Perhaps having the perfect fit won’t summon Prince Charming — except if the shoe is super cute. It will, however, provide for the most comfortable shoe wearing experience possible. The following are suggestions of how to know when your shoes fit properly and in turn, get the most miles out of them.

sizing basics

Before we talk about your feet, let’s touch a little on the standards of the industry. If you’re familiar with vintage clothes but not vintage shoes, you’re probably thinking that modern sizes must vastly differ from vintage sizes. Happily, they are more or less the same. Vintage sizes tend to be far more specific than their modern equivalents but a six is a six. There’s still the finessing of sorting out if you’re really a six this brand or a six and a half, but you’re used to that no matter what decade you choose to shop. As my father always reminds me, the only constant in shoe sizing is the increment between sizes — and that your closet is never big enough to hold all of your shoes.

a perfect fit

Many factors contribute to how a shoe “should” fit, personal preference being the primary concern. Some people like their shoes tighter than others. Heels fit differently than flats, and sneakers are a whole different ball game. Even the time of day can effect the fit. (We recommend you try your shoes on at the same time of day you plan to wear them. We’ll talk more about this later though.) The bottom line with size is that if you feel comfortable in the shoe, great! That’s all that matters!

combination lasts

Ladies, have you every been walking briskly in heels only to have your foot slip out of the back of your shoe? Yeah, us too. That’s why we adore shoes built on a combination last. A combination last utilizes two different widths within a single shoe to address unwanted slippage of your foot. Shoes built on a combination last have a heel that is two widths smaller than the ball of the foot. When you inspect your combination last footwear, you’ll often see a marking that says B/AA or AA/AAAA showing that the footbed is in fact two widths wider than the heel bed. No need to worry about your shoes flying across the room.

speaking of widths

Shoes used to be made in a much greater range of widths than they often are today. Just like the actual size of shoe varies by brand, so can the width. That said, for women's shoes the most common width id a Medium, often refered to as a B. As a rule of thumb, you can typically wear a size narrower or wider depending on the shoe. Of course the further you move from your typical width, the shoe will fit more snugly if loosely. Here's a chart of typical width for women's shoes.

cutting the guesswork

We know the exact size of each of our shoes. There’s no guessing or strange measurements to sort out what size a pair of shoes really is. Mint condition allows us to read the size stamp inside the shoe. This makes life easier for everyone involved since the measurement of the bottom of a shoe doesn’t really gain you much. The shoe size is based on the last on which the shoe is constructed, not the exterior size of a shoe. Imagine the discrepancy there would be between hiking boots and slippers if you based your size on the exterior instead of the interior of a shoe. If you know your current shoe size, you’re set.

unworn is better

Growing up in a “shoe family” has afforded me many great insights about shoes but also a few quirks. I know exactly where the ball of my foot should hit in a sneaker. (Thanks Dad!) Every time I hear someone dragging her feet, the little voice in my head says, “Pick up your feet! You’re going to destroy the soles on those things.” Sometimes I even suspect my dad is going to pop out from around the corner and confront the culprit head on. (To date, this has yet to happen.) It was also instilled in me to never wear someone else’s worn shoes, “It will mess up your feet.”

Family quirks aside, there are definite advantages to having shoes that have never been worn by anyone else and disadvantages to worn shoes. My dad and his dad before him and his dad before him were right — wearing someone else’s worn shoes can mess up your feet. Each individual has a different foot and a special way of walking that makes those shoes truly unique. Worn shoes cannot adjust to a new foot. Therefore, your foot tries to accommodate for the fact that the fit is a little off. This can ultimately cause pain. We don’t want that for you. As you break in your new shoes, they mold to your feet. That’s what makes them so comfortable. This is why all of our shoes are unworn. Plus, you won’t have to ask yourself where those shoes have been. Leave that question for when you go bowling.