How to Get Your Size Right the First Time

You cannot try a shoe on through a screen. So we do the next best thing: every product page on this site gives you the material, the heel height and the platform height in both centimeters and inches, along with the full size chart. This guide shows you how to turn those numbers into the right box arriving at your door.

It takes about five minutes, once. Write your measurement down somewhere and you should not have to think about it again.

Step 1 — Measure your foot

You need a sheet of paper, a pencil, and a ruler or tape measure.

1. Put the paper on a hard floor with one short edge pushed against a wall.
2. Stand on it with your heel against the wall, weight on both feet. A seated foot measures shorter than a standing one, and you will be standing in these shoes.
3. Mark the paper at the tip of your longest toe — which is not always the big toe.
4. Measure from the wall edge of the paper to the mark, in centimeters.
5. Do the same for the other foot.

Two things that are easy to skip and that change the answer:

• Measure in the evening. Feet swell through the day. The shoe has to fit the foot you will be wearing at dinner, not the one you woke up with.
• Use the larger foot. Almost nobody has two identical feet. Fit the bigger one — the smaller one will be comfortable either way.

Step 2 — Read your size

The centimeter column is foot length — the number you just measured, not the length of the shoe. Every pair we make runs on this chart, US 5 through US 10.

US Size	cm	in
5	21.6	8.5
5.5	22.2	8.7
6	22.5	8.9
6.5	23.0	9.1
7	23.5	9.3
7.5	23.8	9.4
8	24.1	9.5
8.5	24.5	9.6
9	25.1	9.9
9.5	25.4	10.0
10	25.9	10.2

Step 3 — If you land between two sizes, size up

This is the one rule worth memorizing. If your foot measures 24.3 cm, you are between a US 8 (24.1 cm) and a US 8.5 (24.5 cm). Take the 8.5.

A shoe that is slightly too big can be managed. A shoe that is slightly too small cannot — there is nothing to be done about a toe with nowhere to go, and no amount of wearing it in will change that.

Heel height changes how a size feels

The higher the heel, the more your weight slides toward the front of the shoe, and the more room your toes need. Two pairs in the same size can feel different for this reason alone.

Heel heights here fall into three broad bands, and every product page gives you the exact number:

• Under 10 cm (about 4 in) — your usual size, straightforwardly.
• 10 to 14 cm (about 4 to 5.5 in) — still your usual size, but this is where the size-up rule earns its keep.
• 14 cm and above (about 5.5 in and up) — almost always paired with a platform, which changes the picture entirely.

A platform is the reason a very high heel can be walkable at all: it lifts the front of the foot too, so the angle your foot actually sits at is the heel height minus the platform. We went into that in How to Walk in Platform Heels Without Wobbling.

Material changes how a size settles

Two pairs in the same size, made of different materials, will not feel the same on day one — or on day thirty.

• Leather and suede soften with wear and mold to the shape of your foot. They can feel snug at first and then settle.
• Patent leather is leather with a lacquered finish. The leather underneath still gives, but far less and far more slowly.
• Raffia and woven materials hold their shape. What you feel on the first evening is close to what you will feel a month later.

None of this is a reason to order a size other than the one the chart gives you. It is a reason not to panic if a leather pair feels close the first time you put it on. There is more on each material in Leather, Patent, Suede, Raffia: Choose and Care.

A few notes by style

• Platforms and sandals with an ankle strap — the strap does the holding, which makes these the most forgiving fit on the site.
• Mules and slides — nothing holds the back of your foot, so length is everything. The size-up rule still applies, but measure twice.
• Boots — think about socks. Anything thicker than a stocking is a real amount of extra volume.
• Flats — no heel means no forward slide, so these sit closest to your literal measurement.

And if it is still not right

Then we fix it, and it costs you nothing. Exchanges are free and unlimited, returns are free, and you have 30 days. We email you a prepaid UPS label, so you do not pay shipping in either direction. The full terms are in our return and exchange policy.

One thing worth knowing before you order: we do not hold stock. Your pair is made after you place the order, which is why delivery runs 15 to 20 days — and why an exchange means a new pair being made, on the same timeline. That is the honest trade-off, and it is exactly why we would rather you get the size right the first time. The whole process is explained in No Stock. No Waste. Why Shoes Take 15 to 20 Days.

And if you would simply rather ask, write to info@coccomiami.com with your measurement in centimeters and the pair you are looking at. We will tell you which size to order.