How to get the perfect fit

MANILA, Philippines - So you found this gorgeous pair of pumps from an online shoe store and it’s just perfect for this event you’re invited to next month. But how would you know if they could fit you perfectly? When you don’t have the luxury to fit shoes that you might want to buy online or in a store overseas, you could be faced with the problem of having the shoe size off by a few inches or so and not having the perfect fit that you want.   

However, shopping for shoes online or having a friend or family member abroad to buy them for you can still be a breeze even without physically trying them on. Figlia, a premier ladies shoe brand, shares a step-by-step guide to measuring your feet so you can always get the perfect fit whether you’re shopping for pumps, stilettos or flats online or not:      

• To get started, you need the following materials: a piece of paper which should be larger than your foot, a pencil or pen, tape, and a ruler or measuring tape.

• Tape the paper down to the floor then trace the outline your foot by sitting with your foot firmly on the floor. Your leg should be bent slightly forward so that your shin is slightly in front of your ankle.

• Remember to measure your foot without shoes on. If you’re going to buy shoes that require socks, measure your foot while wearing socks similar to the ones you’ll be wearing with the shoes you are buying.

• Hold the pencil or pen upright and perpendicular to the paper and make sure the pencil/pen is resting snugly against your foot as you draw around it. Draw straight lines which should touch the outermost points at the top, bottom, and both sides of the outline.

• Using a ruler or a measuring tape, measure the length from the bottom line to the top line. Hold the measuring tape straight and find the closest mark that you can (for inches, use the closest 16th mark). Don’t round up or down dramatically.

• Find the width of your foot by measuring from the line on one side of your tracing, to the line on the other side. Again, find the closest mark that you can.

• Repeat these steps for your other foot, and use the larger of the two.

• After you have your numbers written down, subtract 3/16 of an inch from the numbers to accommodate for the slight space between your actual foot and the line made by the pencil/pen.

• The final numbers are your actual foot measurements. You can now convert them to the appropriate size and width when you’re shopping for shoes online. Or you can just send these measurements to a family member or friend who will be buying shoes for you abroad.

Added tip: Try to stick to shoe brands that you’ve tried and tested to give the perfect fit for your shoe size. By knowing the shoe brands that complement your size, this saves you time and worries when shopping.

Now that you know your right shoe size, take note of shoe stores that offers the perfect fit of style and comfort. Figlia, for instance, offers shoe lovers customized pairs of shoes through Figlia Couture. With its wide range of locally made, stylishly designed shoes that boast of the perfect blend of fashion and function, Figlia Couture is tailor-made to suit your shoe style and follow design trends.

Figlia Couture is part of Charter International, Inc., the company behind top local footwear brands such as Figlia, Figliarina, M.Nicole, Barbie by Shbizz, Shbizz, and Sorores. To know more about Figlia Couture, like Figlia Shoes on Facebook, follow @figliashoes on Twitter, or visit www.figlia.biz.