Shoes

March 13, 2011 6:00 PM

I want to buy a pair of Vibram Five Fingers for a female. She wears a size 7 to 7.5. The VFF size conversion chart only goes as low as size 8 1/8. WTF am I supposed to do with that? Ladies, do any of you have a size 7-ish foot and wear VFF? If so, what size fits best for you? Looking at the Classic style.
posted by Yunani to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (11 answers total)

Seems like calling the company/retailer is your best bet to figure this out.
posted by a_green_man at 6:06 PM on March 13, 2011

Best answer: That's not size, that's inches. You'll have to look for a inches-to-american-size conversion chart.

Or - they might just be listed in european sizes; then you can just find any old american-size-to-european-size chart and that'll tell you too.
posted by Lady Li at 6:07 PM on March 13, 2011

Best answer: From their FAQ: We found that, due to the precise nature of the Vibram FiveFingers fit, the most accurate size translation was in inches, not us shoe size (which varies across brands and styles).
posted by Lady Li at 6:08 PM on March 13, 2011

Best answer: FWIW, my fiancee normally wears US womens' size 7, and she wears VFF size 37, and they fit fine.
posted by Salvor Hardin at 6:08 PM on March 13, 2011

Response by poster: Ok, so I need to look at actual size of her foot in inches..and not her shoe size.
THANKS!!! Love you all!!
posted by Yunani at 6:11 PM on March 13, 2011

You should really be fitted for VFF. Even a tad too small = toe joint pain, too big = terrible feel and hotspots.

(have worn them for three years)
posted by rr at 6:42 PM on March 13, 2011

Seconding her really, really needing to try these on. Ordered some online for my son, and even though we faithfully measured his feet, his Vibrams dug into his heels and actually cut them when he wore them.

You really want a precise fit for these!
posted by misha at 7:35 PM on March 13, 2011

Yes, I'm chiming in about the need to be properly fitted. I wear a size larger than what's called for on the conversion chart because of my weird long second toe.
posted by Mimzy at 8:44 PM on March 13, 2011

I ended up getting a totally different model than what I was shopping for. The soles of the different styles seem to have the pads in different spots an it can make a big difference in comfort. I found the bikila way more comfortable that anything else. I highly recommend finding a local retailer and keeping in touch about when to expect a shipment of fresh stock, just so you have the widest selection to try on. If you have to order them, measure both feet and order for the biggest one. I had to go a size up from the conversion chart.
posted by bonobothegreat at 9:44 PM on March 13, 2011

Buy 'em from REI, which has the world's most generous return policy(Any time, any reason). Actually, just buy three or four pairs that span the possible size range. She can then try them on, figure out which ones fit the best (go towards snug, not loose, in my experience). Drop the others back in the box and send them back.
posted by rockindata at 9:11 AM on March 14, 2011

Just another "must actually try them on" piler-on here, as that was my experience.

I scoured all the sizing charts and conversions and thought I knew what size to get when I went into the store but it turns out I was off by 2 "vibram" sizes.

Also, not everyone's feet will fit comfortably into the shoes even if they are sized correctly; those with really long middle and/or "index" toes may not be able to wear them comfortably.
posted by de void at 10:26 AM on March 14, 2011