If you wear a size 10 or larger shoe, you have probably experienced challenges in finding styles that will fit your feet. Shoe stores will often carry a very limited supply of large size women shoes, and often styles need to be special ordered. Department stores generally don't carry sizes larger than 11. However, retailers are slowly coming to the realization that women's feet are getting bigger. Soon, the quest for large size women shoes may be a distant memory.



In the past, shoe buyers were reluctant to buy big inventories of larger shoe sizes. This made sense as the average woman wore a size 6 or 7. Women with larger feet were forced to choose from a few unflattering styles if there was any availability at all.

These days, large size women shoes sell quickly. The most commonly purchased size is now an 8 1/2, and over 30 percent of women are buying shoes in a size 9 or above. Because of the demand, retailers are scrambling to fill their racks with shoes sized up to 14.

Along with the retailers, shoe manufacturers are paying attention to the growing size of women's feet. High-end shoe designers, such as Jimmy Choo and Manolo Blahnik are creating their styles in sizes up to 12, and sometimes higher.

The online retailers have taken this trend to a new level by developing virtual stores that solely cater to large size shoes. A woman can now choose from hundreds of styles that are readily available in her size. Along with being able to shop from the comfort of home, many of these online retailers offer top notch customer service, free shipping, and lower prices than those at traditional stores.

This new availability is certainly a welcome relief for every woman who has struggled to find a pair of flattering, large size shoes. While once the selection of sizes 9 through 14 was a few orthopedic looking styles on a shoe rack in a department store, now the choices are plenty.

The development of the large shoe market seems to grow every day. Retailers and manufacturers know that there is money to be made in big shoes, and they will be increasing the number of styles available because of demand. So, the quest for large size shoes may soon be over, and women with big feet will be the winners in this fashion battle.