I bet you must have heard or said something like this, “OMG, I love these shoes, they are gorgeous, I want them, definitely! Oh, no, they hurt so much, I need to squeeze my feet in, oh I don’t think I can wear them…”
Yes, that’s right, not everyone can wear the same pairs of shoes because everyone has a kind of different foot shapes.
Foot shape includes different toe lengths compare to each other, and the overall foot shape (i.e. width, arch). We should all aware of our own foot shape, and choose the right types of shoes that work the best for our foot shape. In general, the most common foot shapes are Roman, Greek (Morton), and Egyptian shape.
People with Roman foot shape normally have the first three or more toes are a similar length, while the rest two toes are shorter. They say that people with roman shaped feet are born for ballet dancing. Roman shape normally has a rough squarish or roundish forefoot, which requires more room at the front shoes. When shopping for the shoes should try to avoid shoes with a narrow front or sharply pointed front. Shoes with a square toe, round toe, oblique toe or egg toe are all good choices, such as Ballet flats, smoke shoes, most of the EMOII loafers.
Most people have Egyptian like toes where the toes have decreasing length and the big toe is the longest. Egyptian shape is most vulnerable to bunions because the longest toe is easily get squished and cause different levels of deformation. For Egyptian foot shape, choose shoes that have enough space for the big toe, and enough overall width to avoid squishing to the big toe. Sharp pointed shoes are not recommended as it basically tries to fit an oblique square object into a triangle shape – to be able to fit into the little triangle, over the time our bones need to, either go out of place form bunions, or/and push the second to toe go cross and sit on top of the big toe (we’ve seen many of those in elderly people)…
The Greek foot shape also called Morton's toe are less common than the Roman and Egyptian, The Greek foot has a second toe longer than the big toe and then toes decrease in length in stair-step formation. Who has the greek foot can wear pointed shoes from the shape perspective because toes have enough space. However Greek foot is particularly vulnerable to some foot issues. Because the long second toe is forward of the first toe and it takes more of the brunt of pressure during the "toe off" phase of each step, which would otherwise be handled by the sturdier first toe. The second toe is normally not as strong as the big toe, it could form hammer toes if the front of the shoe is not long enough. The constant pressure may cause a callus to develop at the second metatarsal head on the ball of the foot. It may also mean that the second toe gets pressure from the toe box of the shoe, leading to a black toenail and bruising. Although the shape of the Greek foot can work well with pointed shoes, high heels are not recommended because it will push the feet forward and squish the second toe in the toe box. Shoes with a high and wide toe box can help to relieve some pressure on the second toe, such as our beloved Lily and our trendy Sydney sneaker. Lacing shoes also a good option as it can prevent the foot from sliding forward.
Apart from the toe shape, there are also other elements to take into consideration when choosing footwear. High Arch or flat arch, foot width, instep height, heel shape, etc. People with a high arch and high instep might need shoes with a higher toe box. People who have a flat foot can get tired with long walking, and better choose shoes with proper arch support.
In addition, commonly suggested that the best time to buy shoes in the later afternoon. Our foot will get slighted swallowed in the afternoon, and it is the best time to fit shoes.
In EMOII, we take different foot shape and their potential foot issues into consideration during our design phase and reinforce them throughout our production process. We aim to provide you with comfortable footwear that supports your feet so they stay healthy and pretty.