Introduction
As with any other shoe sizing task, sizing shoes that are size 10 can be a tricky undertaking. The need to undertake this sort of task normally arises soon after the purchase of the shoes. The objective is to ensure that the shoes presented by the vendors as size 10 shoes are, in actual fact, neither too large nor too small. This is made necessary by the fact that the standard shoe sizes (like where we talk of size 9 shoes, size 10 shoes, size 11 shoes and so on) are just "mean sizes". Thus, although two given pairs of shoes may be labeled as being in the ‘size 10’ range, they may actually vary substantially in their actual sizes. This means that you may be a size 10 shoe wearer, and yet come across some size 10 shoes that don’t actually fit you comfortably. Subsequently, you can’t just buy shoes on the basis of the size labels in/on them. You actually have to size them, to ensure that they fit you comfortably. That is what makes the sizing undertaking necessary. We now venture to look at some of the specific steps you’d need to take, when sizing such shoes:-
Step 1
Put in place protective measures when you look for size 10 shoes
You have to keep it in mind – as mentioned earlier -- that that the objective in sizing the shoes is to see to it that they fit you comfortably. If that proves not to be the case, the idea would be to return them to the vendor. But in all probability, the vendor won’t accept them back if they are dirty or if they show some other evidence suggesting that they were worn for long. This is what makes it necessary for you to put in place some protective measures. You may, for instance, spread a polythene sheet where you are going to be sizing the shoes. You should also wear clean socks (or something else like that) before putting your feet into the size 10 shoes for sizing purposes. This way, in case the shoes prove to be totally uncomfortable, you can return them to the vendor with minimum resistance.
Step 2
Start by trying to put the shoes on
The idea here would be simply to see whether your feet can actually go into the shoes (and the ease with which that happens). Provided that they are size 10 shoes, and you are a size 10 wearer, this shouldn’t be a problem. But if the shoes prove hard to put on, even with the laces untied, they’d obviously have failed the most preliminary of sizing tests.
Step 3
Take note of ‘feel’ around your toes
If you have no difficulty getting your fee into the shoes, the next step would be that of checking out whether the shoes are actually comfortable. This you do by checking the feel (pressure or lack of it) around your toes, especially the big toe. Ideally, the shoes should fit in such a way that you can feel them with the big toes, yet they don’t exert undue pressure on those toes.
Step 4
Walk a few steps in the shoes
If the shoes feel comfortable whilst you are stationary, you now need to try walking a few steps in them, to see whether they’d still be comfortable to walk in. Here too, you need to pay close attention to the feeling around your toes, especially the big toes, especially with respect to the pressure. Ideally, even when walking, you should feel the size 10 shoes with your toes (especially the big toes). But that should happen without you feeling undue pressure from the shoes. If on the other hand you are completely unable to feel the shoes with your toes (especially the big ones), it could very well be that the shoes are oversize.
Step 5
Beware of shoe expansion and shrinkage dynamics
You have to keep it in mind that some types of shoes tend to expand with time, even as others tend to shrink in size with time. Thus shoes that don’t fit you perfectly at the point in time when you buy them may come to fit in perfectly with time. You thus don’t have to be a perfectionist when sizing size 10 shoes (or any other shoes for that matter). Most shoes are designed to eventually adapt to wearers feet with time. The idea in sizing shoes is just to ensure that they are not outrageously large or small.
Conclusion
In other words, it is simply to ensure that they are, at least, reasonably comfortable.
Source
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoe_size
