How to Find Your Khussa Size at Home

Most sizing problems come from one habit: people order the size they've always worn. But shoe sizing varies between makers, and a hand-stitched khussa fits differently from a factory-made shoe. Measuring takes two minutes and saves an exchange.

What you need

A sheet of paper, a pen, a ruler or measuring tape, and a wall.

The method

1. Do it in the evening. Feet are at their largest at the end of the day. Measuring in the morning is how people end up with shoes that pinch by dinner.
2. Put the paper against a wall, on a hard floor — not carpet, which compresses.
3. Stand on the paper, heel flat against the wall, weight evenly on both feet. Standing matters; your foot spreads under your weight.
4. Mark the tip of your longest toe. This isn't always the big toe.
5. Measure from the wall edge to the mark, in centimetres.
6. Repeat for the other foot. Use the larger of the two.

Get someone to do the marking if you can — bending over to mark your own foot shifts your weight and changes the result.

How khussas should fit

A new khussa should feel snug but not tight. Your toes should reach close to the end without pressing hard against it, and your heel should sit in the shoe without your foot sliding forward when you walk.

Handcrafted khussas soften and give slightly over the first several wears as the leather moulds to your foot. This means:

• Slightly firm at first is correct. It will ease.
• Painful at first is not. A shoe that pinches or rubs hard from the start won't stretch enough to fix that.
• Loose at first will stay loose, and get looser.

Things that change the answer

Wide feet. Measure the width across the widest part of your foot as well and mention it when you order — we can tell you whether a particular design runs narrow.

High insteps. Closed khussas sit over the top of the foot. If yours is high, size up.

Pointed toes. Pointed designs fit shorter than rounded ones in the same nominal size. If you're between sizes on a pointed style, size up without hesitating.

If it doesn't fit

Don't force it, and don't wear it outside. Keep the packaging, message us at whatsapp within 7 days of delivery, and we'll arrange an exchange. Pairs need to be unworn, so try them on a clean carpet or rug.