Generally I wear a 7, although sometimes I wear a 7.5 (and sometimes I have to size down). If 7.25 existed, I'd wear it most of the time.

I have very narrow heels, such that I often have to go a half-size too small to keep shoes on, and then my toes hate me. Right foot's bigger than the left, and my feet are quite flat.

For some reason, nearly every pair of shoes known to mankind rubs me at the top of the heel of my left foot. I dread breaking in new shoes for this reason!

Iiiinteresting. I am an 8.5, 39 Euro, normal arch. Slight bunions which I believe are genetic.

Is a double ankle when you have that extra bone that protrudes between your ankle and instep? If so, then yes, I have that too. My ski boots always rubbed it the wrong way when I was younger.

Well, I have been doing a lot of thinking about my foot shape lately, so this is a timely thread.

Anyway, I have Pancake Duck Feet:
--totally flat arches
--incredibly shallow instep/low volume feet
--narrow heels
--heel that sticks out in back past my ankle
--medium width forefoot with toes that have a tendency to spread.
--a nascent bunion on one foot that doesn't really change the shape of the foot at the moment (I am very careful of it) but which requires a little extra room.
--virtually NO fat anywhere on my foot, which makes me prone to ball of foot pain as well as weird rubbing on bones and joints. I really wish I could take some of my butt fat and put it on my feet!

As for size, I wear a US 7.5-8/Euro 38. I have narrow (7.5") ankles and borderline wide (15") calves, which makes shopping for tall boots interesting.

These booties (Fluevog Giulia) are near a perfect fit on my feet.

Diana: aside from the bunion and the size, we are pretty close to twins!

I have never heard of double ankles before now. You learn something new...

Adorkable: never thought I'd find someone else with feet as weird as mine, LOL. Actually, it sounds like Natalie has similar feet (but narrower calves) as me too.

This is so fun! However, I'm guessing that I have so many issues, I won't have a double.

Size 8-8.5/39
Wider toebox
Narrow heel
High volume (sigh)
Slight bunion on right foot (used to be bigger pre-surgery)
Arthritis in big right toe
Left foot slightly bigger than right
Starting to lose fat pads on balls of feet (making shoes without padding uncomfortable)
Hairy toes/feet - they were resistant to laser hair removal and have to be waxed regularly.

In short, my feet, according to one shoe salesman (who I've never gone back to) are hobbit feet.

The arthritis in my right foot restricts my shoe options severely. I need a fairly stiff sole to prevent too much toe bending (which activates the arthritis) and also can't tolerate much, if any heel. I wore Fiorentini and Baker boots for a while, and they worked great for me, but recently, I've found the soles too hard for my tender tootsies. I also need fairly substantial arch support for true comfort. Because of the volume issues, it's hard to fit an insert of almost any kind that fits into shoes and boots. I was, however, inspired by Carter and her post on shoes that work for her situation, and just found a few pairs at Nordstrom that might work for me!

I feel like my foot issues play the biggest role in my style. Not being able to wear heels or dainty shoes prevents me from having as refined of a look as I'd like to have. Sometimes my feet hurt too much and I just give up and wear black sneakers. I've been somewhat inspired by Lisa of amidprivilege.com who recently has had to wear sneakers for a foot issue, but I have to admit, I long for a more refined look!

I think Angie and Natalie are most similar in shape, but not in size. Wow, is there really only 1 other size 9 here??

I am:

• size 9US, 39-40EU depending
• low-instep/low-volume
• long toes with longer 2nd toe
• high arch
• almost narrow, but not AA
• bony
• slim ankles

Size 9
average width
high volume
short toes

I prefer a 1 inch to 1 1/2 inch heel and firm padding under the ball of the foot.

