The Shoe Size Mix-Up
I can remember the first time I ran across European shoe sizes. I was an elementary school child with my mother in a shoe store. Of course, I was bored to death! She was busy picking out a pair of Prada shoes, and I was trying to make good use of the time by exploring. I searched and searched for the most exotic pair of shoes I could find. I walked down aisle after aisle until I knew I had found what I was looking for. Like a treasure hunter, I had found my gold!
They were strappy with four inch heels and an enormous yellow flower over the toes. At my age I couldn’t believe this is something that someone would actually wear. To my further surprise I saw the size on the inside said 30! Was this a land of giants? I ran back to my mother to show her what must surely be a mistake.
She was busy trying on her Prada shoes and browsing the Bottega Veneta racks, but when she saw my face and heard my explanation, she laughed out loud.
“Those are Prada shoes,” she explained. “They are from Italy, not like Gucci shoes. All the countries in Europe use a different size chart.” She laughed again as she told the salesman she’d take them.
Personally, I liked the idea of giants much better.