thinking of it anyway, but it made shoe shopping on line a lot better– more views, comments etc). anway.. my two absolutely most favorite shoes the have for spring that you cant get anywhere…. Matt Bernson sandals and All Black flats. but seriously look at their exclusives.. and their own line goes to 14. as for narrow or wide.. just email and ask for suggestions. they dont list them really, but i have wides and they always help me find a bunch that arent listed. YOU HAVE TO check this out. hope it changes your life like it did mine. and if you want to email me directly, ask the site if you can have my email. im fine with that! us size 14 have to stick together
kelly.. are you talking about http://www.barefoottess.com? its not in your comment. if so i love it too!
well, this might sound crazy, but if you’re going to spend that much… you could have a holiday to boot. You can get custom made shoes in Hoi An, Viet Nam for about $20 a pair and enjoy a cheap beachside holiday while you’re there. A friend of mine has child sized feet and finds it impossible to get ‘grown up’ shoes i.e. without bows or hello kitty on them. She got about 5 pairs for $100 and says she’s set for another few years now. Obviously the biggest cost would be your flights.
Hi Sarah,
So…you’ve seen “Pleaser” shoes. Ain’t NOTHING like a 5 inch high pair o’ platforms. Nuts.
I have a website for you. Barefoottess.com. great shoes. sizes up to a 15? i know they have up to size 14. I, myself wear a size 12. Not ridiculously hard to find but, apparently, getting harder. Some designers that used to make 12’s and 13’s aren’t anymore. Nordstroms, my old “go-to” for my size has almost stopped carrying them in their retail stores. now their standard refrain is “i can see if i can ORDER it for you”. then they find that they can’t. Sad. Americans are getting bigger. that means bigger feet. so why the cut back on size? i don’t get it. that’s why i love tess. they don’t quibble. they just throw the size out there for you to pick. it’s their “standard” size not their special, have to be ordered, if we can find it size. it’s nice to be treated like average for a change.
Nordstrom also has a large-size shoe sale once a year. My friend who is size 13+ swears by it. She goes every year, there is usually a line waiting to get in the store at opening time. I would talk to the manager of the shoe dept. at your local Nordstrom.
Etsy.com has at least a few shoemakers floating around, I’m 99.9% sure. They also finally opened up Alchemy, which lets you post a request to have something made. Those interested can even place bids to make the work for you.
http://www.etsy.com/alchemy/
Another thought is something like The Orthotic Group, which makes custom-order shoes in regular styles from companies like Merrell. They’re not thousands of dollars, and your insurance may cover a portion of it if you get a referral for a pair of orthotics or custom shoes. You don’t have to need orthotics in order to get them, but it is good because you get a decent shoe with a footbed that’s exactly made to your foot’s impression.
http://www.theorthoticgroup.com
Huh, I’m originally from Willimantic, and while I’ve had plenty of shoes repaired by The Shoe Smith, I never knew they made custom ones. Awesome!
El Diablo shoes looks like they do a lot of custom orders. They make a lot of mary janes and other vintage styles:
http://www.eldiabloshoes.com/measurements-the-photo-essay.html
They also have an etsy shop at:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5102176
I don’t know if anyone will read this, but I’ve been working my way back through the archives (follow link, follow other link…hey! Hey, it’s TN! I haven’t been here in a while! I love this place! Sars went blonde?!?!) and I just read about this site the other day in Lucky and, well:
https://www.gwynethshoes.com/store
Goes up to 14. Pretty cute, too. Figured someone else in need might stumble across this entry again, might as well put in my two cents.
I shop exclusively at Dreamshoes since I wear a womens 15 shoe:
http://www.shoesofyourdreams.com
Before Dreamshoes I could never even wear women’s shoes at all other than the stripper – drag queen – crossdresser variety!
For custom shoes I’ve been playing around with a site called shoesofprey but haven’t ordered anything. I think they’re in Australia.