The Great Shoe Sizing Myth & How We Deal With It
- Shrey Gupta
- Mar 8
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 11
Why Your "Standard" Shoe Size is a Lie
We’ve all been there. You walk into a shoe store, confident that you are a solid Size Euro 42. But as you slip into that sleek new pair of leather dress shoes, they feel like a torture. You ask for a 43, but these are loose. Then with a heavy heart, you ask the sales person if a 42.5 is also made by the brand. You also ask for a Brannock Device according to which you are indeed, a Euro 42. Suddenly, you’re questioning everything going around.
If you’ve ever wondered why your shoe size seems to fluctuate wildly depending on the brand, or the country, or the shoe style, you aren’t crazy and you aren’t alone. The truth is, a "standard" shoe size is largely a myth.
There is nothing called as ‘universal shoe size’ and there is no ‘universal shoe size guide’ that could be applied to every single brand and every single shoe out there.
Solving The Myth
The reality is that your shoe size is more of a suggestion than a rule. Various factors contribute to this argument. I have tried to list them here.
It All Starts With the "Last". To understand why shoes fit differently, you have to understand how they are made. A shoe is built around a mould called as last. It is a 3D model that has a certain shape and dimensions like length, ball girth, instep, etc. Then, there is stick length, arch length and insole length. All of these contribute to the fit of the shoes.
The Style Of The Shoe Changes The Fit
It is fairly simple to say that all the above-mentioned dimensions vary between different shoe styles. There are certain aesthetics that define these figures. While a factory, or a brand should try and keep the basic measurements nearby, it is only easier said than done.
A last made for pumps with heel height of 75mm cannot match the dimensions of a last made for sliders with heel height of 18mm.
Comparison of wo different types of women shoe lasts
Similarly, a last corresponding to pointed dress shoes is different from the last of heavily padded sneakers made for comfort.
This is where the disparities start and there is no easy way to control this. Another comparison could be drawn between laced up shoes versus slip-ons. Because slip-ons lack laces to lock your foot in place, they rely entirely on the tension of the leather. Most people have to size down by a half-size in loafers to prevent their heels from slipping out of the back. Alternatively, some brands also incorporate this change while developing the lasts.
Brand-To-Brand Discrepencies
Just like clothing brands use "vanity sizing," shoe brands cater to their specific target demographics. Every shoemaker designs their lasts with certain pre-requisites in mind (aesthetics, fittings, grading systems), so a standard cannot be achieved.
You aren't just wearing a size; you are wearing a specific shoemaker's interpretation of a foot. Hence, sizes may vary between brands.
The Global Sizing Chaos : US vs UK vs EU
If brand and style weren't enough to confuse you, international sizing standards will. There is no universally agreed-upon unit of measurement for footwear.
US and UK shoe sizes are separated by 8.38mm while Euro sizes are separated by 6.67mm. Because Euro and UK/US measurements don't line up mathematically, converting US/UK sizes to EU sizes is rarely a clean 1-to-1 match. This is why a EU 43 might feel like a US 9.5 in one brand and a US 10 in another.
As a general rule of thumb for men's shoes, your UK size is usually one full size smaller than your US size (e.g., a US 10 is typically a UK 9). For women, the gap is often two full sizes.
A Limited Solution
Just like 'standard size' is a lie, I would be lying if I had to say that at Rey Footwear Corp., we have a solution to this problem. We only try to solve this and keep sizing under control by taking the following measures.
We work on Euro system, which has the smallest grading. We also try and build our lasts very close to each other. Ball girths, ball width and instep, if these 3 measurements are controlled, life could be made much simpler. This, however, becomes tough to achieve in case of women’s footwear with a wide variety of ups and downs.
For MTO orders, we take foot impressions and measurements of our clients. A comparison of this data with our last profile helps a big deal. Putting the insole patterns over foot impressions is also a fantastic way of discovering their correct size.
We offer full bespoke shoes services. Developing lasts for individuals is an inhouse expertise which we have been doing for years now.
I would love to have comments from fellow industry experts, shoe retailers and most importantly the Indian consumers on what they think of this article. In case you wish to get in touch with my team or experience our shoemaking, do get in touch.
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