In our previous lessons, we spoke about how the last will change the comfort of a shoe depending on its length, width and volume. One of the important measurements which will affect the good comfort of our shoes is the length of the “toe allowance” which is the space inside a shoe in front of our longest toe. This space will allow our foot to move forward during normal walk. It is usually 1cm but will vary depending on the shoe size. In our previous lessons we also made the distinction between Roman(square), Egyptian(round and our reference, and Greek(Pointy) foot but there is also have the Flat Foot(almost no Arch and minimum Instep Girth, Curved Foot(exaggerated Arch with exaggerated Instep Girth also called the Claw Foot) and the Average Foot(Normal Arch with normal Instep Girth). In order to make a good shoe we will need the following measurements considerations.

Let’s start with the “Toe Spring” which is the height measured from the tip of the last (Toe Point) to the ground (approx. of one finger from the ground). 1) The toe spring will allow the foot to bow for a comfortable and normal movement during walk or run. 2) The fitting girth (girth = volume), also called the ball girth, is measured by the circumference of the widest point of the fore part of the human foot, also called the two ball points. This line will pass around the 1st and the 5th metatarsal bone. 3) The instep girth measured by the circumference of the maximum volume around the waste (the shank) and the instep of the last or the top of the last’s cone. 4) Heel girth measured the circumference of the heel feather edge, across the cuboid, to the point where the instep girth crosses the main axis. In other words, from the heel to the cone. 5) Heel height measured by the height of the heel edge feather to the ground once the toe spring is in the correct position and height. 6) The length which is calculated from the heel to the longest toe.

Once we have all the correct measurements, we can then design a shoe with a square/round/pointy toe shape, or any shape our wildest designing fantasies create since if the volume is correctly calculated, the foot will fit perfectly into a comfortable shoe.

FUNCTION: The correct measurements of the foot circumferences and length, will allow the designer to manufacture any style of shoe having a very comfortable fit. These calculations take into consideration the walking movement, the standing position and also the sitting position which are obviously different due to the pressure our body presses on the foot.
Italian Footwear Solution will take all these measurements into consideration before any design is created since the Comfort and the Perfect Fit are our main objectives when designing a shoe. Once the perfect fit measurements are reached for our particular style we wish to create, we can move our designs around them if needed. All of our shoes will always have our Perfect Fit Calculations to ensure our customers enjoys wearing our shoes for hours to come by pampering their delicate feet all day long.