Finding your size, in any system

Measure in the evening

Feet swell a little through the day, so measure after lunch, standing, with the socks you will wear. Put a sheet of paper against a wall, stand on it with your heel touching the wall, and mark the tip of your longest toe. Measure from the wall to the mark in centimetres, and do both feet: size to the larger one.

Read the chart by length

Size names differ between countries and even between makers, but foot length does not. Find your length in the size guide and read across to the EU size. If you fall between two sizes, take the larger for pumps and boots, and the smaller for loafers, which give as the leather softens.

Width and instep

A wide foot or a high instep changes more than length does. Open-laced derbies, slides and slingbacks with a buckle are forgiving; a pump with a closed vamp is not. If in doubt, send the store your length and the size you wear in a shoe that fits well.