Shoes for large feet: womens' size 9 and above -

For many women, shopping for shoes is the one time that worrying about size is not an issue. For the most part, our feet stay the same size throughout our life (with perhaps a bit of variation during pregnancy and of course while they’re still growing) – but other than that our shoe size is set in stone. But what if that size is outside what’s considered the ‘norm’ by most shops? Unfortunately, this can make the experience of shopping for shoes a whole lot less fun.
We’ve already looked at where to buy shoes for small feet in the UK, but today we’re looking at where women with larger feet – usually a size 9 (42) and above – can source stylish and on-trend footwear. The elusive ‘lady size 9’ can be difficult to track down in a lot of high street stores, and if your feet are bigger than that, finding anything you’d want to wear can be a trial unless you happen to be a particular fan of unisex brogues…so where CAN you go for cute shoes that will fit?

High street shops selling womens’ shoe size 9 and above

New Look is often recommended as a shop selling bigger shoe sizes for women. We’ve found the range of size 9s to be a little bit disappointing (currently only four styles and there’s certainly nothing bigger than that) but it’s worth looking in store as well as online – you will find heels and other occasion shoes here in the latest styles
Topshop has a strong range of women’s shoes up to and including size 9. At present, it includes over 300 items including sandals, high heels and platforms, trainers and flatties, so stands out as the best fashion-focused destination provided you’re not bigger than a 9. Be warned though: several sources have told us that both Topshop and New Look’s shoes can run a little small.
Evans is well known as a plus-size store on the high street, and its sizing policy applies to feet, too: its shoes go up to a size 10. Evans shoes are generally well worth a look and they attract customers of all sizes: watch out for designer collaborations as we’ve seen some good ones in the past from the likes of Georgina Goodman.
LK Bennett, goes up to a size 9/42 and runs very true to size.

If you’re on a tight budget, George at ASDA goes up to a size 9 with prices starting at £10 or less.
There’s a fantastic selection of shoes at both ends of the size spectrum at Sarenza, where you can search for shoes in a 42, 43 or even 44 – and there’s even a ‘larger sizes’ category that filters to these sizes in one click. Here, you’ll find brands like Love Moschino, Jeffrey Campbell, Geox and more.
Clarks shoes goes up to a 9/42 in almost all its styles, and there’s usually a good selection online. You can shop size 9 here. There’s nothing larger, but the shoes are true to size so offer a more generous fit. Clarks has become a lot more ‘on trend’ in recent years with its heritage and capsule collections, and is well worth the look.
Many lines at Office go up to a women’s size 9/42 in its own brand shoes in particular.

Designer labels and Brands

Many high-end designer brands go up to a UK 9/Eur 42 – Jimmy Choo, Louis Vuitton, Manolo Blahnik, Miu Miu et. al. all make ’em if you can afford to buy ’em. But be sure to check that your chosen brand runs ‘true to size’ as some notable Italian-made shoes in particular can run small. Christian Louboutin for example goes up to a 9, but the standard advice is to buy a size smaller than you normally would, making their top size effectively an 8.

Many of these brands count some fabulously wealthy women among their clients (including famously tall models and actresses) so will often custom-make a larger size for around an extra 20% – Manolo Blahnik has done this for years, and count many larger footed A-listers among its clients including Uma Thurman.

Specialist Larger Size Shoe Shops and Sites

If you’re a size 10 shoe or above or just want a bit of extra variety, there are plenty of ways to get the shoes of your dreams, though of course cost tends to be a more prohibitive factor here. The first area worth exploring is custom footwear, which is great for anyone with non cookie-cutter feet. We can recommend:

Duo Boots. Not only a boot-maker and not only great for its various leg and foot width fittings, Duo Boots is an amazing destination for those with larger sized feet. Their footwear is a little pricier than most on the high street, but considering its meticulous approach to fit it’s not bad either: you can currently still get perfectly fitting boots from £65 in their sale – and sizes go up to a UK 10 (42)
Upper Street. Upper Street is the perfect find for those who can’t usually find what they want in shoe shops: it has an online tool that allows you to become a shoe designer and create your own bespoke footwear up to a size 10. Check out the site for some inspiring examples of shoes already designed!

If you’re looking for specialists in larger sizes only:

Barefoot Tess Barefoot Tess is a US-based site that believes style doesn’t stop at a size 10 (that’s our size 8) and the products on sale here certainly prove the claim! If you’re a US, Canadian or Down Under customer looking for a wide range of styles in bigger sizes, you’ll be in heaven.
Long Tall Sally alongside its tall clothing range, Long Tall Sally offers shoes in various styles up to a UK 11. The shoes are good quality and tend to be a little on the pricey side, but they’re generally trend-led and elegant.
After 8 Shoes. As the name suggests, UK based After 8 shoes specialises in women’s shoes in a size 9 and above. Styles can be a little bit on the sensible and comfy side, but it’s great for day-to-day boots and prices are reasonable. Brands including Josef Siebel and Hush Puppies are available here.

Viva La Diva Under the strapline ‘a woman’s right to shoes’, Viva La Diva sells fashion forward footwear up to a size 10.

Is it getting easier to find shoes in bigger sizes?

According to a recent BBC report, demand for bigger shoe sizes is going up all the time, and to an extent, retailers are responding. Fi Baker of fashion blog Shoe Gal Fi agrees:

“It has definitely got easier to find 9s – when I was at high school I had to have the same style of shoe four years in a row as that was the only style Startrite made in a 9. Saxone’s Tall and Small range was a Godsend when I discovered that in the 5th form! And especially with the internet now – you have access to pretty much anything from all over the world. I had to have mens’ trainers for years too, and football boots for hockey as hockey boots weren’t made big enough. Women’s trainers are much more readily available in larger sizes these days.”

And what about the idea that some shoes only work better in smaller sizes? Fi adds: “the higher the heel the smaller your feet will look but only wear what you like and what you feel comfortable in. Some flat shoes might make your feet look huge, and I think brogues are always a style to be careful with as they can look too masculine, but I have a pair of those which I wear often and they look fine.”

If you’d like to keep up-to-date on the best shoes in bigger sizes, the following blogs and communities sare worth a read:

Shoe Gal Fi

My Lovely Big Feet

Pretty Big Shoes

Size Nine Feet blogspot

Know any more great sources of women’s footwear in a size 9 or above? We’d love to hear about it!