...and now my complaining starts: I just have the most hideous feet, pale with pink toes and hideous blue veins that I've had since age 12 or so. I've always been very self-conscious about my feet and do not want to show them, so if on occasion I wear sandals they must offer enough coverage and distraction so that my feet aren't so noticeable. I'm so happy to see high vamp shoes replace the dreaded ballet flats, and even happier to see summer booties -- here in coastal California with low humidity and cooler summer mornings and evenings they work just fine.

Years ago I had a small melanoma (looked just like a mole) removed from the top of my foot and that has also contributed to my paranoia on keeping my feet covered from the sun.

My self-conciousness about my feet even goes so far that I'm not comfortable with strongly colored shoes, like red.

Agree with Sara L. that there is such a thing as pretty feet! Am always envious of women who can show off their feet in strappy shoes or just barefoot.

My feet are similar to Diana's, but bigger.

• size US 10.5 or 11, usually have to wear 11 because few brands make 10.5 (WHY?!)
• I DO wear a 10 or even 9.5 if the front or back are open. 11s are way too big in a sandal, for ex.
• narrow heel that slips out of nearly every shoe that doesn't have a strap or lace
• even with a strap or lace, I often cannot adjust it tight enough for my foot or ankle
• skinny ankles
• heel that sticks out past my ankle; I have gaps at the back of all of my shoes; it's just normal for me, but people often comment on my "ill-fitting" shoes
• the ball of my foot hurts often and easily, even with the slightest of heel. Zero tolerance for that pain, it is stabbing. Inserts don't help one bit.
• have needed custom orthotics for 20 years, but oddly enough, don't need them as much since I started lifting weights a year ago.
• barely any arch
• hurts to go barefoot. I always need to wear something on my feet. Yet barefoot shoes have been AWESOME for me.
• Unlike a majority of women, Cole Haan shoes are very uncomfortable to me! Yes, even the Air ones! I also can't wear Fidji or Josef Seibel.
• I can spend 1,392 hours shopping for shoes in person and not find a single pair that works.

This is surprising. I always thought 7's were the most common size. I'm surprised to see only a few solid 7s. My feet are very average. I think they are on the wider side of average but not officially wide. I have narrow heels that make ballet flats and slip ons very hard to fit. My arches are average--neither high or low. Other than that, I don't really have any fit issues yet. I think Cathy is probably my foot twin as I tend to buy up her old shoes

My goodness, it does seem like most people here have small feet!

I have low volume, narrow feet and should wear a 9.5- 10 N. They're hard to find, though, so I often compromise and wear a 9- 9.5 M, a little too short and a little too wide, so it sort of averages out. Usually a 40 in Euro sizing.
Other than being narrow my feet are pretty normal and don't give me much trouble. I have slim ankles and calves, so if I don't watch out I can have the "clodhoppers on toothpicks" look with my big feet! (think Olive Oyl) Boots are not easy to find, because they're usually made wider through the ankles and calves in the bigger sizes.
I'm lucky in that I feel like my feet look fine in sandals, though.

Oh, and Mo, Angie, and Emily- I have the accessory navicular bone, too.
It occurs in about 1 out of 40 people, so it's not all that rare. Mine isn't as prominent as yours, Mo. I can see how yours might give you more trouble.

Oh... feet!

I am a UK 6/ Euro 39/ US 8 and occasionally go up to a UK 7. Ridiculously flat arches. My feet are quite wide and I tend to under-pronate, and very inclined to plantar fascitis.

I have wonky ankles from joints that are too flexible. My happiest foot season is winter where I can wear boots which support my ankles and orthotic arch support and low stable heels.

Someone asked what low vs high volume means. It's literally the volume of your feet (length x width x height) but mostly about the height. High insteps usually mean high volume feet.

Think about lace-up sneakers or boots. If you lace them up and the two sides are almost touching over the tongue, you probably have low-volume feet. If the laces are spread wide across the tongue, you have high-volume feet.

How fun! Like Rae said, it looks like Angie has the same shape feet as mine with the flat foot long toes, but smaller, and I'm also triplets with adorkable and Diana and just in between them in size. I think I'm also close to a body double with Diana too since she sent me her red Asian cheongsam and it fit perfectly. I should just go raid Diana's closet!

