The fast is over

Just not for food, but for shoes. Yes I did end up not buying shoes for a month, mainly because I discovered that there might be more to my mother's superstition than meets the eye, so rather than be some ignorant fool, I went to do some research. I work in a mall so it isn't out of my way to go to shoe stores or the department stores and observe. Either it was location, timing, or truth, I saw no one of Asian descent shopping in them, so I definitely owe my mother somewhat of an apology.

But on the topic of shoes, what do you do for companies who decide not to give you half-sizes? If there's anything in this world that drives me insane, it's sizing for clothing. What is 8 for one is 10 for another. Though as a friend pointed out this is slightly beneficial because then there are more chances for people to find clothes that fit correctly. Flipside, it's annoying because you have to go through trial and error for every company. But getting back to the lack of shoe sizes, depending on the company, I'm anywhere from a size 7 to a size 9.

My question is would it be better to buy the size larger or the size smaller for when half-sizes are out of the picture? I suppose that as long as you can wear them comfortably without cutting off circulation or skin, a smaller size could work though there might be the feeling of being a Cinderella stepsister. On the other hand, the larger would work for in the mornings (feet are bigger in the mornings than in the evenings but the best time of day to buy shoes is in the evening after your feet have been sufficiently "broken" into throughout the day), roomy enough, and as long as you can wear them without your feet falling out or tripping over everything. It's more of a personal choice: to look like someone has shackled your legs together as you walk or to look like a little kid playing dress-up/look like you're applying for the humour department of the circus.