Looking for a nice pair of women's oxfords and/or brogues.

November 13, 2014 7:39 PM

Help me find a pair of women's brogues or oxfords in a size 11.

My dream pair of shoes are these Sebagos. They arrived in the mail today and unfortunately are too narrow.

Here's my criteria:
- Women's size 11, of regular width
- Under $300, obviously cheaper is better
- Around 1/1.5 in. of heel
- Of decent quality (not Steve Madden)
- Look like a rich, slightly ostentatious pair of old guy shoes

Should I just buy a pair of men's shoes? I'm worried they will look like I'm wearing clown shoes if I do.

Flexible on color although brown and other dark colors are preferred. They could also be booties.

posted by joeyjoejoejr to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (12 answers total)

I regularly buy mens shoes because my feet are giant, and as long as they're not mens shoes with a really chunky sole, they don't look ridiculous. If you're already going for menswear styling, I don't think you'll find a substantial difference in the look if you just go with actual mens shoes, though you're looking for a fair bit of heel for a man's shoe.
posted by jacquilynne at 7:59 PM on November 13, 2014

I think any of the styles here http://remixvintageshoes.com/collections/men-s-styles definitely have "the rich, slightly ostentatious old guy shoe" vibe you are looking for. Men's shoes, but I don't think they would look like clown shoes. I love them all. The cap toe version look very like the Sebagos you tried.
posted by Nosey Mrs. Rat at 8:43 PM on November 13, 2014

Nordstrom is usually a good bet for women's size 11 shoes that are reasonable quality. If you type "oxford shoes for women" in their search bar and narrow the results to size 11 there are quite a few options.

And seconding trying some actual men's oxfords - I'm a size 11 and I frequently wear shoes in men's 9.
posted by brittanyq at 8:43 PM on November 13, 2014

Best answer: Fluevog! As a fellow size 11 huge-footed lady, I nearly always turn to them because I know they carry my size.

Erika
Elise
Kaya
Brandenberg Light
Michael
Amanda
Supervog

Their men's shoes also probably have some good options for you--the men's 8.5 fits me well.
posted by mollymayhem at 9:40 PM on November 13, 2014 [1 favorite]

(Whoops. Just re-read the question. Got stuck on the ostentatious part and missed the color requirements. Some of the above come in less colorful options.)
posted by mollymayhem at 9:42 PM on November 13, 2014

Another big-of-foot lady here (size 11 or 12, depending on brand), and I've been wearing men's oxfords and penny loafers for a while now. Mine are G.H. Bass, and look mostly like a very slightly more butch version of their equivalent ladyshoes. And speaking of Bass' ladyshoes, many styles come up to a women's 11.
posted by skybluepink at 12:23 AM on November 14, 2014 [1 favorite]

You could try Shoes of Prey! I ordered a custom pair of oxfords a year and a half ago (I share your shoe size, and had been looking for the perfect pair of oxfords for a while). The soles are a little thin but the quality is overall very good. I recommend them quite highly. Not sure about the heel height-- the ones I have are quite flat.
posted by matcha action at 4:57 AM on November 14, 2014 [2 favorites]

Born Naleigh
posted by rabbitrabbit at 9:19 AM on November 14, 2014

Best answer: Pikolinos!

Pikolinos Brighton two tone

Pikolinos Brighton tri tone

Pikolinos Brighton boots (I just bought these in garnet and love them!)
posted by orangek8 at 10:51 AM on November 14, 2014 [1 favorite]

Docs are also a classic choice.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 10:56 AM on November 14, 2014

Fellow size 11 here. my oxfords for work are from Cole Haan because they actually make 10.5 and 11. I could find my size in men's shoes but they do in fact tend to look clunky and weird so I just search everywhere for styles I like in women's. You might also try Gentle Souls? I only have sandals from there but they've held up well and are super comfortable.
posted by citron at 6:38 PM on November 14, 2014

Response by poster: For anyone intereseted, I ended up buying the Pikolino's Brighton tri tone in almond and they are BEAUTIFUL. Soft, well-made and stylish. I needed to size up to a 42 (US 11.5-12) and they are almost a perfect fit. I will probably need add rubber soles for better traction.

I also came dangerously close to buying a pair of Fluevog's but based on the reviews, they would have been really narrow and small even if I sized up to a 12.

Thanks for all the great suggestions.
posted by joeyjoejoejr at 9:43 AM on November 27, 2014