Dear BF,

This is a question close to my heart as I myself am a size 40-41 in shoes. Recently I have found some new options to complement the Zaras, Marks & Spencers, Nexts and H&Ms around town.

Dutch Items Shanghai (D.I.S) has a wonderful range of shoes in larger sizes. They are located in Pudong (616 Biyun Lu near Lan’an Lu), the French Concession has both a boutique and specialty shoe shop, both in Ferguson Lane (Block K, Room B1, 376 Wukang Lu is the specialty shoe store). In Hongqiao there is the boutique on Hongmei Lu (Lane 3215, number 201 near Hongsong Lu). And they also have a fabulous website.

On a recent visit to Mary Ching (Ferguson Lane – also available in London) I was pleasantly surprised by this modern designers’ shop. The shoes are amazing, colourful, playful and comfortable and they come in large sizes! They are open Wednesday to Sunday, other times by appointment – but just give them a call in advance as they work in the office above the shop and are happy to come down and open up for you.  

Another hidden away little shoe store with larger sizes is at 931 Jiangning Lu (Room 204, Building 3). The selection is limited but they do have little everyday ballet flats up to a size 42. It is a bit hit and miss at this store, sometimes they have great shoes and sometimes they don’t so it pays to check regularly. There are two shoe shops side by side and it is the one on the left.

There are shoes up to a size 42 shoes available at the copy markets. It pays to try a few different brands as the sizing varies widely between brands. These shoes of course don’t last very long but they are extremely cheap and some of them are really comfortable (try the ‘TODS’).

Sports shoes in large sizes are surprisingly available up to a size 43 for women and 45 for men at the Shanghai Outlets mall (2888 Huqingping Highway, Qingpu). They have many brands including Adidas, Nike and Asics. Decathlon also has plenty of sports shoes in large sizes for both men and women.

Shopping Tours Shanghai offers set tour options or custom-designed tours to cater to your needs (or the needs of your visitors). For more information, visit the website, or email Suzy.