How To Find Your Perfect Fit

You don't have to be Cinderella to find your perfect fit!

DB Wider Fit Shoes specialise in shoes for people with wide, deep and problem feet.

We understand that everyone is unique - and so are their feet. We know that everyone's feet come in different sizes, shapes & widths. And so do our shoes.

Wide fitting shoes aren't just shoes that are wider. We put our 100 years of shoemaking experience into designing features that create the ultimate in comfort, without sacrificing style.

As well as 3 different width fittings - Wide, Wider and Extra Wide - our shoes have features that make them suitable for a broad range of foot conditions, including wide feet (of course), bunions and hammer toes, oedema caused by issues such as diabetes or lymphoedema, arthritis, wide ankles and much more.

So if you have wide, deep, or problem feet, read our handy overview below to find your perfect fit!

Certain foot health conditions bring with them different footwear problems, meaning that a shoe that is simply wider will not necessarily be right for you. We design shoes with different foot conditions in mind, so that you can find your perfect fit, no matter what your condition. Discover how we design shoes for the below conditions:

- Footwear for Diabetes sufferers
- Footwear for Oedema & Lymphoedema
- Footwear for Bunions & Hammertoes
- Footwear for Falls Prevention
- Footwear for Arthritis
- Other conditions

As mentioned above, we offer 3 different width fittings, suitable for people requiring width fitting E right through to 8E.

We offer these through our variable width fittings – V, 2V & 6V.

Our variable width fittings are, well, just what they say – variable in fitting! Through the clever use of specially designed removable insoles, we can vary the depth of a shoe from E-EEE(V fitting), EE-4E (2V fitting) or 6E-8E (6V fitting).

This allows you to increase the depth or gives you space to add your own orthotics as required. Or, you can vary the fitting for each foot, by inserting or removing insoles, for the ultimate comfort – very few people have both feet the same size!

See our handy pictorial guide below!

There are a few ways to find your correct shoe size and width, as outlined below.

How to use our Fit Finder

FIT FINDER

To find out what your perfect fit and size are then use our Fit Finder by following these simple steps:
- Measure the length from your heel to the top of your large toe.
- Measure your longest foot.
- Measure your foot circumference at the widest point. Ensure you have the tape measure completely round your foot.
- If you wear orthotics, measure your foot with these in place.
- Ensure your weight is fully on your foot when you measure it.

You can use our very own DB Shoes Measuring Guide, which you can download using these links:

WOMEN'S MEASURING GUIDE MEN'S MEASURING GUIDE

Simply print off the guide and follow the instructions. Alternatively, if you don't have a printer at home, you can measure your feet (in millimetres) with a fabric tape measure and reference the measurements in the guide to find your correct size.

Our seasonal DB Wider Fit Shoes brochure also contains a handy pull-out Measuring Guide for you to use, complete with everything you need. Order your free DB Wider Fit Shoes brochure now

Our international network of stockists, ranging from podiatrists to specialist shoe shops, will be able to help you to find your perfect fit.

All of our Gold and Diamond Star Stockists are vetted for service quality and carry a wide range of DB Wider Fit Shoes styles for you to buy. And if they don't have a style that you like, they are able to order it in for you. There is no substitute for having your feet professionally fitted and we would encourage all new customers to visit their local stockist for a great service, with the bonus of advice on the best style for your feet too.

Find your nearest DB Wider Fit Shoes stockist now

But we said previously, our shoes are not just wide & deep. They have thoughtful design features which increase comfort and wearability too. Check out some of our other features:

We offer a host of different fastening styles with our shoes, to accommodate wearers of all ages, activity levels and even consider finger dexterity! That's how much thought we put into our styles!

You'll find a range of fastenings including:

- Lace-up styles, like SHADE, BAYEUX, SINEAD and many more. Laces are by far the most secure way of fastening the shoe to the foot, ideal for more active wearers. They're also super-adjustable and can be adjusted as the foot changes shape during the day;

- Pull-back & D-Ring fastenings as featured on NORWICH or men's trainer STEPHEN for good support, plus maximum adjustability without the dexterity required for laces and, of course, a less sporty look;

- Laid on Straps like FOX provides easy access and a distinctive style;

- Elastic Gussets or Elasticated Top-lines, such as that found on cute pump TETBURY, or the elasticated gussets BIARRITZ or vegan bumper sole casual style HOUSTON, providing great "slip-on-ability" whilst still allowing the shoe to fit snugly to the foot.

- Court-style shoes for style & elegance, with no adjustment, although we now offer certain court styles with elasticated top-lines and stretch panels, like ASIA, for improved comfort and fit. In addition, many of our dress styles offer an adjustable buckle ankle-strap or front strap for a more secure, adjustable fitting.

Our styles include a combination of the below features to ensure that there really is something for everyone. Look for the combination of features that suits your needs as you browse our catalogue or website.

