As a little kid, there were few things I hated more than shoe shopping. You could take me to the dentist, make me eat broccoli, or stick me in a frilly dress, but if you forced me to sit in a store while trying to jam Mary Janes on my feet, you were taking your life into your own hands because my screams of protest would be sharp enough to cause your brain to bleed.
Though blogging like this does encourage a certain amount of hyberbole, I can assure my readers that this description of a young shoe shopping me is really not that far off the mark and that, on my first winter shoe shopping trip, my screams were loud enough to get me ejected from the store. My poor mother was actually so embarassed by this that she couldn’t bring herself to ever re-enter the store and so, for that entire winter, instead of boots, I wore knitted mittens on my fat little feet, causing passerbys to stare at me like a freak and causing my family to nickname me Monkey Baby.
It’s sad but true.
At 25, though the years have passed, the story pretty much remains the same. I no longer cry, but as a girl with size 11 W feet, the thought of having to shop for shoes turns my stomach and fills me with utter dread.
I don’t know why it’s so difficult but it seems as though, if I want a formal shoe, I have to either:
1 - Pick pretty ones and resign myself to living with the silver-dollar-sized blisters they’ll leave behind.
2 - Pick comfortable ones and resign myself to wearing really ugly shoes. (Seriously, it’s like the boxes they come in are prettier than the heels!)
I know I am not the only tall Bee (Hi Mrs. Lemon!), so I figured I would see, in my search for the perfect wedding shoe, if there are any other Monkey Babies like me out there.
Where can you get adorable shoes if you have big feet?
There are tons of places online to order shoes for larger feet, Miss HB!
I’m a 9.5-10… and that’s big at least in my family where everyone is petite and has size 6 feet!
Here are some sites:
- http://www.barefoottess.com/index.html I just got a pair of Delman D’Orsay heels for $49 from here!!! Customer service is awesome. They’ll measure the shoe before you buy so that you’ll get the right fit.
- http://www.saccoshoes.com/ Sacco is known for carrying larger sizes and are supposed to be comfortable, though I’ve never bought anything here.
Hope that helps!
Hahaha that story is awesome!! I am going to have to find someone in real life and arbitrarily nickname them Monkey Baby just so I have an excuse to say it a lot. 
I don’t have any real advice for you regarding shoes, but as someone who doesn’t wear leather, I can certainly empathize with the “why can’t any of the ones I can wear be cute?!?!” frustration! Good luck!!
Oh, I know what you mean. I can’t wear heels because of a surgery and an injury. I had day this summer that I knew I was going to be on my feet for thirteen hours for, so I had to resign myself to the shoe shopping experience. They had to be supportive flats that didn’t touch this part of the foot, but held this part and could have an insert and blah blah blah. I blocked my entire day for it.
Turns out I found them at the first store. It was amazing. Then it turns out that they gave me dollar-sized blisters and I had to wear band aids. Okay, so this isn’t the most inspiring response.
Good luck in your search Miss H!
Size 11 brides unite!
Though I haven’t had much luck, this is where I’ve searched for ivory wedding flats:
zappos.com
piperlime.com
ninewest.com
jcrew.com
I hope ppl post more ideas so that I can finally find my wedding shoes!!!
Nordstroms. I wear an 11W too and I always find cute shoes there. I also recommend the Rack if you have one near you.
A whole bunch of people directed me to endless.com, and it might be a good place for you as well. If nothing else, it is really easy to search for shoes by size, width and color.
J Crew (online) carries most of their shoes up to a size 12. Not sure how wide they run- most only come in medium width- but they do have some really cute dress shoes.
I thought they called you Monkey Baby because you can pick things up with your feet! I was like, WOW! A kindred sole (pun intended)!. Alas, no.
I can’t help you, but I wish you luck!
If it’s any (small?) consolation, as a bargain shopper I’ve always been jealous of my mother’s size 10…. I wear the most common size, which means they’re the first to sell out of any good style and rarely make it to the bargain bin. Meanwhile, she always finds GREAT stuff on clearance! Ebay is the same — fewer people bidding against you!
