Sizing Guidance

Sizing guidance is general in nature as every foot is different, but we have a few ways to help identify the best size for you. For starters, our customers size down into our boots. From typical sneaker sizing, it is usually up to 1 full size down. For example, if you take a sneaker size 10 across all sneakers you own, you're most likely going to be a 9 in our boots. Medium width and volume will typically be a size 9, wider width and higher volume will be a 9.5 in this example.

***We ask for sizing discussions to take place prior to order placement as placing an order and asking if you ordered the right size in the comments section, or via followup email, will only delay the order and delay/tie up inventory updates on our end. Thank you.

***Sending measurements of your foot in mm, cm or inches for example, is not enough information to provide sizing guidance as measurements like this oftentimes do not paint the full picture of your sizing. Therefore, it is important to include sizes you're wearing in other brands of footwear as well. Thank you.

General Sizing Information

If you are unsure about sizing please reach out to info@parkhurstbrand.com for assistance prior to purchase. When reaching out, it would be greatly helpful to provide any piece(s) of the below information, if you have it:

  1. Brannock measurement.
  2. Sizes you take in other brands of footwear you own.
  3. Whether or not you have a wide, narrow or medium width.
  4. Whether or not you have a high, low or regular instep height.
  5. Any foot conditions - Collapsed arches, bunions, surgeries etc.

*Note - if you have any of the below foot/ankle characteristics paired together, you may need to size down 1 full size from Brannock:

  1. Low volume feet
  2. Low insteps
  3. Narrow feet
  4. Skinny/narrower ankles

Brannock Measurement

If you’re a standard (D) width as measured on the Brannock device, we suggest going a half size down into the boots. For example, if you measure a 10D or 10.25D on the Brannock, we suggest a size 9.5 in our boots. We suggest taking your Brannock measurement if you measure a single E width on the Brannock device, have a wider forefoot or like to have a little extra room in your boots. If you have a narrow (C) width, have a low volume, narrow foot and/or thin ankles, we suggest going 1 full size down from your Brannock measurement. For example, if you measure a 10C or 10B on the Brannock, then we would suggest a size 9 in our boots.

Lasts

We have two lasts we use to run production of our boots on: The 602M and the 618.
 

602M

618

Both

Key Differences Between 602M and 618

  1. The 602M has a higher overall volume to it as compared to the 618. The 618 has a lower overall volume to it as compared to the 602M.
  2. The 618 has a slightly wider and more contoured ball than the 602M, whereas the 602M has more straight space in the ball along with more volume all around.

Size Translations with Last

602M Last

The 602M last is primarily used for Allen and Richmond production however there will be some moc-toe styles built on it as well. Its features include a roomy fit along with a natural contour to your instep. Along with this comes a slight bit of extra room in that smaller toe region than a traditional D width last.

Parkhurst Old 602 (2020-2023) - True to size. If narrower feet, lower instep, skinny ankles or lower volume feet in general, a half size down may apply.

Brannock - Half size down if you're a D width, full size down if narrow or low volume.

Alden Barrie or Trubalance – True to size if D width.

Thursday Boot - True to size if D width. Lower volume/narrower widths may need to go down a half size.

Allen Edmond's - True to size if D width. Lower volume/narrower widths may need to go down a half size.

Red Wing – True to size if D width.

Nike – Full size down.

New Balance – Full size down.

Adidas – Full size down.

618 Last

This is our newest last designed first for our Stitchdown-constructed boots. The 618 draws elements from both the 602 and original 18 lasts while incorporating some new design aspects. Its features include a more tapered heel, a slight almond at the top of the toe and a lower volume than the 602M last. Additionally, the peak width on this last at Brannock is just over a single E, but not touching a double E.

Brannock - Half size down. If you're a 10D Brannock or slightly over a D width, go with size 9.5 in the 618 last. If you're slightly higher volume, or want to have a little more room in general, then a size 10 in this instance may apply. If you measure a single E width, more towards a single E width or prefer a slight bit of extra room without a drastic length increase, we also suggest going with your Brannock size in this case. If you are a narrow width, we suggest going a full size down from your Brannock measurement. So if you are a size 10C or 10B on the Brannock, then a size 9 in our boots would be our suggestion.

Parkhurst 602M - Same size if medium/average volume, width and instep height. If you have a higher volume foot, or a higher instep, size up a half size into the 618. If you sized down drastically, or a full size or more into the 602M, you might need the next half size up from your current 602M size into the 618 depending on foot volume and instep girth. 

