Fit Issue Friday: Embracing Your "Flaws" with Made to Measure Shoes

One of the best aspects of working for a startup company (especially one offering made to measure shoes) is that you get to wear many hats (and shoes)… and well, let’s be honest, I like to accessorize! Under one of my many Poppy Barley hats, I am a proud spreadsheet nerd eager to gather and analyze our statistics. Under another, I am tracking orders and constantly communicating with our amazing team in León, Mexico. Under yet another, I am planning various pop-up sales and events across Canada to showcase Poppy Barley's made to measure shoes. While I love all my PB hats, perhaps my favourite allows me to communicate one-on-one with our customers through email, phone calls and, best of all, measuring appointments! If I had to estimate, I would say that I have probably measured at least 500 people since I started working with Poppy Barley in April 2013. Yes, this means I have been up close and personal with more than 1000 knees, calves, ankles and feet, not to mention more than 5000 toes… What can I say?! It is something that I love to do – no, not because I have a foot fetish – but because I absolutely love meeting and having the opportunity to chat with our customers. I love the excitement in our customer’s eyes as they see and touch the boots, flats and leather swatches in person. I love reassuring them of the quality of our product by telling them that I was a customer before working for Poppy Barley and that I fell in the love with the company so much that I moved from Calgary when given the opportunity to become their Customer Insights Associate. I love the squeal of delight that comes after letting a customer know “we can easily make boots or flats to accommodate your measurements”. Sadly, while I would love to say that I enjoy every part of a measuring appointment, this simply isn’t true. Why? It breaks my heart to watch and listen to our beautiful customers instantly become self-conscious and start to apologize for some “flaw” that they believe they have. My take on all of this? Enough! Everyone has flaws, no one is perfect, but no one is a harsher critic on you than you, so it’s time to embrace those so-called “flaws”, because YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL. Yep, I said it and I’m right. You haven't shaved in a while and have hairy legs?! Great! It’s cold out there and we could all use another layer of warmth! (Above, Breanne shows how unafraid she is of hairy legs; although they are male hairy legs--it's still proof.) Haven’t gotten your toenails painted since August? It’s November. Aside from going barefoot to get measured for a pair of Poppy Barley flats, those toes should be tucked away in an adorable pair of holiday socks and/or slippers. Have one, two, three or four of the following fit issues?

• Narrow calves
• Wide calves
• Narrow feet
• Wide Feet
• Long feet
• Tiny feet
• Bunions
• Hammer toes
• High arches
• Long legs that most boots are too short for
• Short legs that most boots are too tall for

You’re nodding aren’t you?! Guess what? Me too – and we are not alone! Over 60% of women struggle to find footwear that fits—hindered by an array of grievances, from wider–than–average calves to narrow feet and high arches. This is because mass manufacturers take only one standard measurement into consideration: foot length. As a result, women often settle for off-the-rack boots and shoes that fit poorly. In fact, most don’t even know what a properly fitted shoe should feel like and instead, believe that they are somehow "flawed" for not fitting properly into off-the-rack boots. But I promise you: this simply is not the case. So, with this in mind, I challenge all of you (myself, included) to resist the urge to apologize for some preconceived “flaw” you think you have (and this popular new ad would agree with me). Instead, embrace your uniqueness. Those feet of yours help you walk, those legs of yours help you jump, those toes of yours help you dance. You are BEAUTIFUL, and made to measure shoes can and should reflect that. Happy holidays--and happy measuring!