One of the most common comments we hear has to do with the size shoe that customers are accustomed to wearing. Women and men alike will many times object to wearing a size other than what they have been accustomed to. So why would an adult wear a size other than the size they have been wearing? There a variety of reasons. One reason is the fact that all shoes are manufactured over a form, called a last. There are virtually thousands of different shoe lasts. As an example, the New Balance Shoe Company (www.newbalance.com) uses more than 20 different lasts in the manufacturing process. Therefore a size 7B which is made using an SL-2 last will not fit the same as a style made over an AL-1 last. The result being that the same person could wear two different sizes in two different shoes from the same manufacturer.
Another reason is the changing human body. During the aging process, which starts the day we are born, our bodies continually change. This includes the feet. The same people who have had weight and height changes, hearing and eyesight changes, body weight and overall body shape changes also experience changes in their feet. Surprise!
Other factors that contribute to changing shoe size include a large variety of foot conditions (see www.foot.com) that develop including falling arches, development of bunions and hammertoes, swelling due to health-related issues, and other medical conditions.
So don't be surprised if your shoe size changes on a regular basis. In fact, expect your shoe size to change with time and the style of shoes you are wearing.
Until next time, don't buy the shoe unless it fits and forget about what size you think you wear.
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Last does determine the size a shoe is marked but it doesn't necessarily determine the fit. Fit is determined by the pattern of the upper. Different shoe styles/patterns stretched over same last many times will fit the foot different. Also,standard shoes (not truly custom made shoes) will vary in relation to the depth of the instep of the foot. Changes can certainly occur for the reasons you stated but sometimes if the difference isn't severe a slight modification of the shoe can take care of the difference. If a shoe fits the foot properly, there will be enough room for moderate swelling. Bunions and hammer toes are a whole different problem because the heel fit of the shoe changes with these problems and very rarely does the heel size of the foot change evenwith previously mentioned problems. I'm new to this blogging stuff and I hope I shed some light on this subject. I am not new to shoe fitting as I have 35 years doing same selling better grade shoes and doing many prescription fitings.
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