Shoes for insoles: how to tell if a model takes them

Anyone who wears their own insoles arrives at the shop with a very concrete question: will they fit in this shoe? It's one of the doubts that causes the most avoidable returns, because the answer isn't in the size but in three figures that almost always appear on the product page. This guide explains which ones, how to read them, and which sections of the shop already start from that assumption.

What "takes insoles" actually means

It doesn't mean the shoe is prepared for one particular insole, nor that it's a medical device. It means something much simpler: that the insole fitted at the factory can be taken out. If it comes out, the gap it leaves is the one yours will occupy; if it doesn't, your insole adds to the one already there and the shoe becomes too small in volume even when the size is right.

So the first thing to look for on the page is literal: "removable insole". It appears on an enormous number of catalogue models, from the clog to the court shoe, and it's what turns an ordinary shoe into one you can use with your own insole.

What changes when you fit yours

Replacing the insole lifts the foot a few millimetres. That has two consequences you notice straight away and are better off anticipating.

• The instep gets tighter: this is the real problem, and it shows up even when there's room at the toe.
• The heel rises: if the shoe is cut low at the back, it can start slipping as you walk.
• The last decides: if the width was already tight, adding thickness makes it worse; if it was roomy, the insole actually helps hold the foot.

Put another way: your insole isn't competing with the length of the shoe, it's competing with its volume. And volume is read off two other figures.

The last width: the second deciding figure

A good share of the shop's pages publish the last width as a number, and these two sections hold almost every value side by side. The Berlin clog by Luisetti and the 2011 by Arcopedico state width 8; the 8682, 8902 and 9883 moccasins by Fluchos and the 2254 lace-up by Notton state width 9; the 34811 and 34812 and almost the whole lycra line are made in width 10; and the 4321 lace-up goes up to width 11.

That number is the most reliable clue to how much margin you'll have. With your own insole, going up one width often solves more than going up half a size, because what's missing is room above and to the sides, not lengthwise.

The fastening is what gives the millimetres back

Here's the practical part. An adjustable fastening lets you recover the space the insole took; a fixed one doesn't. That's why the same shoe in velcro and in elastics behaves very differently the moment you change the insole.

In the Velcro shoe section, the 10772 by Pitillos pairs width 9 with a 3 cm sole and a velcro strap that opens all the way. The 34811 does the same in width 10 with a 3 cm sole, and its sibling 34812 offers exactly the same shoe as a lace-up. In Lace Shoe and in Lace-up shoes you'll find that same logic: laces allow the finest adjustment.

The opposite case is elastics. The Fluchos moccasins mentioned above have elastic gussets on the vamp or across the instep, described precisely to make the shoe easier to get into, and in Moccasins as in Moccasin shoe there are several models like that. They're comfortable to put on, but the fit is set. And the 10820 court shoe, with an elastic running right around the perimeter, is the extreme example: it keeps a removable insole and width 9, but there's nothing to loosen.

The lycra line: the extreme case

There's a route that solves the problem from the other end: the material gives, not the fastening. In Lycra Shoes, the 1302 is described as high-quality leather with elastic lycra, width 10, removable insoles and a polyurethane sole the page presents as very light and flexible. The 1305, called Bandeleta, is all leather except the vamp, which is lycra precisely to avoid rubbing on the toes, and adds velcro on the vamp for adjustment. The 1304 takes the same idea to a clog with lycra at the back, and the 1311 combines lycra and leather with a microporous sole, side elastics and velcro.

The 2011 by Arcopedico goes one step further: it's made entirely of lycra, in width 8 with a flat sole. When the instep is the problem, a material that adapts beats any fastening.

Where to find them in the shop

The shop has two starting points built for exactly this: Shoes for insoles, with the women's models, and Footwear for insoles, with the men's. The latter holds very different things side by side, from the elasticated moccasins to the Berlin clog, which also belongs to Sanitary Clogs and Professional Footwear and covers the case of someone on their feet all shift who changes the insole as well.

Three checks before you buy

With these you can decide in a minute, without trying anything on.

• Does the page say "removable"? If it doesn't say so, don't assume it.
• What width does it state? If you're coming from a shoe that presses at the sides, go up one.
• Is the fastening adjustable? Laces or velcro if you're changing the insole; elastics only if the shoe already ran roomy on you.

And a fourth, if you're torn between two: look at the sole height. A 2 or 3 cm sole spreads the load better than a completely flat one once you add thickness inside.

An honest note

A shoe taking your insole is a feature of how it's built, not a treatment. Several pages in these sections describe models intended for delicate feet; that describes the material and the last, not a medical indication. The shoe can let your insole do its job better, but the insole itself is decided by whoever prescribed it. If you have persistent pain, the sensible thing is to talk to a healthcare professional.

Conclusion

In short: the removable insole tells you whether yours goes in, the last width tells you how much margin you have, and the fastening tells you whether you can recover what the insole takes away. With those three figures, and starting from the two sections the shop has already separated out for this, the question of whether a model takes your insoles stops being a gamble.