Some guys get nervous about the idea of buying shoes online—especially when they’re investing in a high quality pair of Italian leather shoes. Paul Evans’ shoes are a bit tricky; the way our artisans craft the shoes renders them a full size large. That means you should order one size down from your regular dress shoe size.

Take all uncertainty out of the matter by measuring your foot yourself so you know you’re ordering the perfect pair of shoes the first time.

(Side note: even if you do order the wrong size—no sweat. We offer free returns & exchanges within the United States.)

Things you’ll need:

- A pen or pencil

- A piece of blank paper

- A ruler

- Socks

Step 1:

Tape a blank piece of printer paper to the floor—make it a hard surface, no carpet.

Step 2:

Put on your favorite pair of socks you plan to wear with your future favorite shoes. Believe it or not, sock width affects the measurements.

Step 3:

Place you be-socked foot on the paper at an angle so you can have plenty of room to trace. Bend slightly forward so your knee is further forward than the shin below it.

Step 4:

Go ahead and trace your foot—trace as close as you can to the sock to ensure you’re getting the most accurate read.

Step 5:

Use the ruler to draw straight lines to connect all the outermost points at both the toe and the heel. Draw front, back, right side, and left side.

Step 6:

Now it’s time to measure; here you’re rounding them to the nearest 1/16” of an inch. The length is the measurement from the front line to the back line. The width is what you get measuring the distance of the right line to the left line.

Step 7:

Repeat for the other foot. Naturally, one of your feet is going to be larger. Whichever one that is, those are the measurements you use when deciphering your size.

Step 8:

Use this chart to convert inches into a U.S. shoe size. The length will give you your numerical size (8, 9, 10, so on..) Take that number, and compare it to the widths provided in the chart to figure out if your width is A, B, or D.

All of Paul Evans’ shoes are regular width (D). Ordering a size down ensures a comfortable fit even if your foot is on the narrow size. For instance, if you’re a size 9 on the chart, order a size 8.