Spats. What sized (are they marked)?

[LuvMyMan]

There is a recent topic about white and black tie and a top hat. The mention of Spats also surfaced. Now I have seen spats for sale but never purchased any of them. Some have a number on them, like a 4 or 3, but I am thinking that cannot be the same as an actual size of a shoe. If my thinking is correct, then how do you know a pair of spats will fit?

There is a custom clothing maker on etsy that makes spats, they fasted just like vintage ones buttons you use a hook on them. I know they simply request you to measure a few places on your foot/shoe and make them to fit. But they want $65.00 to make a pair, and I see spats on eBay for a lot less then that and of course true vintage spats would be more what I would desire to buy.

So is there any way to know about the sizing of spats? Thanks!

 

[Nick D]

I have a pair of size 10 spats by Bond Street and they are a little too small for my size 9 shoes. But I also have a pair of size 9s that are a perfect fit from another maker. I don't think there was any standardization of sizes form them, or if there was I've never been able to figure it out. $65 doesn't seem out of order, especially if they're custom made, though the advantage of buying vintage is getting boxcloth spats (while the difficulty is finding ones that aren't moth-eaten!)