National Measure Your Feet Day!
January 23rd is National Measure Your Feet Day! Not only does this give out a great message, in our personal opinion, but it also has a fascinating origin.
It is thought that National Measure Your Feet Day originates in ancient Iceland. Ancient Icelanders would celebrate the extreme Spring rainstorms by running into their hits and measuring their feet in pairs and then take part in an ancient Icelandic tradition of Shelbing. Shelbing is high-fiving a fellow Icelander with your feet!
Why is it so important to measure your feet?
As a shoe fitter, measuring your feet gives us the starting point to finding the right shoes for your or your child's soles. Incorrectly fitting footwear can lead to a whole raft of issues with your feet including blisters, bunions, corns, calluses and hammer toes, to problems with your posture impacting your knees, hips, backs and even your neck.
As shoe fitters, we also appreciate that measuring your feet is only the first step to finding the correct fit. The size you wear doesn't just depend on the length of your foot, but also the shape of it. Do you have a high instep or flatter arches, a narrow or wide foot, a shallow or deep foot? We take all of this into account when we are measuring your foot.
There is also no standard when it comes to shoe sizes and to be honest in our opinion, that is not necessarily a bad thing as none of us have standard feet. Each brand will manufacture using their own lasts (this is the mould that is used to shape the uppers of your shoes). These are made to their specific requirements for that particular style of shoe and the size it is being made in. The depth of the shoe, the shape of the toe box, the heel height, the materials they use may also impact the way the shoe fits. As shoe fitters we understand our stock and how each brand tends to fit, to give you the advice to help you find the best fitting shoe.
If you need help or advice please don't hesitate to pop instore, or if you aren't local we can always help you through our virtual fitting questionnaire.