Shoe irritation

[quizcustodiet]

I have big feet (size 12 wide). Do you know what men with big feet have? Serious issues finding shoes. I also seem to wear out my shoes at a slightly distressing rate - shoes that I wear frequently rarely last more than 6 months before the soles are worn through. Unfortunately, very few high street shoe stores seem to sell shoes that can be resoled, so each time it happens it requires further shoe shopping.

Until recently, I have been a poor student and thus did most of my shoe shopping at Brantano. I do not doubt that buying cheap shoes is reason number one for the short life of my shoes, but high street shops very rarely stock shoes that will fit me and even more rarely do so with any kind of shoe except boring black leather ones to be worn to the office.

My shoes are yet again wearing out, but this time I am gainfully employed and thus have some money! So I'm appealing to the wisdom of LiveJournal. Where can I find good quality, casual shoes that will fit me and can be resoled? I'm currently based in Slough, so can relatively easily get to London, Reading or Oxford - sources further afield will be considered based on the enthusiasm of their advocates. Please help!

Comments

[publicansdecoy.livejournal.com]

I'm size 12 (sometimes a size 11, if I'm lucky) and I too have Shoe Issues - particularly in trying to find durable shoes for work. I'd estimate the average lifespan at around 8 months. What I would say is: don't bother with Clarks.

-x-

[synergetic.livejournal.com]

In looking for women's shoes that are of large size, the general rule seemed to be to look on the internet. On the internet I found many such shops for women and some of those did men's shoes as well. I strongly advise you to search on the internet (e.g. this search) and if possible order online.

Also, ebay isn't bad for oversize shoes on the women's front, so advise you to check out their men's.

In addition, I know of these off the top of my head:

http://www.magnusshoes.com/ (shops in London)
http://www.highandmighty.co.uk (shops around the country, sell Magnus shoes, see store locater on website for nearest shop)
http://www.tallgirls.co.uk/mens-department.html (on-line only)

[quizcustodet.livejournal.com]

How have you found shoe shopping on the internet? I'd be concerned because often different brands size differently, and I could foresee returning things being a hassle. Also, it's hard sometimes to tell whether a shoe that looks good in principle becomes a Clown Shoe when expanded to size 12.

[synergetic.livejournal.com]

I didn't have a great time of shopping on the internet. I couldn't get the right size shoe and I didn't like the hassle of sending stuff back. Having said that, my bad experience was mainly due to knowing very little about what sizes were likely to fit me and how they varied. For example, in one trip to Brantano, I discovered that I was size 9 in loose shoes and 10 in tight shoes, which would explain why nothing I bought fit me *sigh*. I'm intending to go to the first link and buy any shoes in person now, but if my simple rule of thumb holds up, then I might go back to buying shoes online, simply just because it is so hard to get such a range of shoes at a decent price any other way.