Women's Wide Fit Orthopedic Shoes Australia Adjustable

Wide Fit Adjustable Shoe: the shoe adjusts to the foot, not the other way round

Most comfort shoes solve the length of a foot and ignore its width. These orthopedic shoes for women in Australia are built the other way round. The instep is closed by a wide hook and loop flap instead of a fixed panel, so the shoe opens right out to get the foot in and then closes to whatever width that foot actually is. That single detail is what makes it wearable by someone whose feet swell through the day, whose toe joint has widened, or who has simply been told for years that their size does not exist in a normal shoe.

• Adjustable instep flap. A wide hook and loop flap crosses the instep and sets the width. It opens the shoe almost flat, which matters when bending down to a lace is the hard part.
• Deep round toe box. The toe end is cut both wide and high, so the toes sit side by side instead of being pressed together over a widened joint.
• Breathable knitted upper. A soft open weave mesh with no seam across the toe joint. There is nothing rigid on the upper to press on a sore spot.
• Thick cushioned sole. A moulded EVA midsole, higher at the heel than at the toe, with a gentle rocker that helps the foot roll through the step.
• Slip on, no laces. No laces, no zip, no buckle. The flap is the only fastening and it is worked with one hand.
• AU 3.5 to AU 13.5. Eleven sizes, each matched to a foot length measured in centimetres by the supplier.

Materials: Knitted polyester mesh upper with a moulded EVA midsole and a rubber outsole. Hook and loop instep fastening.

What the shoe actually looks like

Written while looking at the photographs. The upper is a fine knitted mesh with a visible open weave, matte, with no shine and no printed pattern. It runs unbroken from the collar to the toe, which is the point: there is no seam and no overlay sitting across the widest part of the foot.

Across the instep a wide flap folds over from the outside towards the inside and fastens flat. It is cut from a smooth panel that sits slightly darker than the knit around it. That flap is the whole fitting system. Released, the shoe opens wide enough to put a swollen foot in without forcing it. Closed, it holds the foot without a pressure line.

The toe box is rounded and it is deep as well as wide, so there is height above the toes and not only room beside them. The collar around the ankle is low and padded so it does not cut in at the back.

The sole is a thick moulded midsole, clearly higher under the heel than under the toe, with a shallow tread and a gently curved profile from front to back. Four colourways are photographed by the supplier and three are sold here, each checked against those photographs: black on a white sole, all over beige, and navy. There is no logo anywhere on the shoe.

How it fits and how to size it

Take your usual size in length. The width is handled by the flap, not by going up a size, and going up a size to gain width will only make the shoe too long and let the heel slip.

Measure rather than guess. Stand on a sheet of paper with your weight on the foot, mark behind the heel and in front of the longest toe, and measure the distance in centimetres. Then read the table below, which gives the foot length the supplier measured for every size alongside the Australian and European equivalents.

Measure late in the day. If your feet swell, they will be at their largest in the evening, and that is the measurement this shoe should be bought against. Between two rows, take the larger one. If both feet differ, fit the larger foot and take up the difference on the other side with the flap.

How to look after it

Wipe the knit with a damp cloth and a little mild soap, then let the shoes air dry away from any heater. Do not put them in a machine and do not soak them, because the moulded midsole is glued and repeated soaking works that bond loose at the toe.

Keep the hook and loop clean. Lint and hair collect in the hooks and that is what makes a flap stop holding, long before the fabric wears out. Pick the strip clean with a fingernail or an old toothbrush every few weeks.

Air the shoes between wears rather than leaving them in a bag. A knitted upper dries quickly if it is given the chance, and a shoe that dries between wears keeps its shape and stays odourless far longer.

More from Harper Australia: Orthopedic comfort shoes, Orthopedic Mary Jane shoes, Adjustable wedge sandals and Shoes and sandals.