What is a good fit?
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Phoebe's shoes are made for the leather upper to stretch with your foot, as needed. There is a foam core midsole that will conform under your foot giving you support. I don't believe in building up arch support because I see the arch like a muscle that grows stronger with exercise. Instead the cut of the shoes and the foam core enhance arch support but don't force it. The rubber walking sole provides shock absorption from the concrete surfaces found in modern life. There is now a 'barefoot' movement among runners; the design of my shoes is complimentary because feet need to be protected from the elements but not bound in multiple thin layers of fake leather that have no give.
The best compliment I have received from a customer: "Your shoes are teaching me to walk more gently on the earth." (thanks Shirley) |
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Sizing
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For years I made custom shoes and began to see similarities in feet. Rounding up to the middle of the many patterns, I created standard sizes. Add that to my belief that a shoe is best designed using thick leather that molds and shapes with wear to your foot creating your own size and fit. Phoebe's Footwear are not built on a last but stitched out meaning that there are no seams inside the shoe. Also, conventional shoes are designed for the various materials not to stretch (usually by combining several thin layers) your foot is expected to conform within it. These are two very different approaches to footwear design.
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Phoebe's Footwear is designed to fit more like a glove than an oven mitt. Your toes should not be pressing hard against the front but they also should not be anymore than an inch back because when the foam midsole conforms underneath from your weight on it, there will likely be too much space. Often, people wear a size smaller in my shoes then what they buy in a mass produced shoe.Your inner ear regulates balance and knows by the size of your foot, how to gauge your step. If your shoes are loose and floppy there is more chance of you stubbing your toes or walking in to things because your inner ear did not account for all that extra length.
Socks can increase tightness during the break-in period which is why I recommend wearing nylons or thin socks. Tight shoes feel binding, uncomfortable and only you can detect what is just too tight, too loose and what feels like that comfy shoe that will enclose your foot. Consider how my shoes will mold, shape, and conform to your foot. Listen to your feet, think with your head, feel what is possible.
Socks can increase tightness during the break-in period which is why I recommend wearing nylons or thin socks. Tight shoes feel binding, uncomfortable and only you can detect what is just too tight, too loose and what feels like that comfy shoe that will enclose your foot. Consider how my shoes will mold, shape, and conform to your foot. Listen to your feet, think with your head, feel what is possible.