So, here we are on our annual "Find black
dress shoes for choir" expedition. My 7 year old has wide feet with a high arch/instep and we always find buying shoes difficult. Let me also say that we moved to the US from England where we have a better selection of width-fitting shoes and the sales assistants are trained in fitting (and will refuse to sell you something that doesn't fit even if you beg them!). Here's what we tried:
Jumping Jacks Annika,
Jumping Jacks Anna,
Stride Rite Valerie,
Stride Rite Valerie Jr,
Jumping Jacks Marissa,
Kenneth Cole Reaction -
Dress Who,
Stride Rite Vanessa. (By the way we got the widest width available in each shoe.) Here's what we found about each: JJ Anna - came up very small. We sized up a full size and got the length, but was still too tight in the width. JJ Annika - this was a close 2nd, but was a little tight across the toes then bagged in mid-foot so it was a strange fit for us.
Stride Rite Valerie - too narrow and heel rather high for a 7 year old (in size 1.5Y).
Stride Rite Valerie Jr - would have been nice, but too narrow and shallow in the front. JJ Marissa - too small and my daughter thought not dressy enough so we didn't pursue these.
Kenneth Cole - looked wide-ish on the website picture, but not really!
Stride Rite Vanessa - our winner, of sorts. They are pretty and an appropriate height and make a nice noise on our wood floors (very important when you're 7!). They still don't fit as well as they should. We went with a 1.5 when a 1 would have been better (but sold out). The ankle strap holds her foot securely so there is no slippage. The forefoot looks a little long, but there is width for her tights (even thicker ones). There is very little/no
arch support. I would be concerned about this if they were everyday shoes, but since they are for
dress I can live with it. Otherwise we'll end up spray painting her feet black because there is nothing else to choose from! Hope this is helpful. We're done, for another year!