Sufferers of bunions and hammer toes will know that a wide or deep toe box is crucial to pain free footwear. By providing this extra space for toes in many of our shoes, we are freeing those toes! We offer many styles in the widest & deepest fittings you will find on the market, such as our modern, stylish extra wide and deep biker boots, active leisure styles, ballerina pumps and casual boots, available in our 6V dual-width fitting.

Extremely wide and deep toe boxes do not need to look frumpish. You can now get all the functional benefits of extra wide and deep footwear and feel confident, stylish and in fashion.

Styles like new sporty boots ANDES or LEICESTER, loafers like KEMBLE or DIANA, active leisure styles like WHITWORTH, DUBAI, FAREHAM or RILEY, or many more in our range.

Simply look out for the 6V dual width fitting in our brochure or use the 6V width-fitting filter here to search shoes with wide and deep toe boxes.

Most people have one of three common toe shapes.
- Rounded - known as "Roman"
- Square - known as "Egyptian"
- Tapered - known as "Greek"

When choosing your shoe, it is important to take your toe shape into account, as well as your size and fitting, to ensure ALL your toes have enough space. Pressure on your toes can cause bunions, hammer toes and many more serious problems.

The ultimate comfort is achieved by taking all these factors into consideration.

Almond shaped styles tend to be trainer styles, such as Whitworth, Garforth or Fox and our wedge styles like Belfast, Dean and Aberdeen whilst there are shoes with round toes across our range, including trainers like Shade, casual styles like Unite, Sinead or Mayo, loafers like Diana, dress styles, boots and many more.

Our square toes are also present across our range, but predominantly on casual / everyday styles like Carlisle and Winnipeg, boots like Biarritz, Leicester and Andes.

Our men’s range of wide-fitting shoes also feature different toe shapes too across the range.

Internal seams on shoes can cause painful rubbing on feet, and even sores and blisters. Our shoes minimise the number of internal seams across our range, with many styles having no internal seams in the toe box at all, providing a more comfortable wear with less risk of rubbing. This is especially key for diabetes sufferers, who may have lost sensation in their feet.

Styles such as new sporty boot WINIFRED, active leisure style BRIGHTON or even dress styles WINTON or FLAMENCO are all styles you can be find to reduce the pain you feel from rubbing.

Our Stretch range are shoes that hug your feet! Using clever stretch fabrics, the shoes mould to the shape of your feet, reducing rubbing, increasing comfort and also resulting in a slimmer looking shoe.

Cleverly positioned stretch patches accommodate bunions comfortably, without changing the design of the rest of the shoe, like on stylish comfort casual WINNIPEG or Whitworth trainer.

Some styles are designed to open up completely, so they are easy to take on and off, with touch-fastening straps so the shoe can be easily be closed over the foot.

Our active styles are designed with a flared sole, wider at the bottom than the top, to give extra support for more active feet.

Some shoes are supplied with a choice of strap lengths or extension pieces so, if your feet are extra wide or you need further inserts, you can attach the correct length strap for your feet. Our adjustable 'cut-to-fit' straps are supplied longer and can be cut to the length required, avoiding any flapping strap ends and making sure you have the perfect fit.

Styles such as BANGOR (pictured below), Goldcrest or vegan trainer Page, alongside many others, all include cut-to-fit straps.

Thousands of tiny air-bubbles are inserted during the making of this sole which cushion every step you take.

You can find more detail regarding the features that make our shoes the perfect fit for wider feet here.

It is essential that a shoe allows a foot to function properly. In trying to achieve this, simply considering the stated width of a shoe is not enough as the footwear must also feature a toe box deep enough to allow ample room for the toes.
PROFESSOR WESLEY VERNON OBE
Head of Podiatry Services and Research Lead,
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals

As you can see, a lot of thought and effort goes in to cleverly designing every pair of DB Wider Fit Shoes.

We hope that this article has outlined some of the features designed to help you find your perfect fit and that we can welcome you to the DB Wider Fit Shoes family soon.

If you need any help in navigating the features & benefits of our range, please speak with one of our UK based customer services team on 01933 311077 (Monday-Friday 9:00am-5:00pm), who are very friendly, are experienced in discussing the issues involved and are there to help you to find your perfect fit.

And remember, if you’re in the UK and were to order a pair from us directly and they weren't the right size or width fitting, then you can return them unworn (except for trying on) for FREE using our free returns label, included in the box with your purchase, for a full refund or to exchange for a different style / size - as many times as required until you get the right fit for your feet, without paying a penny more in shipping.

- View our full refunds and exchanges policy

Why not check out some of our other blog posts to help you with you find your perfect shoe.
Give the gift of wide fit comfort »
Spoilt for choice in our widest shoe fittings »
Pure comfort for all toe shapes and sizes »