Sometimes shoes need to be stretched in order to be more comfortable. They might need more room all over, or just in the toe box. Shoe stretching methods are most effective on soft leather footwear. Patent leather does eventually stretch but you’ll need to repeat the process a few times over for the best results. Here are four ways to do it yourself. 

1. A Footwear Stretching Kit

A shoe stretching kit will allow you to stretch shoes the way professional cobblers do it. First you soften the leather with a special spray and then you place shoe horns in the shoes to stretch them. The longer you leave the shoe horn in place, the more you will stretch the shoe. 

Of course, you could also just send your shoes to the cobbler and have this done professionally. But be cautious when doing so. I once had a pair of shoes that came back from the cobbler over stretched because the shoe horns were left in too long.

2. Walk in Your Shoes with Wet Feet

I’ve found this method to be the most effective, especially when you’re in between sizes. It stretches the shoe all over, and not just the toe box. The trick is to wet your feet, put on the shoes, and walk around in them for an hour or two. It’s a little squelchy but you get used to it. Your feet and shoes dry quite quickly. Walk around at home, or take them out for a spin. Repeat the process a few times until the leather has stretched comfortably around your feet. 

3. Use Potatoes to Widen the Toe Box

This method works well for a more subtle toe box stretch, leaving the rest of the shoe the same shape. Place a large potato in the opening of the shoe for a day or two, or even longer, to stretch the leather. Make sure they are pushed in hard and tight. The leather on the toe box should have stretched to a more comfortable fit. 

4. Stretch Shoes with Ice

I learned about this method from one of our forum members, who used it successfully to stretch her footwear. It is based on the principle that ice is less dense than water and therefore occupies more volume. You can follow this video for detailed instructions, but in short:

1. Fill two plastic ziplock bags with water.
2. Place the bags of water in each of the shoes and freeze them.
3. After a day or two allow the ice to thaw and remove the bags.

The leather should have expanded with the ice. Repeat the process a few times over for extra expansion.

I think this method will work best with heels, where the slope of the footbed pushes the water into the toe box, where most stretching is required. But it’s definitely worth a try and I look forward to using it the next time I need to stretch a pair of shoes.

In the last outfit I posted — Boho Lite in Arizona — all the items are new. This is rare, because I usually mix newer items with older ones (I love the way a few new items can refresh your whole wardrobe for the season). It’s even more unusual for me to find a completely new outfit combination made up of golden oldies that have been in my wardrobe for years. I’m constantly experimenting with my wardrobe, mixing and remixing, so it’s very unlikely that a good combination will go undiscovered for long. But that’s exactly what happened here. 

For two seasons I’ve been looking for a two-piece dress, but it only recently occurred to me that I could combine my Band of Outsiders multi-coloured twinset with my J.Crew skirt to create the same effect. It’s a fab coincidence that the shades of orangey tomato red are a perfect match. The two-piece dress effect would have been lost if the tomato reds were merely a tonal complement.

The colour blocking in the twinset uses intarsia knitting. It’s an expensive technique that’s typically only found in higher-end pieces. Early in my career as a fashion buyer I worked for a retailer that was on the budget end of the spectrum and I could never afford to use intarsia knitting in my range. This changed when I moved to a more upmarket department store and I remember being very excited about finally having the budget to do so.

The silhouette of the twinset is a good combination with most styles of skirt because it’s short and fitted. It can therefore be worn untucked without compromising the traditionally flattering proportions of the outfit. Although the cardigan is a fun visual match, I like the outfit best without it. Keeping it simple with a skirt, fitted shell top, heels and clutch looks best of all.

We live in Seattle, so at this time of year I need some sort of topper when it’s cooler in the morning and evening. The cardi is handy, but a denim jacket is even better. My old Paige Premium mixed media denim jacket is a wardrobe workhorse and my favourite casual jacket of all time. It does a good job of relaxing the fitted pencil skirt vibe, and the blue is complementary to the orange.

I chose my all time favourite pumps, the cow print Okala ankle straps, to finish off the outfit because the pattern mimics the colour blocking in the twinset. I threw in the tomato red clutch for an extra dose of matchy-matchy. My apple green specs are the final colourful cherry on top. The high contrasting and clashing colours here are hectic and not everyone’s cup of tea. And while I don’t wear this type of colour statement daily, it makes me very happy when I do.

The classic combination of a knee-length pencil skirt with a tucked or fitted top and heels has a certain timeless quality. It strips things down to the bare essentials, creating a traditionally flattering, polished, and ladylike appearance that is always in style. It feels good to detox from trendier pieces from time to time.

The Outfit Collection

• 1 Apple Green Specs
• 2 Colour Block Short Sleeve Pullover
• 3 Colour Blocked Cardigan
• 4 Tomato Red Wool Pencil Skirt
• 5 Mixed Media Denim Jacket
• 6 Ankle Strap Okala Pump
• 7 Ombre Color Leather Clutch Bag
• 8 'The Slim' Bracelet Watch, 36mm — $250.00

Custom Find

by Angie

View Info

1

Custom Find

by Angie

View Info

5

Custom Find

by Angie

View Info

2

Custom Find

by Angie

View Info

3

Custom Find

by Angie

View Info

4

Zara

Ombre Color Leather Clutch Bag

View Info

Top Pick

7

16

Nordstrom

MARC BY MARC JACOBS 'The Slim' Bracelet Watch, 36mm

$250.00 $149.97

Sale

View Info

Top Pick

8

9

Custom Find

by Angie

View Info

6

Go to Outfit Collection Page

In May we focused a lot on the lower half of an outfit, with several articles on bottoms, footwear and their combination. One must read from May is the results of our recent YLF survey. We got extremely useful feedback and some of it helped Greg to fine tune the design of our front page. Also: new ensembles, my outfits and Inge’s continuing coverage of outstanding outfit bloggers.

If you subscribe to the newsletter, then it’s probably already in your inbox. If not, please consider signing up.

For those who aren’t signed up, here is the online version.

• The new Evans collection out now features signature pieces from established and up-and-coming designers.
• Marta Marques and Paulo Almeida have won the second annual LVMH Prize for young designers.
• Kohl’s is testing a new outlet store concept that allows customers to buy returned items at deeply discounted prices.
• Vivienne Westwood partners with the Cambridge Satchel Company for three limited-edition bags inspired by her 1981 Pirate collection.
• Cher is the star of Marc Jacobs’ 2015 Fall/Winter campaign.
• Tory Burch, Sara Blakely and five other fashion entrepreneurs made Forbes’ first list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women.
• The True Cost, a documentary by Andrew Morgan that looks at the human and environmental cost of fast fashion, opens in theatres today.

Fun Fashion Fact

Did you know that fuller style panties are popular with millennials and Generation Y consumers. According to research company NPD Group “Sales of thongs decreased 7 percent over the last year, while sales of fuller styles — briefs, boy shorts and high-waist briefs — have grown a collective 17 percent.” Erica Russo, the fashion director for accessories, cosmetics and intimate apparel at Bloomingdale’s, adds “that indeed there has been a ‘shift in the business’. The trend is in line with the higher-waist and roomier pants styles that have dominated fashion this season. Perhaps motivated by the same kind of contrarianism that helped elevate Birkenstocks and fanny packs, young women are embracing ‘granny panties’ — and not just for laundry day.”