For anyone struggling to find shoes that fit non-standard sizes, this is a cross-post from the Plus Black blog. Do go there, read more and add to the debate:

Slippers and Shoes 'Meant for me?'

The second illustration by Hannah Ensor of Stickman Communications, for others in the series see +Black Illustrated, is inspired by ‘Love these felt slippers’ where I bemoan my experiences in finding the perfect pair of slippers and discovering that they are only available in baby sizes.

Discussing my ideas for +Black, the issues around footwear are many and varied.  Bespoke footwear made by orthotic and other specialist footwear makers seems to be, in general, expensive and lacking in any kind of style aesthetic.  Mass market product, available for those with more common foot problems, is poorly made, uses inferior materials and is considered, in general, to be ugly.

I suspect there is no real win-win with this as both the individual nature of foot problems combined with unique individual style likes/dislikes ensures that it will be difficult to fit/please everyone.  Nevertheless, my gut – not, I have to say, a hugely reliable tool – tells me there must be a middle ground of fit/style/price improvement that would work for most of us.

I know I am far from the only person struggling to find reasonable looking footwear for feet that really are not that unusual but it is so hard to find anything halfway decent. The ubiquitous wheelchair trainers look is so not my style.

I have written on this in a few previous posts, so take a look and let me know what you think, solutions you've found and ideas that might help you:

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