Yesterday: wah

[valis2]

So I went to Nordstrom after work yesterday. I have been told repeatedly that they are the Last Bastion for Large Size Shoes, which would be rilly rilly nice. I wear a size 11 1/2 wide, which can be pretty difficult to find--most shoes aren't even made in 11 1/2. It's usually either 11 or 12, and if it's 11 it must be wide or it won't fit at all, and that's tough to find, too.

I was waited on by a nice guy who reminded me of one of the guys on Are You Being Served?, but he wasn't quite as helpful as I had hoped--I wanted a pair of boots, and pointed to the three different pairs I was interested in. I also wanted a lace-up walking shoe, but not an athletic shoe. So he kept bringing me pumps. And not just any pumps, but hideous pumps. One pair was leopardskin with a gold buckle. It was such a waste of time, for us both.

Also, he kept bringing down 11's in medium. *headdesk* Of course none of them fit. In fact, I felt really guilty about trying them on--I knew they wouldn't, and there's always a risk of me damaging them.

In the end none of the boots fit. There were a couple of pairs of Ecco shoes that I had to go and get myself to show him what I was thinking about, but that was disappointing, too; I haven't been to a lot of shoe shops, but honestly, I've never seen an women's Ecco shoe above a 42 (I wear at least a 43 wide), and the two pairs he brought down were 42's, and didn't fit.

He measured my feet again. My left is 11 1/2 wide. My right is 11 wide. He promised to put things aside for me and also to mix the sizes, so if that happens I'll be ecstatic, but I'm not holding my breath.

I got home, intending only to watch Ghost Hunters and go to bed. My very dear friend called halfway through the new episode to tell me that her beloved grandmother had passed away, so we spent the next hour and a half crying and laughing on the phone.

Right now I'm so tired. I have no idea how I'm going to get through the day.

Comments

[lampblack.livejournal.com]

You know how when most people dream about winning vast amounts of money, they start choosing their imaginary car? I daydream about going to London and having shoes made. Row upon row of perfect Snapeish ankle boots... You, of course, will now be invited along!

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I would love that! I am so sick of not being able to find decent shoes. Yeah, I'm picky, but still...wah! ;)

[schemingreader.livejournal.com]

I hear you on the tired.

Have you tried these guys?

http://www.marylandsquare.com/about.asp

I have never bought from them, but someone sold my name to them at one point and I was getting their catalog. They brag about being able to provide shoes in every size. (Yes, I read random catalogs that people have sent to me. At least, I did at the time that this one was sent.)

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I will have to check it out, thanks so much!!

[cnary-crem-dght.livejournal.com]

:( Sorry about the shoes. I feel your pain though, I wear a size 11 and boy does it suck trying to find shoes! Although yesterday I got a hot tip about a store that carries larger sizes that look good. If something comes of it I'll pass it on. :B

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I'm so sick of buying men's shoes, y'know? *hugs* It's such a pain. And women's shoes in the large sizes--you have to be so careful, or they look like clown shoes, or men's shoes. Blergh!

*giant hugs*

[artystone.livejournal.com]

zappos.com--next day delivery (most of the time) and free returns.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I have bought from them before--the pair I'm wearing right now is from them. I've misjudged the sizes, though, and they seemed right at first, but were a pain later when I realized I had the wrong size. :(

Still, they're a fantastic company--I just wish they had a bit more selection in the weird size I wear. They have a lot of athletic shoes, but that's not what I wear.

[http://users.livejournal.com/nix___/]

How does Boots + Walking Shoe translate into Pumps? Weird.

I can totally understand your shoe-shopping pain. I'm an 11 medium and it is murder finding anything at all. When I go to Myers or David Jones and just ask for anything in an 11, staff will, without fail, cast a sneaky half-disbelieving look at my feet before scampering off. If I'm not so lucky, I get crazy people telling me 'But Miss, you don't look more than a 9, and we only have 9 anyway!' The reactions are also 10x funnier when I try shopping in Singapore or Japan :D

PS. The leopard skin pump sounds divine to me :)

[valis2.livejournal.com]

How does Boots + Walking Shoe translate into Pumps? Weird.

EXACTLY! I was really confused--I thought I had said the wrong thing, but my sister was there, and she said I really did ask for walking shoes and boots!

I get crazy people telling me 'But Miss, you don't look more than a 9

hee!! See, with me, they never question it--I'm 5'10" and I'm a pretty big girl. ;)

The leopard skin pump was pretty low, and fuzzy, and really really old-fashioned looking--scary!

[mysduende.livejournal.com]

Well, if you missed Ghost hunters I know where you can watch the episode online if you'd like. They caught a solid, black shape on Steve's camera!

