Bigger & better
What do Elle Macpherson, Kate Silverton, Helen Mirren, Kate Winslet and her mum all have in common? They all have big soles. Or, to put it more bluntly, large feet. Dame Helen wears a size 7, while broadcaster Kate Silverton boasts a size 9 and supermodel Elle measures in at an impressive size 10. And they are not alone. Recent research by The College of Podiatry has revealed that since the 1970s, the average size of women’s feet has increased from a size 4 to a size 6 and rising. As each generation emerges taller, so our feet get bigger – a combination of the basic laws of physics and common sense, of course, although one that to date seems to have escaped shoe retailers.
As a big-footer myself (size 8, if you’re asking), I can’t remember a time when I haven’t suff ered from what I call ‘foot shame’. I would rather do most things than get my great fl ippers out in public. To paraphrase Uncle Monty in the fi lm Withnail & I: ‘As a child I used to weep in shoe shops’. Now, I tend to avoid them, or sneak in, furtively picking up a pair of pixie-sized patent courts before mumbling: ‘Do you have this in a 41?’ Invariably I am persuaded to squeeze into a 40 (most shops run out of steam at size 40) and end up handing over my credit card just so I can run away. Or hobble, to be precise.
Yes, I am one of the 46 per cent of women who has footwear in her wardrobe that is simply unfi t for purpose. I am also one of the 51 per cent who fi nds it diffi cult to get comfortable shoes, which are also fashionable. And I am certainly one of the majority of adults who hasn’t had their feet properly measured since I stopped being taken shopping by my mother – although I do know that mine are bigger than anything on the groovy racks. I have been wearing shoes that don’t fi t for decades and, according to Lorraine Jones from The College of Podiatry, I have almost certainly given myself back pain and increased my chances of developing mobility issues and osteoarthritis in the lower limb joints. All because I just wanted to look like the other girls.
With persistence, it is possible to occasionally find nice-looking shoes in larger sizes. For years I was a devotee of Emma Hope’s striking designs – I got married in a pair of her velvet jewel-encrusted ‘slippers’ and much of her range goes up to size 9, but the larger numbers are snapped up quickly. Added to which, in the last few years, her style has migrated more towards very narrow, low-cut fittings that can contort the foot, revealing rather unattractive ‘toe cleavage’, which makes the foot look even bigger.
There is trusty old Clarks, of course, with an emphasis on comfort and nothing wrong with that. Their size 9 range off ers some sturdy possibilities, with a couple of nice ankle boots, but nothing with any party wow factor.
Responding to this obvious gap in the market, Nick Bond and his designers have spent several years working alongside a podiatrist to formulate new ‘lasts’ that allow them to produce a C-width sole that goes up to a generous size 43 and doesn’t make the wearer look like a pantomime dame. Franchetti Bond’s newly launched Luxe Grande range is a bigfooter’s dream. High heels, kitten heels, low-key loafers, ballerina pumps, small boots, tall boots, many available in jewel-like colours, in kid leather or suede – and I can have them all.
Nick is rather understated about this unique initiative. He says that it makes business sense but also that selling people shoes that fi t them properly is a fundamental requirement of his profession. ‘If you wear a fabulous pair of shoes, it changes your attitude, posture and literally the way you walk in the world.’ On a recent visit to his shop I felt like crying, but for once it was because I was so deliriously happy. Everything I tried on was available in my size. So, this season’s must-have? A pair of big feet.
As a big-footer myself (size 8, if you’re asking), I can’t remember a time when I haven’t suff ered from what I call ‘foot shame’. I would rather do most things than get my great fl ippers out in public. To paraphrase Uncle Monty in the fi lm Withnail & I: ‘As a child I used to weep in shoe shops’. Now, I tend to avoid them, or sneak in, furtively picking up a pair of pixie-sized patent courts before mumbling: ‘Do you have this in a 41?’ Invariably I am persuaded to squeeze into a 40 (most shops run out of steam at size 40) and end up handing over my credit card just so I can run away. Or hobble, to be precise.
Yes, I am one of the 46 per cent of women who has footwear in her wardrobe that is simply unfi t for purpose. I am also one of the 51 per cent who fi nds it diffi cult to get comfortable shoes, which are also fashionable. And I am certainly one of the majority of adults who hasn’t had their feet properly measured since I stopped being taken shopping by my mother – although I do know that mine are bigger than anything on the groovy racks. I have been wearing shoes that don’t fi t for decades and, according to Lorraine Jones from The College of Podiatry, I have almost certainly given myself back pain and increased my chances of developing mobility issues and osteoarthritis in the lower limb joints. All because I just wanted to look like the other girls.
With persistence, it is possible to occasionally find nice-looking shoes in larger sizes. For years I was a devotee of Emma Hope’s striking designs – I got married in a pair of her velvet jewel-encrusted ‘slippers’ and much of her range goes up to size 9, but the larger numbers are snapped up quickly. Added to which, in the last few years, her style has migrated more towards very narrow, low-cut fittings that can contort the foot, revealing rather unattractive ‘toe cleavage’, which makes the foot look even bigger.
There is trusty old Clarks, of course, with an emphasis on comfort and nothing wrong with that. Their size 9 range off ers some sturdy possibilities, with a couple of nice ankle boots, but nothing with any party wow factor.
Responding to this obvious gap in the market, Nick Bond and his designers have spent several years working alongside a podiatrist to formulate new ‘lasts’ that allow them to produce a C-width sole that goes up to a generous size 43 and doesn’t make the wearer look like a pantomime dame. Franchetti Bond’s newly launched Luxe Grande range is a bigfooter’s dream. High heels, kitten heels, low-key loafers, ballerina pumps, small boots, tall boots, many available in jewel-like colours, in kid leather or suede – and I can have them all.
Nick is rather understated about this unique initiative. He says that it makes business sense but also that selling people shoes that fi t them properly is a fundamental requirement of his profession. ‘If you wear a fabulous pair of shoes, it changes your attitude, posture and literally the way you walk in the world.’ On a recent visit to his shop I felt like crying, but for once it was because I was so deliriously happy. Everything I tried on was available in my size. So, this season’s must-have? A pair of big feet.