Big Feet - YouLookFab Forum

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Big Feet

missme1984

Hi everyone. I am pretty new to this forum and I am struggling with a problem that has kind of plagued me my whole life. It stops me from getting dressed sometimes, it severely limits my fashion, it hinders my creativity. Some of this is an acceptance issue but some of this is also practical.

I am 5’3” with a general hourglass shape, small bust and I weight about 140 pds. I have size 9 sometimes 8.5 feet. Not only are they long but they’re very very wide and I have long toes. I just have the hardest time proportionalizing or making outfits where they don’t seem completely out of proportion with my body. Flared pants and pants that cover the shoe are my friend. Does anyone else have this issue? Does anyone have advice for me? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

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16 replies

Latest reply was from

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

There are several of us here who have big feet. I’m 173 cm and wear US size 10 shoes. One foot is wide, so I favor laces that let me adjust the width. I don’t like wearing low vamp shoes, because I feel like it emphasizes the length. This summer, I made several posts about searching for sandals because of the way my feet are shaped; it looks like I have bunions by little toes, and those toes are super short. I learned that I can’t do shoes with a straight strap across the top.

ETA pointy toes are another style I avoid, because they get veeeeerrrry long before the point.

When you can post photos, why not post a few of your feet in various shoes, so people can make suggestions?

Echo

Veteran

Other posters will have better advice regarding specific fit issues, but I wanted to chime in that size 8.5 - 9 shoe is NOT large. It is average. I understand that we don't always view things about ourselves objectively, but for American women (and British women and many European women) the average size is 8.5 - 9.

While my daughter is slightly taller than you are, she wears a size 11. While that is a large enough size that many stores rarely carry it, it doesn't mean that my daughter is unusual or has "big feet." It means that stores haven't yet caught up with the fact that the average foot size for American women has increased since the 1970s.

Anonymous

My best advice really is to love your feet for what they do and the many wonderful experiences they've enabled you to have but I am completely sympathetic to your disappointment.

Even though I am 5'4" I wear the same shoe size as my daughter, who is 5'8".

I don't wear footwear that will attract attention, I stay away from very dainty styles with small details like many small straps, etc., and no ankle straps. I'm the most comfortable in more discreet styles but of very good quality.

I made poor choices when I was younger but came to my senses early enough to undo any damage for which I am grateful as I have no foot problems or pain.

Sloper

Veteran

I definitely hear you and empathize with proportion issues. And I agree that there are both acceptance and practical aspects. I wonder how much energy and emotion I've spent on my own proportion issues (not feet for me though).

Phoebe's advice sounds good. Good quality is always important!

Have you experimented with different heel styles and heights? Sometimes taking a leap of faith and trying something very different can help.

Preppy Pear

Veteran

I love my big feet (size 11) except for when the sizes top out at 10! The only shoes I really avoid are pointy toes that extend a lot past my toes - the proportion of the shoe itself looks off to my eye.
I don’t try to make my feet look smaller, but I think rounded toes do this, along with wider leg jeans and pants.

Anonymous

I had no idea an 8.5/9 was considered big !

Janet

(website)

Veteran

What Echo said. Your feet are not big. We all tend to hyper focus on aspects of our appearance that make us feel conspicuous but trust me, NO ONE looks at you and thinks your feet are big.

MsMaven

Veteran

I wear 10 1/2-11, but then I am tall. Still, I notice that at times certain shoes/outfits make my feet look outsized, at least to my own eyes. I had narrow feet, which made it harder to find shoes, but now I have bunions, although still have narrow heels. Six years ago when we were in Paris the stores were full of cute print sneakers that I hadn't seen in the US. Sadly they stopped at size 40 as I recall, too tight on my feet.

I also have long toes--Botticelli toes I call them. Sometimes round or squared toed shoes just don't work for me.

You could try distracting yourself and others from your feet with a lighter, brighter color on top, or a scarf or piece of jewelry.

Do take good care of your feet. I wish I had paid more attention to proper fit and comfort when I was younger and less to fashion and fitting in. And maybe not quite so much dancing to that rock & roll music.

missme1984

Hi everyone. Wow! Thank you so much for this wisdom and encouragement and also the practical tips. Taking a pic of my feet with shoes and outfits is kind of scary for me but I think that would be a great idea. Thank you all so much. I am on this journey and I hope I can give back to you all as well.

Anonymous

I have same proportions as you, but narrow feet instead of wide. What works for me are: sandals that have an x type cross in front, low heels, shoes that are low contrast to legs or pants, almond or mildly pointy shapes, low vamp with bare legs. Diagonal lines in general.

The shoes that make my feet look wider (and therefore bigger overall) are rounded toe, sneakers, heavy soles, straps that go straight across the foot, high vamp shoes with bare legs especially black, anything with clutter (laces, buckles, etc), and high contrast to pants or legs.

cat2

Veteran

I have your size feet, but a bit less wide. I think Suntiger’s advice is great. I also found that some blog posts on how to make your legs look longer help with the visual proportions.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Welcome to the forum, missme1984.

I echo the wise words of the forum members! As someone who helps people dress people for a living, many of my clients are around your height with the same size feet. Some wider and some narrower. And it's all good.

We can all be hyper sensitive and self-conscious about certain areas of our body. That is understandable, and there are certainly visual ways to minimize the size of your feet if that creates calm and confidence. But don't feel that you have to do that either! A friend who is 5ft 2 wears a US 9.5 shoe size, and her feet are the favourite part of her body. They are always perfectly groomed with moisturizer and dark red nail polish, and she wears sandals/slides most of the time to showcase her gorgeous feet. It's a beautiful thing

In addition to the tips provided here, wearing footwear that is low contrast to your skin tone - or hosiery tone - when showcasing the leg will make them look visually smaller too.

As for refined versus chunky styles, it's a matter of personal preference. Some clients like to wear chunky shoes with bigger soles and broader straps because it makes their feet look smaller by comparison. It's a very clever visual illusion, and counter-intuitive, but very effective! Others prefer to keep styles dainty to minimize any "extra" so to speak. Hope that makes sense.

JAileen

Veteran

I have very big feet, too. I think that shoes that have a high vamp look better than a low vamp, as in these pictures. The flats make the feet look very long, whereas the oxfords don’t. Also, even though my feet are big, I like to wear interesting shoes.

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Joy

Veteran

I am an inch shorter than you are and about 10
pounds less. And Consider my size 8m. feet big for my size. I try to find
shoes that have a different color or texture of toe cap or other ornamentation on the top to break up the expanse. Even a seam across the toe helps. I find that short boots are better than tall ones, but I also have rather long legs for my size. Good luck.

rachylou

Veteran

I’m a bit off in my own world, but feet looking small bother me more. The Tweedle Dee look disturbs me… I like people to look stable and grounded. Lol. It may be why I like stompy shoes and can be very picky about ballet flats… a big heavy coat and flimsy shoes, yes, that gives me ick feelings… lol

Anonymous

Quick comparison of 4 types of black summer and transitional shoes to illustrate my point: loafers, pointy mules, Birkenstock Arizona, cross strap sandals.
One of these is worn Much more than all the others!

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