The Official Carmina Sizing Thread

[unipair guy]

Just a heads up guys. We have these three cordovan models on sale. All the sizes are listed in the Unipair thread. We also have a navy cordovan boot MTO going on for this model.

If anyone has any interest or questions just send me a pm!

 

[jrd617]

Can anyone tell me what Carmina's round lasts are? Forest and Robert? Anything else? Looking for something similar to C&J's 317 or 325 last that is round and has room in the toebox.

Who carries the best stock of Forest and Robert shoes?

 

[green garden]

Has the Robert last been phased out? I went to the Carmina website and they don't list it. Any insight would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[kevinyapjoco]

Can anyone give me sizing advice regarding the Forest last? I'm a 9.5 on the Inca last and 9 on the Xim last. Looking to purchase a pair of loafers. I'm a bit concerned that the Forest last will be tight (E width) compared to the comfy Inca last (EE width).

 

[RogerP]

As I understand it, Inca is a bit wider than Rain. Rain fits me perfectly. I find Forest a bit narrower than Rain. I'm thinking Forest might not be for you.

 

[New Shoes1]

Can anyone give me sizing advice regarding the Forest last? I'm a 9.5 on the Inca last and 9 on the Xim last. Looking to purchase a pair of loafers. I'm a bit concerned that the Forest last will be tight (E width) compared to the comfy Inca last (EE width).

I wear the same size in Inca and Forest (11 UK). Inca is slightly wider, but not enough to affect the size I wear. The major difference I notice is that Inca has a more cramped toe box (width and height).

 

[WorldWideWafflz]

I need some guidance with a potential Carmina purchase. I'm currently looking to buy some boots on the Forest last but I want to get my size down pat as dealing with returns is always a hassle. For reference, I'm a US9E in the AE 3-73 last (more room over the instep than the equivalent 5 last). Additionally, I just bought some D.C Lewis shoes from Kent Wang, they're the boots on the "Carter" last and I got a US9.5, they're pretty spot on as well, maybe just a tiny bit too long but I've had no issues with odd creasing or the like. So for the Forest I'm thinking a 9.5 as well; even though my foot is certainly a US9 lengthwise it's pretty wide up at the forefoot and on top of that I have an abnormally high instep so I need a little extra girth compared to a normal D or E width last. Can anyone with experience with that last tell me if I'm thinking correctly or if I should do a US9?

 

[RogerP]

^^^ From the above, I'd say forget Forest entirely. The 3 last is pretty wide, and you take an E width with a high instep - you need max width for your length. Inca in a shoe, or whatever the widest boot last (Soller?) might be.

 

[WorldWideWafflz]

^^^ From the above, I'd say forget Forest entirely. The 3 last is pretty wide, and you take an E width with a high instep - you need max width for your length. Inca in a shoe, or whatever the widest boot last (Soller?) might be.

Really? The post right above mine seems to imply that the Inca, while wider, isn't all that much wider, not enough to change sizes over. I may have overstated the width of my forefoot. I'm right between a D and and E, maybe even closer to D but since I do have that tall arch I the E works nicely. I'm certainly no EEE width foot. If the Forest is narrowly lasted I think I could get away with the halfsize up. Those Carter boots are pretty narrow and they fit well. Isn't the Forest supposed to be about an E width equivalent anyway?

 

[RogerP]

Yes. Really. Look, sizing recommendations are not an exact science, and are limited by both subjective perception and subjective expression of varied experiences with different lasts and different sizes, all based on feet that are different from yours.

I do not agree with the post you reference. The opinion I provided was my own. I find Forest noticeably (though not hugely) more narrow than Rain. I am told that Inca is wider still than Rain, so I expect the difference to be even more noticeable as compared with Forest.

I have a wide-ish foot with a high instep. My feet completely and comfortably fill a UK8.5 in Rain. My one pair of UK 8.5 Forest fit noticeably closer - if they were a bal boot instead of a derby, I suspect that they wouldn't work at all due to tightness over the instep. As it stands, they have broken in well and are a satisfactory fit - but they are still on the close side of perfect.

If you need the width of a an E on the 3 last in AE, I really think Forest won't work for you. That's a guess, of course, but it's my best guess. Do as you please.

 

[hanoiboy]



Yes. Really.  Look, sizing recommendations are not an exact science, and are limited by both subjective perception and subjective expression of varied experiences with different lasts and different sizes, all based on feet that are different from yours.