I’m definitely with you on the blister bit, though. My feet blister if you LOOK at them wrong! After years of band-aids, I’m now experimenting with FootPetals and Hue Gelz and similar — they have soft sticky cushions that go directly on the problem part of the shoe. It’s not perfect, but much better than before.
As for where to buy, have you tried Zappos.com? You can narrow by size and width — e.g., looks like they have 48 white heels in size 11W at present. (And they’re great about returns, though they charge for return shipping if you’re in Canada….)
Good luck!
I’m a 10 and I have three letters for ya’.
DSW
Worth a trip to a different city if you don’t have one where you live.
you might want to try naturalizer. I saw some cute shoes in up to an 12 or 13W before. My sister is also tall and has larger feet, so I always check for her size when I am out shopping.
Nordstrom is having a special event right now where they are carrying sizes under 5 and over 10 (i think). I’m not sure if all Nordstroms are having this, but it’s worth a shot. Even if it’s not for wedding shoes!
Endless.com
it is a life saver! or at least a foot saver!
These are some catalogues and websites that have hard to find sizes - must have flats, pumps and low heels
http://www.shoemall.com
http://www.onlinebridalstore.com
http://www.marylandsquare
http://www.wissotatrader
http://www.shoetrader
just do a google search for wedding shoes + sz 11 w you will come up with a lot of stores and sites
I’m sure the suggestion will be sneered at, but for trendy styles, I actually really like Payless. I can routinely find 11W shoes there. PLEASE post when you find something to wear - I’ll be watching carefully.
Hey… just a note on large sizes. I found a pair of wedding shoes in last months bride magazine by Matt Bernson. The credit went to http://www.barefoottess.com. I contacted them and got the shoes (white “grasse” by Matt Bernson). I love them… I’m tall so they work perfectly. But i talked to their customer service rep who told me about a ton of white and holiday/wedding shoes they are getting in stock before December. I’m on her list to notify when the shoes get in the warehouse. I forget her name, but she was super helpful and if you call and ask they will refer you to her. You can’t believe the brands they are getting.. well at least they sound super. My shoes are so perfect for me… they are flats although the sales rep told me the new ones coming include heels. Its a great site.. shoes up thru 14 or something. Check it out… im a huge fan. and also check out the DC area for fantastic bridal stores… one is called Hitched. And ps… forget maryland square unless you have no taste. i just went on at the suggestion above and found the shoes (at least in my size) horrid!
I have to vouch for Barefoot Tess again. I just placed my order yesterday… and it just arrived! I didn’t pay any extra shipping charges… and the rep I worked with was right… I was going to get a size 10 in the shoes and she suggested a 9.5… They fit perfectly!
i’ve read all the previous posts. i just thought i’d add my two cents. i wholeheartedly agree with the barefoottess.com comments. they are fantastic and they actually carry sizes up to a size 15. lots of great designers. they have shoes by designers that you simply cannot get anywhere else.DSW carries very few 11s and almost no 12’s. i know. that’s what i wear. nordstroms has seriously cut back on their larger sizes. i’ve had a favorite salesmen there for years. he doesn’t understand why. he told me that a lot of his customers that wear larger sizes have been complaining loudly to him. his only suggestion to me was to try their website. i did attend their over/under sales just a few weeks ago. very disappointing. the selection was very limitied. mostly “old lady” shoes. zappos.com is getting cheap on their 12’s +, too. they are carrying less and less each year. i don’t understand it. it’s not like the american foot is getting any smaller. that’s why i’ve been turning to barefoottess.com. while all the others are cutting back they seem to be getting more.
Mrs. Hummingbird, Toronto
Age and Occupation: 25, Publishing Coordinator
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Videogame Designer/Cartoonist
Engagement Date: May 4, 2007
Wedding Date: June 28, 2008
Blogging Since: September 18, 2007
Venue: A garden wedding followed by a tented reception on Mr. Hummingbird's father's property.
About Me: I’m a pop culture loving, vintage obsessed foodie living in Canada’s biggest city with my fantastic fiancé and our lovable fluffy cat Bettie. I’m stoked to marry my best friend and to throw what I hope will be
the most fun and colourful party of our lives.
Try Nordstrom, they usually carry larger sizes. Even Nordstrom Rack