10.5 is the loneliest number.

After my accident, I was dismayed to discover that my left foot (formerly a size 10, just like my right foot) had decided to become a size 10.5. Now, you know how when you turn a shoe over at a store to check the price, it usually also says something like "6-10; 11" too? That means the shoes come in half sizes from 6 to 10. And then skip to 11. For some reason, women who wear a 10.5 are SOL. Huh? I can more easily understand stopping at size 10, or even just offering whole sizes. But "6-10; 11" always confounded me, and now it makes me just plain cranky.

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Zappos, Piperlime, Endless, Nordstrom, and even--I'm a little embarrassed to say--the Bible-happy Sierra Trading Post (religion is cool; I just think it's a little weird they put it right in their mission statement... so to speak) have all provided me with the wondrous "search-by-size" option. And they have more 10.5s than a corrupt Olympic judge! (groan...)

Some of these sites even have a heel height search, which is pretty sweet. At least a few of them generously offer free shipping and/or free returns. Awesome! The sad fact is that I don't often find well-fitting shoes when I'm shopping in brick-and-mortar stores anymore, and I also usually can't buy cheap shoes because they're just so bad for my ankle. In the process of buying many, many new pairs of shoes to experiment with (all in the interest of my health, of course...), I've discovered that kitten heels and moderate wedges are best for me because they offer sturdy support, aren't too tall, and take a little pressure off the $#&^ ankle.

Since I have such a hard time finding shoes, they were accessory priority #1 after figuring out my dress. Alas, I'm still hunting for the perfect pair. I don't have too many style constraints - I can't, considering I have to worry about the heel height, type of heel (not too skinny), and of course, the size! European sizes seem to work well for me, too.

Here are a few pairs I found while browsing Zappos the other night:

beige - Bandolino; red - Stuart Weitzman; pewter and gold - La Canadienne. All from Zappos.

And here are some I discovered at Nordstrom.com:

cream, red, and purple - Linea Paolo; red with bow - Bruno Magli. All from Nordstrom.

I actually ordered the purple suede ones, which look like they'll very closely match the purple bridesmaids' dresses (more on that later) and the purple on my dress. The site says they run narrow, though, so I'd like to try on a few sizes. Unfortunately, Nordstrom doesn't offer free shipping for that small an order, so I ordered the 10.5 and am keeping my fingers crossed.

Do you have constraints that are making shoe (or other) shopping less fun than it should be?