UK shoes

I have to admit, after 1.5 years in the UK I still don't buy clothes here.  Part of it is just that I don't clothes shop very often at all.  Another part of it is that I never seem to be able to find what I want.

So currently I'm after a pair of silver or gold heels...in what appears to be a non-existent UK size 6.5 (I keep getting told that only "real" shoe stores sell half sizes, I guess shops that only sell shoes, like Faith, aren't real according to them then, huh?).

Where do you shoe shop here?

I shoe shop:

M&S, Dorothy Perkins, Clarks, Bhs, Topshop, Marshall Ward, Next...

and off e-bay...

I got my wedding shoes which were a beautiful offwhite/goldish colour from Marks & Spencer in a size 5 1/2.  Also, recently got a pair of black work heels from there in the same size and both pairs were reasonably priced.  Around £35, i believe?

i'm just not pleased with the shoe selection here.  I'm a 9.5 US, and it's hard to get a 7.5 here in the UK.  Sometimes I can fit into a 7.

When shoe shopping in the UK I go to - TJMaxx, John Lewis, Faith, Dorothy Perkins (mainly)

I love Top Shop's shoes.  If you are in London, the flagship Top Shop has an awesome shoe dept on the bottom floor.  I also like Aldo.

Man I wish I didn't buy clothes here, but I like the fashion much more than in the US.  Of course I like the prices better back home.....

I am a 6 1/2 and have no trouble getting shoes in that size. TK Maxx is a good place to look. It's true the fashion shops don't seem to have half sizes but I don't usually look for shoes there anyway.  In London I used to go to Shelley's it is absolutely the best place for cool shoes at a fairly reasonable price.

For 'fancy' shoes i shop at The Office or Nine-West (i think both of those will do half-sizes)

For work, i'll do Dolcis or M&S

My husband can attest that I have NEVER had a problem finding shoes here!!

However - if you really can't find anything you like in the UK, Larissa, try ebay.com, because I've had very good luck with people willing to post to the UK for "true" postage rates.  There are "shops" on there willing to post, but they charge a fortune!  Of course, with the current exchange rate, it's not TOO bad, I guess.

OH - Nine West....love Nine West.........

My husband can attest that I have NEVER had a problem finding shoes here!!

However - if you really can't find anything you like in the UK, Larissa, try ebay.com, because I've had very good luck with people willing to post to the UK for "true" postage rates.  There are "shops" on there willing to post, but they charge a fortune!  Of course, with the current exchange rate, it's not TOO bad, I guess.

OH - Nine West....love Nine West.........

This is what I typically do   However, I need shoes for a black tie event that happens in about 4 weeks...and I need them before I can get my dress hemmed (I'm a shorty) so I'm afraid I'd be pushed for time.  I adore ebay.com!!
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Thanks for all the suggestions ladies!  I'm currently making a list of which one ofter half sizes according to their website so I can try to either hit up Oxford Street or Lakeside.

Yes, the half-sizes tend to be a bit trickier over here for some reason.  I also usually wear a 6.5 here (always a 9 in the US), and to get a 6.5 generally means shopping at Clarks, for me.  I've tried on 6.5's at M&S before, but they tend to be too narrow for me there, and the wide ones are too wide!   I think the British sizing, for reasons unknown, doesn't seem to be very consistent from one shoe to another.  Plus, I don't understand why shoes here don't seem to have the various widths available?

However, in general, I have found the British (to American to other international sizing) conversion charts wrong more often than not - usually saying I would wear a 6 or a 7 here, and I most clearly do not.  I wonder if that's because the half sizes are harder to come by, so they're trying to jam you into whatever size is widely available - which is, unfortunately, too small or too big.  I don't know.

If you can find a shop that sells international/European sizing, I know that I will always wear a size 40 (just like I always wear a size 9 in the US), you might have better luck with that.  Schuh carries some shoes with international sizing, and you occasionally find athletic shoes (trainers) or walking boots like that too.

I get most of my shoes on E-bay these days.    

I'm a 7 and they seem to sell out quicker than other sizes.  I'm tired of seeing shoes I love in stores and finding out they are completely sold out.

I have no trouble finding shoes either 

I normally wear a UK 5 but I do sometimes wear a UK 4.5 or smaller, depending on the shoe.  Sizes seem (to me) so random here.  I once tried a pair of UK 3.5 sandals at Dorothy Perkins that were still big! 

Are you actually trying the shoes on or just asking for your size?  I recommend you try them on and you might be (pleasantly) surpirsed!

As for where I get my shoes, well, it varies.  Sometimes I go to Office, Faith, Nine West and other times I go to Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo and Christian Louboutin.  It all depends on the mood and what I'm looking for.  The former stores are usually the impulse shopping ones and the latter ones planned shopping. 

I know for a fact some shops carry half sizes.

June

I share your shoe rant.

I have never been able to find shoes that fit me exactly here, and I have been here for almost  2 1/2 years.  In some shops I am closer to a 3 1/2, closer to a 3 in others. My trainers are a size 4.  I either have to wear shoes that are slightly small, or flop around in shoes that are a bit big. (I prefer the former, because with the larger shoes I end up tripping.)

The only shop where I have found shoes that fit me reasonably is M&S, and to be honest, their shoes are kind of frumpy. (I see some of you like M&S, maybe it's just the shoes in my size range that are frumpy. I find that M&S petite range clothing tends to be made for much older women; the petite dept. is always full of pensioners - maybe they assume that the main reason a woman would be short is osteoporosis - and perhaps that extends to shoes as well).

I have never found a pair of sexy/pretty girly shoes that I could wear.

I even had to wear frumpy M&S sandals to my wedding.

I also have a problem in that I have very high arches, and the shoes here seem to be made with very low sides, and I am always stepping out of my shoes.

For what it's worth, unless you get your shoes custom made (Jimmy Choo does this ), they will never fit you "like a glove".  It is VERY rare to have feet that are truly full or half sizes, most of us are in between.  Not to mention that one foot is normally larger than the other!  Now whether you go up or down is entirely up to you.  If you do go up, you can always buy inserts for your shoes to make them fit better (MUCH cheaper than getting Mr. Choo to make your shoes!).  I prefer to go up, especially since I have wide (read FAT) feet.

Can you tell I have spent way too much time thinking about shoes??? 

June

Well, I have UK size 3 feet with high arches, and my house is overflowing with shoes from both countries...!

I certainly can't afford Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo or Christian Louboutin though.