The breaking-in period with your shoes is a special kind of hurt that often ends in blisters and aches and makes you never want to wear that particular pair ever again. Ugh, but they’re so dang cute though! Personally, I feel like this experience always happens more with leather boots, because your whole foot is enclosed and your heel will rub against the back or your toes will feel all scrunched together.
“Gently stretching out your boots could save you a few days of discomfort,” says Theresa Ebagua, founder and designer of Chelsea Paris. “If you feel tightness at the toe or the back of your heel, it’s a sure sign your boots need to be stretched out.”
Ebagua explains that leather is composed of collagen, which encourages elasticity. “Influenced by warmth and pressure, leather’s elastic properties enable us to manipulate the material.” You’ve prob noticed that by wearing the same leather shoes frequently, they’ll have that worn-in feel because even walking “generates heat, which softens the leather, and allows the boot to mold to the shape of [your] foot.”
Let it be known though, that once your boots are stretched, you can’t revert them to their original size. “Leather boots are formed on a last [editor’s note: a “last” is a mold that resembles a foot] when produced, making them shaped to size,” says Ebagua. “Since the properties of leather are so distinct, the leather won’t contract to make them smaller.” Just be wary of that info, so you don’t end up with shoes that were once too snug and are now too big.
As described above, simply walking in them over time is one suggestion, but if your feet can’t take it there are some other options:
“Most fabrics are delicate, so I always seek the expertise of a local cobbler to avoid compromising the integrity of the material,” cautions Ebagua. “Though, if your boots are lined with leather, those methods are transferable.” Certain stretch sprays also tout that the effects work on canvas and fabric shoes, but read the directions thoroughly. While it may be worth giving them a try, results aren’t guaranteed.
Some leather boots for you to shop! You know you want to…