For Petite Feet : Cinderella of Boston, selling via catalogue and its Chatsworth store, offers women’s sizes 1 1/2 to 5. A men’s line has been added.
The shoe selection for women with petite feet is usually so limited that many small women give up on style and buy what ever fits. And the custom route can get expensive.
My mother wore Size 4 1/2 B and was forever trying to buy sample shoes because she could get the styles she liked. That was more than 50 years ago, when samples were made in size 4. Apparently our feet have grown considerably since because samples now come in 6s and 7s.
Although fewer stores carry the small sizes in any depth, Cinderella of Boston specializes in size 1 1/2 to 5 in widths of narrow, medium and wide. A family operation, Cinderella has specialized in women’s petite footwear for more than 50 years, contracting with several manufacturers across the United States.
The Cinderella of Boston catalogue and retail outlet offer 70 to 100 styles for women compared to 15 in its early years.
According to Cinderella’s president Chick Cohen, the average woman foot keeps getting larger. The constant wearing of canvas athletic shoes allows the foot to spread. Leather is more supportive and molds the foot better.
With diminishing demand, the small sizes are carried by fewer stores carry and it’s becoming even more difficult to find a range of styles in petite sizes.
A full range of well-made footwear from sandals to evening shoes are on display in Cinderella of Boston’s Chatsworth showroom. The price range is $22 to $80; boots go from $90 to $130. Special-occasion shoes in gold or silver kidskin, satin, peau de soie and plenty that can be dyed hover in the $40 to $50 bracket.
One classic pump (“Avenue”) comes in black patent, black, bone, red, white, taupe, navy or dove gray with a two-inch heel and sells for $40.
Spectators, scuffs, loafers, slings, ankle straps . . . all manner of shoe styles abound and all sized for those hard-to-fit feet.
Last year, Cinderella of Boston introduced a men’s line, the Charles Phillip Collection, which covers sizes 3 1/2 to 7 in widths to EEE. There were 17 styles in the catalogue, from loafers to Oxfords to moccasins and boots. The prices for men’s shoes run from $66 for a three-eyelet Oxford with leather sole to $125 for a slip-on loafer, leather-lined on a leather sole.
The showroom is organized, the personnel knowledgeable and courteous, and an ample parking lot is next to the store.
WHERE and When
Location: Cinderella of Boston, 21004 Nordhoff St., Chatsworth.
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.
Credit cards: MasterCard and Visa.
Call: (818) 709-1174.
