Shoes. If you have been following my Instagram posts and stories, you will know that I am massively struggling to find shoes for my trip. I started looking way back in September, but no such luck. I bought a pair a week ago, but after 5 days of wearing them for a full day with a variety of socks, there is still too much pain. I know that it can take longer to break in shoes. However, I can’t take the risk that I don’t have wearable shoes the week before I go! So, I’m now at the question again with this new (and last pair), what is the best way of breaking in shoes??
This might be too much information for most people, but I have difficult feet- decades of ballet have left me with bunions, arthritis, and stress fractures that make buying shoes nearly impossible. The stress fractures mean that the ball of my foot often gets that bruised feeling quickly, and the bunion means that where the shoe bends and hits your joint can feel like a knife stabbing. (This is why on my #ootd posts on Instagram, you always see the same 3 pairs of shoes! They are the only ones that don’t aggravate my feet. Welcome to adulthood….)
Add in the fact that I am looking for shoes that are comfortable enough for 12 hours of walking but are also dressy enough for the ballet and the theatre, and that is a recipe for not finding shoes ANYWHERE. I am particular about what I like and don’t like, and I don’t have an unlimited budget. This past weekend, I bought one final pair- after that, I am totally out of ideas! I will be doing everything I can to try and break these shoes in, while making sure that I can return them if necessary…
I had a very set method for breaking in and making pointe shoes work for me, but sadly regular shoes aren’t quite as easy. (Which just tells me we should always all just be dressed for dance class.) So far, this is the plan…
The Boots Themselves- Taliyah Black Nubuck Women’s Ankle Boots, Aldo Canada
These are my last attempt boots. From what I’ve seen in my research, nubuck and leather boots tend to stretch a lot more than synthetic, and there are more things you can try without damaging the materials. They are a good balance between dressy and casual, they seem to have a lot more padding in both the sole and the upper of the shoe, and I have a good feeling about them. (Is that quantifiable? Absolutely not, but I’m going with it!)
Breaking In Shoes- The Sock Method
This is always everyone’s go-to method, including me. You wear the shoes around the house (preferably on carpet, if possible) with the thickest socks possible to stretch them out. (As I type them, I am sitting here in bizarrely thick socks and boots at home…) If you want to step it up, you can wear two pairs of socks (or more if you can handle it), and then take a blow dryer to the boots to stretch them out further. My only problem with this method is that when I’ve tried it in the past, it doesn’t really last. However, my goal is to add another pair of socks and to try it after yoga when my feet are warmer to start with, and hopefully that will help.
Breaking In Shoes- The Freezing Method
This has also been recommended a lot- you fill a freezer bag with water, put it in your shoe, and put it in the freezer overnight. The water freezes into ice, expanding and thereby expanding your shoe. I am hesitant to try that at this point, just given that I hoping to keep these in new enough condition to return if needed. However, given how the break in process goes, I may be willing to try it later on! (My fear is that the shoe may crack or even rip if I do this- has anyone who has tried this method experienced ripping or breakage??)
Breaking In Shoes- Good Ol’ Use
I think that at the end of the day, actual use is the best way to break in shoes! It seems like a terrible idea when you are slogging through hours of uncomfortable footwear-ing, but the heat of your foot and continual wear will let the shoe actually mold to your feet. Everyone has their own way of doing this. Some people swear by wearing them for full days, others by just a few hours at a time. I usually try and slog through a full day at work, as I have a good mix of sitting and walking. My only recommendation is that if you don’t see any improvement after 3-4 full days’ worth of wear, I would question whether or not you will see improvement. I do have shoes that took months to break in (my Michael Kors moccasins, for example) but I did see small differences and improvements from wear. The last pair of boots did not change in the least from over 40 hours of wear… At some point, you just have to admit defeat and count your losses!
Breaking In Shoes- Your Ideas?
Here is where I beg you for the weird and wonderful tricks that you use to break in shoes! If you have any tricks that I haven’t gotten into already in the post, please let me know. These are nubuck, so I think I do have a bit of room to play, unlike the synthetic boots. I’ve tried some pretty bizarre things to break in shoes, and I am open to pretty much anything that will let me return them in a week or so if I need to.
How on earth do I go about breaking in shoes for my trip? And what are your favourite dress shoes for travel?
Cheers,
The Historian
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Yay!! I am glad you found some that you love and that are comfy! 😀
It took 3 tries but I finally got there!!
This is from working with shoes for 2yrs- it’s not full-proof but it’s what I’ve learned (and also from my own experience wearing shoes travelling).
1) If you’re not sure about your size (or even if you are) get your feet measured when you’re in the store. Difference shoes fit differently and will size differently (say your runner is normally a 6.5 US or 7 US- go up with winter boots because you need the air circulation to keep your toes warm but not so big that it feels like it’s coming off). Again, it depends on the brand, each will fit slightly differently.
2) I’m sure everyone is aware- try shoes on at the end of the day, especially if you’ve been on your feet all day. It’s more of a pain but it shows you how big/ swollen your feel will get. So you can get the right size. That way your feet will be ok all day. It’s not full-proof but it works more often then not.
3) You mentioned you got nubuck leather. Leather is great!! It’s already water resistant (great for England!) and will/ should stretch out naturally (you can also take it to a store and have them use a tool to stretch it out a bit. HOWEVER, different types of leather stretch differently. Nubuck is hardier then softer leather (ie: regular leather that we’re used to). Which is probably why it’s taking longer to stretch out and break-in. I agree you should have seen improvement by now.
So… 2 suggestions. Go to the company you bought it from and have them stretch it out a bit (wherever it’s tightest- guessing in the toe or heel- toe is easiest to open out). You can try doing this yourself first by putting your fist in and working it around, also in the heel, use your fingers and stretch it out a bit. OR as you said last resort return and get a different pair. Comfy shoe companies that (hopefully) are comfy right away are: Reikers (they have an off-shoot too that are good too), Ecco’s. Ecco’s use leather almost always and I’ve found them to be comfy right away- also some Ecco shoes have Goretex in them which make them waterproof, most of them are walking shoes though.
I hope this helps!
Thank you for sharing!! I try to get measured at least once a year, and I always go at the end of the day, with the exception of weekends (when I will usually do a full hour of yoga and then running to get my feet to swell). These shoes weren’t the other ones I was breaking in- they are breaking in like a DREAM. I never new that nubuck was so lovely. I don’t know why I’ve never tried it before, but they are definitely going to be on my list going forward. I will be honest, I can’t stand the look of most Ecco’s 🙁 I know that my pickiness only makes it harder to find shoes, but I know I just won’t wear them!
As a runner, I feel your pain when it comes to needing to find shoes that support bruised feet! My toes especially take a beating from running, so I avoid shoes that are too pointy in the toe box. I use the tried and true method of wearing shoes around the house to break them in!
Have you ever gotten your foot measured for running shoes?? I am considering doing that to take better care of my feet!