STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

dc · Dooney & Bourke

anyone ever get their boots/shoes stretched?

honey · Gucci

i had a pair of flats stretched once. iirc, the cobbler had some sort of wooden thing, similar to a shoe horn, that he inserted into the shoe. it just sat in the shoe, presumably forcing the shoe to stretch out and adjust to it's shape until i came back to pick them up.

as far as i can tell, it didn't do any damage to the shoe. but it didn't make them more comfortable (i should note that they were a 1/2 size too small, but they only got uncomfy at the end of the day.) at the very least, i'd take them to the shoe person and see what he/seh says. hope that helps.

dc · Dooney & Bourke

Thanks, honey!

Hmmmm... well, I think I'll try it. Heck, I can always sell them on ebay if they don't stretch enough (and given how cheap they were, I can easily recoup what I paid).

I guess it does not help that I am not wearing any kind of hgose or anything either, so I am all sort of sticking to the insides of the boots (not like my feet are swelling, but you know what I mean). I think I'll go get some knee highs and see if that helps.

If anyone else has had a stretching expereince I'd lvoe to hear about it!

blubirde · Chanel

I've never had mine stretched by a cobbler or shoe repair place but I've done it myself. There's some kind of shoe stretch stuff you can buy (I can't remember the name of it but it's at most shoe stores - maybe at Target or something?) and I spray that on the inside of my shoes - don't want to mess up the leather on the outside. Next I wiggle the shoe around a bit, bending parts to make it a little more flexible, then I put on my thickest white gym socks, and prance around the house as long as I can stand it. It's quite the comedic effort, to be sure, but it works wonders.

This only works on shoes that are close to fitting but are a bit too snug and might give blisters, make areas uncomfortable, etc. I've never tried it on anything greater than a 1/2 size smaller and even then if it's really, really close to fitting.

But it's def. worth a try!

HTH!

mckenke · BCBG

I have had shoes stretched that were a little too narrow for me. My shoe lady did the stretching in portions to make sure they didn't get overstreched. She did it once I tried it on then she did it a little more. Make sure you take them to someone you trust because if they are overstretched it can leave lines (kind of like skin).

bean · Kenneth Cole

dc, I had this done with a pair of pointy-toed kitten heels, and the cobbler did what honey described. they were a little better, not way better. but they are extremely pointed, plus not excactly the best quality leather. it should work better on your manolos!

-- Edited by bean at 13:55, 2005-01-28