Alden Barrie and Trubalance - True to size if D width. 

Red Wing No. 8 - True to size if D width. 

Thursday Boot - True to size if D width. Lower volume/narrower widths may need to go down a half size.

Allen Edmond's - True to size if D width. Lower volume/narrower widths may need to go down a half size.

Nike - Full size down if standard/medium width, half size down if width is slightly wider.

Adidas - Full size down if standard/medium width, half size down if width is slightly wider.

New Balance - Full size down if standard/medium width, half size down if width is slightly wider.

 

My boots arrived, how should they fit and feel?

Our boots should fit comfortably snug on your foot. What does this mean? Your heel and arch should feel secure (maybe with a small bit of room depending on foot type) while still having some breathing room in the toebox. Some heel slip is common and should be expected in some cases because the insole has not yet been broken in. Keep in mind, your foot is pivoting, and flexing with each step, against a hard, smooth leather surface (the veg tan leather insole). Sometimes this may vary depending on foot volume or if you have a foot condition. If there is a sharp or pinching feeling in the toebox, the boots are most likely too small for you, and you may need the next half size up. For those who have high insteps, the instep into the vamp might be snug at first but will stretch when breaking in. Socks make a difference too – a thin sock will take up less volume in the boot, creating some additional wiggle room, while a thicker sock will take up more volume in the boot, creating less wiggle room.

Width

This is the most important note of fit to pay attention to. You should have room to wiggle your toes a bit while having a comfortably secure feeling. If you feel any sharp or pinching feeling on the sides, then the size is likely a half size too small for you. Too often we have seen customers in other brands of footwear size smaller on purpose either thinking the toebox will "break in" when in reality it doesn't if the size is incorrect. We have also seen customers in other brands buy a boot which has the shortest length possible so as to make the boot feel closer to their toes - almost like a sneaker. This is a detrimental, yet very common sizing mistake. Welted footwear is not, and should not fit like a sneaker would. You should have some excess space in length of around 1 inch because this is needed in the design in order to balance width and ball proportions. Since our lasts run a slightly wider, there will be some extra length in the toebox.

Length

You should have around 1 inch of extra room between the end of your longest toe, or biggest toe, and the end of the upper (not the welt) where it starts to curve downward towards the welt, aka, the toe slope. This figure may vary for some customers because it ultimately depends on width and volume of your foot. If you're narrower, you will have less excess length because your foot will reach higher into the toebox/further along the insole pattern. If you're wider (or even higher volume), you may have right around the 1 inch mark or possibly slightly over the 1 inch mark left in length because your foot won't fit as far up into the toebox/insole pattern due to your width or volume stopping your foot from moving forward. 

*As a general point of guidance on length specifically, too often we see many people try to size down as far as possible into a boot with the objective of reducing as much excess length as possible. Footwear built like this is not supposed to fit like a sneaker where it hugs the tops of your toes and you have little to no leftover length. Due to the construction and last design in welted and stitchdown footwear, you're going to have some degree of excess length. 

Can you tell me the outsole and insole length?

We don't give out this information because it's not an accurate indication of how the boots will fit, and it should generally not be used as a sizing tool. By giving out this information, we feel this actually may be misleading. Outsole and insole lengths across different brands, even though the same size, will almost always be different and fit differently. Pairing this with last volume and upper patterns, you can easily get different measurements than expected once the boot is finished being built, even though it's the same size across brands. Different lasts and insoles from different brands will always have a difference in measurement due to the different shapes of both the lasts and insoles used. Therefore, you may notice length, width, ball and volume to all be different measurements from brand to brand, even though the boots may be the same stamped size.

What in general should I expect for fit and feel when buying new leather boots made like this?

The majority of the components used to build are boots are either leather or metal. This includes items such as veg tan leather heel counters, heel bases, midsoles, insoles and welts. Additionally, there is a metal shank in the arch area underneath the insole where cork is found. Therefore, you may notice the boots to be stiff all over when putting them on for the first time and for wearing them for the first few wears. The leather components, such as the heel counter and insole, will mold to your feet with wear, but may feel a bit stiff for the first few wears. Initially, it is common to experience some heel lift or slip because the insole has not yet been broken in. With wear, your feet will sink into the insole and the insole will conform to your feet. This helps to greatly to reduce any heel lift or slip you may experience. Some heel or general foot slip/movement out of the box is normal, but if you have a drastic amount of volume/space, you may need the next half size down.