I do not agree with the post you reference.  The opinion I provided was my own.  I find Forest noticeably (though not hugely) more narrow than Rain.  I am told that Inca is wider still than Rain, so I expect the difference to be even more noticeable as compared with Forest.

I have a wide-ish foot with a high instep.  My feet completely and comfortably fill a UK8.5 in Rain. My one pair of UK 8.5 Forest fit noticeably closer - if they were a bal boot instead of a derby, I suspect that they wouldn't work at all due to tightness over the instep.  As it stands, they have broken in well and are a satisfactory fit - but they are still on the close side of perfect.

If you need the width of a an E on the 3 last in AE, I really think Forest won't work for you.  That's a guess, of course, but it's my best guess.  Do as you please. 

+1
May I add one more to the sizing equation, if its human hands making your shoes its going to have slight variations from each other.

 

[New Shoes1]

Interesting that Roger is claiming I'm wrong about comparing Inca with Forest when he does not own anything on the Inca last. I, on the other hand, own shoes on both lasts. I also solicited opinions from others who advised that I go with the same size in both because the fits were fairly comparable. They were right.

I do agree with Roger, however, that a true E width on the AE 3 last is likely too wide for Forest and a balmoral. I'm a D width in the 5 last and my foot is too wide for the 8 last. The Forest last is a good, but snug, fit for me. If it were any narrower it would not work for me. Hope this helps.

 

[RogerP]

Interesting that Roger is claiming I'm wrong about comparing Inca with Forest when he does not own anything on the Inca last. I, on the other hand, own shoes on both lasts. I also solicited opinions from others who advised that I go with the same size in both because the fits were fairly comparable. They were right.

I do agree with Roger, however, that a true E width on the AE 3 last is likely too wide for Forest and a balmoral. I'm a D width in the 5 last and my foot is too wide for the 8 last. The Forest last is a good, but snug, fit for me. If it were any narrower it would not work for me. Hope this helps.

I am comparing Rain with Forest and saying that on my feet, Forest is noticeably narrower. I own both shoes on both lasts. I have been told that Inca is wider than Rain. IF that is correct (I don't claim to know) then I extrapolate that I would find an even more noticeable difference between Inca and Forest than I do as between Rain and Forest. Why is that so hard to understand? The only way I would expect to find Forest and Inca to be of similar fit is if Inca is in fact narrower than Rain. Nothing I have read leads me to believe that is the case, but I guess I'll find out when I finally try on an Inca.

I'm not telling you that you are wrong. I couldn't have made it any clearer that all such sizing recommendations are inherently subjective. You are reporting your experience. It does not accord with my own. Simple as that.

 

[WorldWideWafflz]

You guys are both helpful. Roger, I'm not trying to totally discount you. In fact I understand shoe sizing is not a science which is why I'm just trying to reconcile two slightly varied opinions and try and find out what's going to work for me when I don't have physical access to the shoes i'm shopping for. I also simply wanted to make sure you weren't presuming based on my wording of the first post that I had some extremely wide foot, even though it's maybe wider than average. I measured my larger foot this afternoon at 105mm give or take a mm. But you have been really helpful regardless. And since I do have that awfully high arch I may pass on getting the bal boots as much as I'd like to have them work for me. Although it's killing me because I love bal boots and these are some killer ones. At this point the only reason I would entertain them is because I do own those DC Lewis/Kent Wang boots. I hear those are closely lasted but they work for me and they're closed laced; the lacing closes nearly completely when I do them up and the forefoot width is spot on, all it took was a half size increase. Does anyone have experience with both Carmina and the D.C.Lewis lasts that could weigh in? I promise I'll drop all this and lay my fantasy of forest lasted boots to rest after this, but I'm newish at the shoe game so I don't have lots to go by and I have a hole in my shoe closet for some round-toe bals that these would fill nicely. Also I just really freakin' love the style, and you all can relate to that. Decisions, decisions. I know what the smart move is, some brown semi-brogues on the Inca last, but I just gotta give some time to explore to those more outlandish options with those that are more knowledgeable.

 

[pinkpanther]

I have Carmina shoes on the Simpson, Deia, Rain, and Inca lasts. For me, the Inca last is the widest last by a noticeable margin.