Let me save you the money I wasted on shoes that said 'wide' and still squeezed my toes.
I've got wide feet, and I've spent years and a small fortune chasing shoes that said 'wide.' New Balance in wide. Skechers wide-fit. Brooks and Asics. A pair of Hokas that ran me $175. Two more I won't bother naming. And even $400 on custom orthotics.
Every one of them said 'wide.' But they were all the same thing: a regular shoe made a little bigger. My toes were still squished into a point. By the end of the day, I couldn't wait to get them off. Not one was actually wide.
Then I found a pair shaped like an actual foot, wide right where your toes are, not pinched into a point. The first time I put them on, my toes could finally spread out instead of piling on top of each other.
Here's everything that changed.
Note: If you've ever bought a 'wide' shoe that still pinched, this is exactly why.