Most returns in online footwear come down to one thing: the buyer ordered the size they usually wear instead of the size that matches their foot. Those are not always the same number. Shoe sizing is not standardised the way a shirt collar is — a US 8 from one supplier can run half a size short of a US 8 from another, because the two were built on different lasts.
The fix is to stop shopping by number and start shopping by centimeters. Here is how to get that number in about five minutes.
Measure your foot in five minutes
- Measure at the end of the day. Feet swell over the course of a day, sometimes by half a size. A morning measurement will tell you a shoe fits when by 6pm it does not.
- Wear the socks you plan to wear with the shoes. A thick winter sock and a thin dress sock are not the same measurement.
- Tape a sheet of paper to a hard floor, against a wall. Carpet compresses under the paper and adds error.
- Stand on the paper with your heel against the wall. Stand, do not sit — your foot lengthens under your own weight, and you will be standing in the shoes.
- Hold a pen vertically and mark the tip of your longest toe. Vertical matters; a slanted pen adds several millimeters. Your longest toe is not always your big toe.
- Measure from the wall edge to the mark, in centimeters.
- Do both feet and order for the larger one. Most people have one foot slightly larger. Fit the bigger one; a slightly roomy shoe can be adjusted with an insole, a tight one cannot.
For width, wrap a tape measure around the widest part of your foot, across the ball, and note that measurement too. If that number is high relative to your length, favour styles with more room across the toe box.
Match the number, not the habit
Once you have a centimeter figure, take it to a size chart rather than to memory. Our Size Guide lists US, EU and UK conversions against foot length in centimeters for both women's and men's ranges, so you are comparing one number against another instead of trusting that this brand sizes like the last one.
If you land exactly between two sizes on the chart, size up. Half a size of extra length is a thin insole away from a good fit; half a size short is a shoe you will not wear.
Fit changes with the style
The same foot needs slightly different allowances depending on what the shoe is:
- Sneakers and boots generally run true to the measured length, and both are usually worn with a thicker sock — measure in that sock.
- Loafers and flats sit closest to your measurement with very little room to spare. If you are between sizes here, sizing up is the safer error.
- Heels and sandals can take a slightly larger size comfortably. In a heel your foot slides forward, so a little extra length in front stops your toes hitting the end.
- Dress shoes are built on narrower lasts more often than casual styles. Pay attention to your width measurement here, not just length.
Two things that are not sizing problems
New shoes that feel firm across the top of the foot on day one are usually normal — uppers relax with a few wears. What does not resolve with wear is length: if your toes touch the end of the shoe when you stand, the shoe is short, and no amount of breaking in will change that.
The other is width. A shoe that is the correct length but presses at the sides is telling you the last is narrow for your foot, not that you need a longer size. Going up a full size to gain width usually gives you a shoe that slips at the heel.
If it still is not right
Measuring gets it right most of the time, not every time. You have 30 days from delivery to return or exchange, with no restocking fee, and returns go to our facility in Plano, Texas rather than back overseas. Email support@meowlyshop.com with your order number for an RMA number and we will reply within 24 business hours. For a change of mind or a wrong size you cover return postage; if the item arrived wrong or damaged, we cover it and send a prepaid label.