Circa Vintage Clothing
Alumni
We still use B C D E etc here in the UK, though B, which is quite narrow, is not common. Most regular shoes are C or D, and although I do see wider fit shoes, I don't often see narrow ones. This may just be because my feet on are the wide side so I'm less aware of them. Clarks for instance offer D as standard fit, but have some shoes available in E.
I think I'm right that certain manufacturers use C as their standard fit, rather than D.
Many manufacturers however don't mention the width unless they are marketing that they have a variety of widths available.
The above is about modern day shoes. I think standards may have changed over time? Just as they have with clothing sizes.
And it may be that B means something different in the USA, width wise
My first thought was that these shoes were later in 20th century, not 50s/60s but more like 80s as Nicole suggested. That's just a hunch, I'm not that knowledgeable about shoes.
Good point about sizing changes, Ruth.
And yes, I'm a 5E in Clark's shoes. I always look out for the wider widths too.