Rita/modgirl is my foot double as far as I know! I am a 5.5W with high volume duck feet. My heels are not narrow, but from toe to heel my foot is an IT shape! I also have high arches and stubby little toes. I usually end up in a 6 because as Rita said there are very few wide sizes available below a 6.

I am most comfortable with a 1-2" heel - flats aren't great for me, but anything too high or with a pointy toe just crushes my foot. I don't wear pumps for that reason. Boxy square-toed shoes are always my friend, whether in style or not!

It's really funny! I think my feet are so totally average, other than being slightly narrow, but it seems I have NO foot doubles so far. No wonder my shoes in Style Exchange never had any takers.

Ceit - We may be doubles! Or as close as you can get.

I wear a 9.5 - 10. Sometimes a 9 will fit, but a size 40 never does (I always take a 41, isn't that weird?). I have narrow feet ruined by dancing - so now I like wide shoes.

Pastrygirl, when I was heavier I was a 10.5 in most brands and suddenly found so many fewer choices than in my usual 10. Not sure what genius decided that the cut off for half sizes should be at 9.5 but they should update that, especially since people are getting taller and bigger! So I feel your frustration.

I'm a 10, sometimes a 10.5, and I've never had luck with Euro sizes (I must be between sizes somehow). Relatively narrow ankles, everything pretty bony. The nail on my big toe tips up so I rarely have success with really narrow or pointy-toe shoes. Fairly chunky calves and long legs so I have a tricky time finding tall boots.

Laura, I've been having trouble with Euro sizes lately. I used to be fine in a 42 but lately they are too small in many brands, even ones that have worked before.

Another odd thing is that I can sometimes go down to a 10 in pointy-toe shoes! It's the strangest thing! Pointy shoes seem to agree with my foot shape. But, if I don't keep my nails trimmed super short, I go up a size, LOL.

Fun thread! Thank you, Denise, for starting it.

I have some cousins here but no exact double, I think.

Size 6.5 or 7 -- EU 37 is generally best and a European last is generally better all round.
Narrow heels. (Low vamp shoes fall off, and no insert in the world has ever been able to address that beyond two wearings of the shoe).
Slightly high arches and instep, but not what I would call true "high volume."
Normal width across the front -- but wide in relation to heels. So, a V shaped foot.
Short, squarish toes.

My feet are relatively unfussy, healthy, flexible, and adaptable. They like a 1-2.5 inch heel best; they don't care about padding all that much unless a heel is higher than I would normally wear (and in that case, I just don't wear it!). I have trouble fitting some styles, but those that fit cause me little trouble. Reading over some of your stories, I'm grateful indeed.

Reading over these, it's simply amazing that so many shoe styles are only available in 6-10M and 11M, and so many women just try to make that work, because that's all there is so often. Some missed economic opportunities there ...
My feet are very narrow, so I always wear a narrow width, 8N. If there were more shoes available in AAA width I could wear that width. My feet are bony, thin, low-arched, with long toes. They're pretty fussy, no heels higher than 3" for any length of time. My perfect European size is 38 1/2 but those don't come in narrow widths that I've ever seen. Ankles and calves are slender.
I like my feet and enjoy wearing strappy sandals in particular.