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I was JUST at that point when they were doing the findings and literally as Steve started to bring up the black shape, the phone rang! ha! I can't wait to see it.

[kitschicat.livejournal.com]

Two places you should try:

http://www.thewalkingcompany.com/


And my manager many years ago had a similar dilemma to yours, and in fact, I think she may have been an 11 1/2! I can't remember for sure, though. But I do remember she had EXCELLENT luck at this shoe store in Grand Rapids. We were there for a trade show and the place was near our hotel, she ended up buying (shit you not) about 15 pairs of shoes since they had her odd size. They sent her flyers with sales, and she could just call her sales guy there and describe what she wanted, and he'd send her shoes, if she didn't like them, she could send them back. So it's worth a try, methinks:
http://www.vanhoecksshoes.com/Women.htm

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, you gave me one of those links before--I remember going through it before, I'll definitely check it out again! Thank you so much, sweetie!

And I can't wait to see you tomorrow! :) *hugs*

[droxy.livejournal.com]

I feel for you. Nordstoms is my store of last resort. I am a 10 narrow and can't find squat in shoes (meaning pumps). Every 4 years I go to Nordstoms and drop a few hundred on shoes. Sandals and boots I can get bigger, but business shoes...

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I was impressed with some of their boots. Still, a lot of them had longer toes than I like--that just makes my feet look freakishly big, instead of just big. ;)

[kleio-the-muse.livejournal.com]

You poor thing! *hugs*

Life's such a bitch, says all of us.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

*giant hugs* I haven't yet gotten to the point where I just break down and curse the heavens for my lack of suitable footgear, so perhaps there's hope. ;)

[nehalenia.livejournal.com]

Another vote for Zappos.com here. They are the *only* place I will buy boots from online, b/c they give calf sizes. They always have a good selection of wide-width shoes. The reviews are also really helpful as they let you know if the shoes run large or small or are comfy or not. I don't even want to think about how much money I dropped on them last year in my boot buying spree, but I don't regret any of the purchases. They are tops in customer service.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I've tried Zappo's--in fact, the shoes I'm wearing right now are from them. My problem is that they don't have quite what I'm looking for, I think. Once I've narrowed it down to size and width my selection drops down to nothing (except for lots of athletic shoes, which I'm not interested in).

I adore their customer service--they're incredible! But so far I haven't been over the moon about the shoes I've bought there. I just think there's something weird about the shape of my foot that makes it tough to wear most shoes. :(

[nehalenia.livejournal.com]

I had that problem, too. I used to wear an 10-11WW and am now a 9.5-10W or M. One thing I learned is that the listings they have for W shoes are weird -- not something easy like W or WW, but C or D or E or EE. I finally got to where I just put in my size and searched thru everything for the style I wanted, then read the reviews. Some brands cut wider than others, and sometimes particular shoe styles will be wider than normal. Especially in boots, I got away with an M width sometimes. Just a thought. I definitely sympathize with the shoe shopping pain, tho.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I think that the C and D sizing is pretty common in the States. I try to read all of the reviews--but it can get very frustrating, as many people will say the direct opposite of other people, and then I'm back to square one. People have such different feet! heh.

[serpenatrix.livejournal.com]

Poor thing. Same problem here, my leonine friend, I've always bought men's shoes. But lately there are more and more nice unisex models or nicer men's models, so shoe shopping isn't as hard as it was for me a few years ago, thank goodness. Well, I suppose it's easier if you prefer casual shoes like me, I rarely wear formal shoes.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I've been able to find more formal shoes recently, but I don't wear them, just like you. It's frustrating to find a cute strappy stiletto, and not a single pair of simple casual walking shoes! I'm really frustrated. I'm sick of men's shoes, sick of being disappointed in shoe stores, and just sick of the constant problem of finding something to wear. Right now the shoes I'm wearing are the wrong size--too big, surprisingly enough--and I have to find something fast. They're my only pair, and winter's coming--I want a nice black suede simple lace up boot.

We can dream, can't we? *sigh*

*hugs*

[corvus-coronis.livejournal.com]

I'm also a fellow bigfoot, I take a man's size 11-12 & understand very much the difficulty in find decent (and affordable) men's shoes, I've pretty well given up on women's shoes. When I was living in a bigger city there was a shoe shop there called Angel's that was supposed to cater for larger foot size women, but when I went there everything they had was (1) barely affordable and (2) all far, far too small for me.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Oh wow--I've had the same experience! I've seen the right size boots, but at $200, I'm just not certain about buying them. Unless I'm wearing them everyday, it's just not worth it.

I can usually wear a 10 1/2 men's shoe, or sometimes an 11. But I am tired of the way they look; I have been attempting to look more feminine in the past few years, and one of the things I had to get rid of were my beloved steel-toed construction boots.