Fun fact: I'm 6' foot 2", and for a long time, I wore a size 10 shoe.
The summer of 2007, I was at sleepaway camp in the nurse's office getting my morning vitamins, and I looked down. To my surprise, my toes looked longer. I stared and squinted, attempting to transform my eyes into binoculars, and sure enough, my toes had grown.
For a long time, one of the greatest blessings I believed I had was being 6'2" and wearing a size 10 shoe. In stores, moms would run up to me and ask where I bought my shoes. I would disappointingly tell them, "Everywhere... anywhere... I don't know how it happened, ma'am, but I'm a size 10." As soon as I wrapped the last syllable on "10," their eyes would pop out like a cartoon, and they'd tell me how their daughter is 5'9" and already a size 12.
My oh my, I thought. Tough.
The Great Toe Scrunching Scandal
Sophomore year of college, I looked at my toes and thought, "Hmm, why are these feet fitting in such a small shoe given my height?" To my surprise, I realized I wasn’t “breaking in” shoes at all — I’d been unconsciously scrunching my toes in every single pair. Outrageous.
So, I started to buy more size 11s, and wow, it felt amazing. My toes could move. I needed less Advil. Truly a game-changer.
Fast forward some more. After graduation, I moved to Seattle—the home of Boeing, Costco, and wearing Birckenstocks in the club. So I dressed comfortably 24/7. Not a single heel touched my foot for a year. I wore sneakers with arch support and actual toe room. My life had been forever changed.
The Professional Loafer Quest
After a year of living in Seattle, learning more about myself and the world around me (and coming up with the idea for this company, simplyaboveaverage), I moved back to NYC. The home of looking phenomenal every day.
I looked at my closet to find the holes, and I realized I had no adult shoes... aka loafers. The quintessential item in any professional's life.
My criteria was simple: comfy, chic, and long-lasting. I wanted a loafer I could take to the cobbler five times over and hold for twenty years. While on this pursuit, I scoured Reddit threads and Facebook groups, and one name kept popping up — Stuart Weitzman. To my surprise, they carried a size 12! What a concept.
It was the size all of those moms mentioned, and I thought, Huh, what if I tried it?
So I did, and I loved it. I love a size 12. It's phenomenal. I had no idea I could be so comfortable in a shoe.
Embrace The Size That Fits
I say all this because clothes and shoes are meant to fit you, not the other way around. Buy the size that fits your body and makes you feel as comfortable and confident as possible.
If it's a shirt, buy it a few sizes larger than you think to get a better fit, and if you're uncomfortable with what the tag says, cut the tag out and enjoy yourself. Live, love the clothes you wear, love the body you have, and embrace your size. Especially your shoe size.
You might realize how good life can be the second you buy the size that truly fits your body, not the world's expectation of you.