My feet might be kind of close to Janet's, but are fussier.
I wear a size 8 regular or a 38.5-39 Euro. My feet are on the narrow side of regular, so I look for regular shoes that just "run narrow". A true narrow is too narrow usually. My feet are thin and bony and I'm loosing the fat pad on the balls of my feet. Some shoes make the bones in my foot shift around and pinch a nerve right there (Morton's neuroma) so I need a little padding, but too much padding holds my foot too tightly and doesn't allow for any play, which can cause cramping (might be arthritis). My feet are low volume (sometimes my ankle bone rubs in traditional pumps because my foot doesn't rise high enough out of the shoe). I have a fairly high arch and instep. I can keep pumps and ballet flats on no problem, so my heels must not be narrow. In closed shoes, my biggest issue is usually the toe box. A podiatrist once told me that the joint on my big toes is angled up slightly, which causes the tips of them to stick up, so I need a high toe box to accommodate them. I can usually look at the profile of a shoe to tell it it's not even worth trying on. I fit perfectly into AGL ballet flats size 38.5. I have been wearing this style of shoe all winter and 1/2 inch block heel is better than a completely flat shoe. I can wear them all day long and walk for miles in them.

Come on size 8 sisters! I know there's more of you out there. Aida? A.J.? Vicki-- oh that's right you're more like a 7.5. Zap?

Another 10.5-11, although in some sandals I wear a 10. 41-2 European. feet have grown nearly two sizes in last 20 years.

Formerly narrow feet with high arches. Now I have bunions and flattened metatarsals, which means I can't wear narrow any longer, but many M's are too wide in the heel.

My podiatrist says I have an anatomical something or other--he explained that my arches begin closer to my heel than normal, and that I have a bowed tendon in the arch. That and long toes makes shoe shopping difficult. Often arch supports are in the wrong place.

Yes, pastry girl, why don't shoe companies make or stock 10.5? It really irritates me, because that would be my correct size.

I've struggle with plantar fasciitis the last dozen years. Right now it is at bay, but I can feel it coming back if I stand too long.

I used to wear a lot of Stuart Weiztmans, but they don't work so well any more. Munros have been working out for me--they are making a better looking variety of shoes. Other brands--it depends on the shoe. Thank goodness for Nordstorm and Zappos. And Superfeet berries--a real foot saver for me.

Greyscale: thanks for the explanation. I suppose my feet are on the high-volume side. I do often have to loosen my laces.

Fascinating about the extra ankle bone! I don't have that, but apparently I have freakishly protruding wrist bones. Not sure what that is about.

European sizing is a total mystery to me.

Just curious if anyone else has ultra-ticklish feet? The women who do my pedicures get a real kick out of it when I come in. It's not necessarily unpleasant but I break out in uncontrollable laughter when they use the loofah on the bottom of my foot.

Shiny, I am ultra-ticklish in general and rarely get pedicures for that reason. I don't break out in laughter, though, just get real uncomfortable and have to grit my teeth. Kids at school would tickle me relentlessly when I was in grade school, and I never lost the bad association.

Janet, there were several of your shoes that I was so sad about... I guess it is full-priced and flea market shoes for me!

Wow, there are a lot of tiny feet here! I'll weigh in with my 8.5 US. Like Claire, my feet are on the narrow side of average and are pretty low volume. I have a high arch, narrow heels, narrow ankles (flowerpot action with booties), and (I think) average length toes.

Occasionally, I can wear an 8 (as with Clark's), and take either a 38.5 or even 39 European (some Riekers I've tried).

Guess I'm closest to Emily (although I have only one ankle bone!).

And I have very ticklish feet, too, Shiny. My pedicure lady has learned how to handle me!

April can we share notes. Your story sounds s familiar. Our feet including size is the same

I my fussy feet are a size 10/41 Euro. My feet are bony and I have a really high arch, narrow heel. My foot print barely, if at all connects on one foot when I come out of the shower. I have bonny ankles and if something is going to bother me it is boots around my ankle. My knuckle (?) of my littlest toes sticks out to the side. It doesn't bother me but sandals that end around the bone can accentuate the bone making it look odd.

Laura(rhubarbgirl) - my big toe turns up a bit too. So does my moms and aunts. We call them twinkle toes. I don't have too much trouble with it but I know mom does.

Angie is indeed my foot double - when she finds shoes she loves I am the happiest woman on earth b/c they inevitably work. Love you, foot twin! Shevia, happy to have you as a foot triplet!