Is it possible to find ladies shoes in Madrid for long, narrow (10 AA or AAA) ladies' feet? In smaller cities will they custom make shoes for a not-so-outlandish price?

I can't answer to the issue of narrow shoes, but the size 10 part (around 41 in Spain) is difficult enough. Although many stores stock up to size 41 (no larger), for me they seem to be a tad smaller than American size 10s. I gave up trying to buy shoes in Spain years ago as an excercise in frustration. However, there are shoe stores for "special sizes" and hopefully some of the shopping afficionados can direct you there. Good luck. I found that the 41s in regular stores were a tad small and the 42s in the big foot store was too big. However, maybe you will have better luck with the narrow shoes. Sorry for the vent! (A tip: In the States you can find Spanish shoes made for the US market. I've had better luck on this side of the pond.)

Thanks, Jana.

How do you stand up straight in a brisk wind?

Sincerely,
CaliBasco [Whose 48EE is neither available nor common in Spain!]

I am a size 10 (41) as well. The narrow part may be what will save you. Right now the styles are very pointy and as a result tend to be on the narrow side.
I found THE shoe street in Madrid and bought 6 pairs of shoes there last week.
It is in Chueca and is called C/ Augusto Figueroa. it is off C/ Hortaleza north of Gran Via.
You will not be dissapointed.
Note: After browsing the many wonderful shoe stores here, try a tapa or two with a caña at bar Santandar on the same street!!!

Because of the EU, Spain has been carrying more 41s than before, although they are still hard to come by. Sales don't usually wield many but if you look for new models, you may have some luck (the few 41s they carry go quickly). I'm in the same boat but without the extreme narrow aspect and although you can't have every pair you'd like, there are some out there.
Want a difficult task? Try finding wedding shoes with a low heel in a 41- almost impossible (that was the hardest part about getting married in Spain). And if you were to travel to Germany, for example, you'd find that 41 is not even the largest size on the rack!

We could probably start a separate board for frustrated shoe shoppers!! I was in Spain for 6 months last year and needed a new pair of comfortable casual shoes. In the States, I order everything on the web, but there is limited availability for web shopping in Spain. So I ordered a pair of shoes (with my fingers crossed for fit!), had them delivered to my mother-in-law in the US, and she brought them with her when she came to visit. Luckily, I loved them and all's well that ends well!

I think the best method is to look everywhere you can. My wife is also a size 10, so I've got some experience in looking.
She even was asked to leave a store in Madrid because her feet were too big.
But, she's managed to find a few pair. Most of them were from El Corte Ingles. So, not always the best deal, but nice shoes nonetheless.

One of the best places to hunt for shoes in central Madrid is on and around Calle Augusto Figueroa in the Chueca neighborhood, not far from Gran Vía. Much of the street consists of shoe and handbag shops, and there are are number of additional shoe stores within a two blocks of there on Calle Hortaleza.

Note that shoe sizes in Spain recently changed to bring them in line with the rest of the EU. At least this is the case for men's shoes. So when you tell the shop assistant your size, she or he may well ask "¿de antes o de ahora?" (old size or new).

Now I remember part of my frustration buying shoes! When I went to the big foot store, the sales person launched into this long explanation about the change in sizes due to the EU. I really could have cared less about antes. I just wanted shoes AHORA and couldn't find them!