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Bootie Trouble: Help.

Alana in Canada

(website)

Veteran

Had a day off today to help the kids get settled into a new school year. It was my first time earing the Sam Edelman Pettys since purchasing them.

I put the booties on at 7:45 am.

I had to travel on public transit with my son (lots of stairs, lots of walking) and then stood in line for 40minutes. I wore some sort of sockette things I borrowed from my daughter that promptly fell off my heels and bunched under my foot.
When I got to my son's school I found some of the socks I wear to work inmy bag (nice ankle socks designed to keep my feet cool and comfy) and put them on.
Then, I commuted home, did the weekly grocery shop and then went to a movie with dh. (He had the day off, too.)

At 4:00pm when the movie was finished I hobbled to the car. The boots hurt my feet something awful. Mostly they hurt across the top of the foot and the side of my right big toe.

At 4:30 when we got home, I could not wait to get them off (you could see the imprint of my socks on my skin) and now I am scared.

Did I buy the wrong boots?
Did I wear them too long for their first wear?
Is it just a case of the socks being too thick and I should be wearing hose?

Thanks, fabbers. I would hate to think I've wasted all that money!

Sam Edelman Petty

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20 replies

Latest reply was from Elizabeth P

Tanya

Veteran

I am so sorry to hear this Alana! It sounds like they might be a bit too tight over the top of the foot.
Now they are leather, so leather stretches. Maybe you can try the wet sock or potato trick to stretch them out, or bring them to a cobbler to do that for you.

Joy

Veteran

I would try having them stretched. Tanya also mentioned the potato and wet socks. I think that both these methods help. If they are feeling tight on top and right big toe, I would wear them around the house with damp socks, then push potatoes in them, especially where they may stretch the tight areas and leave in for a day or so. A cobbler would be even better.

Caro in Oz

Veteran

For me that would be way too long for a first wear for any footwear. Even my new Birks which are the same size & style as the old ones need a few days of short wears to get them right.
Sounds like your feet might have become swollen during the day. The wrong socks will aso cause major problems. If I were you I would leave them for a few days & try them again for an hour or so & see how you feel. If they are still uncomfortable they can be stretched

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Yes, don't give up. Wait until your feet recover and try them again with different socks for a shorter period. It is so frustrating when shoes that start out as perfectly comfortable turn out to be problems!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

What Caro said.

I usually aim to wear new shoes for a few hours around the house a few times before taking them out. Of course I don't always follow my own advice.

Exhibit A: An early outing of my own Pettys.

I was giving a presentation at the nearby university. I got confused about the location of the classroom, and ended up having to run so I would not be late. I was wearing the Pettys and some really thin Smartwool trouser socks. I figured those would be the best because my feet don't perspire in them and they stay up. Plus, the booties were on the narrow side for me and I was concerned about swelling and pressure.

But....for some reason, the shoes were absolute MURDER on the top of all my small toes!! I got tiny blisters across my entire right foot excepting the big toe that day. This has never happened to me in any shoe before or since, so I have no idea what the problem was. I hadn't noticed the snugness there in trying them on.

So much for comfort, thought I.

But next time, I wore THICKER socks. And wore them just around the house for a few hours. And then a few hours the next day. And lo and behold, the boots stretched. They eased up where I needed them to ease up, and together we have lived happily ever after (or at least for the entire 2.5 years I have had them.)

Beth Ann

Veteran

Nothing is worse than looking fab while being in pain! Don't give up -- see if they stretch on their own, and, if not, ask a cobbler to give it a go. Glad you had time for a movie with DH.

Gigi

Veteran

Alana, I agree with the others: give them a couple of days' rest and then try again for a shorter time. I don't think you need to be concerned, because leather can always be stretched by a cobbler if need be. Usually, the bigger issue with leather is if the shoe is too big right off the bat, because it will just get looser.

I've also heard of people stretching their shoes by wearing two pairs of socks, so that their foot is larger than it would otherwise be, and then walking around the house for a couple of hours. Of course, that can be pretty painful! But you could try it if you want to try to speed up the process.

Marley

Veteran

What Caro and Suz said. New footwear should be worn around the house in increasing increments, giving you a chance to experiment with different types of socks, etc. - then, wear them out for a few hours - but never for an entire day! Let them get broke into gradually - and soon enough you'll be able to wear them for a full day! I wouldn't be discouraged just yet!

Alana in Canada

(website)

Veteran

Thank you!
Someone said something about smartwool socks. I've never heard of them. Where do you get them?

Laura

Alana, that sounds like a really painful experience! Painful physically and psychologically, thinking you spent all that money on something that doesn't quite fit.

However, for some leather shoes, I find that the first few times, they feel tight, then they start to feel progressively more comfortable as the leather conforms to my shape.

Have you ever had your foot measured to see if you are a C, D or E width?
C - narrow
D - standard
E - wide

I know with certain brands of boots (Naturalizer, Durango, Timberland) sport shoes (New Balance, Adidas, Asics) and even ice skates (Riedell, SP Teri, CCM) are available in narrow, standard and wide width. If you haven't had yourself measured, it might be useful knowledge for future shoe purchases?

I don't think the problem is with your socks, unless your socks are extra thick and the toe box of the bootie is extra small .... but I am certain you can try thinner socks / low denier nylons and see how it fits.

Best of luck!

JAileen

Veteran

So sorry you went through that! Yes, I think you wore them too long for the first time. Unless shoes feel like slippers, I try to wear them for very short periods at first. You've got some great advice here. Don't give up on them. If it were me I'd try stretching them myself first, then if that doesn't work then I'd go to the shoe repair and let them try.

Kristin SF

Veteran

Smartwool is a brand of sock, and I usually buy them online at Zappos. But you can google for locations in Canada.
https://www.google.com/search?.....&clie

Good luck with the shoe stretching!

Alana in Canada

(website)

Veteran

Laura--I do believe my feet are actually, officially wide. Doesn't help much. Very few brands carry wide, in my experience. But something to keep in mind. I kept thinking I should have gone for lace ups like the steve madden stinngers..

Jaileen--no, I won't give up. At least I hope I don't. They really are the last thing I want near my feet right now, though, unfortunately.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Yeah, sometimes even really nice shoes kill your feet when you wear them the first time (although not always). Leather tends to stretch to fit your foot after a few wears. I wouldn't wear them more than a few hours at a time, now that you have experienced foot pain from the first wear. If you can't break them in after four or five wears, take them to the shoe mender and have them stretched. That normally does the trick.

I have only owned one pair of Sam Edelman shoes, and they weren't actually shoes, they were sandals. They were quite comfy for two years until the lining went all to pieces, after which they were so uncomfortable that I pitched them. I hope yours last longer than mine did!

Alana in Canada

(website)

Veteran

Oh no, Aziraphale. That's awful. I had hoped to wear them today--other than a pair of nasty runners, these boots are the only footwear suitable for outdoor wear at the moment. Oh well. Guess I won't be looking fab today.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Alana, did the boots feel snug in any way as you walked around in them before they started to hurt?

The first day out in my new shoes is a couple of hours at best. They do tend to get more comfy.

Also, what were you wearing to work before you had booties?

Alana in Canada

(website)

Veteran

Angie, I cannot remember if they felt tight. I don't think so as I was wearing those footie things which felloff my heel and bunched up under my foot almost immediately. I changed into the socks I had worn when I tried them on in the store (they were still in my purse) about two hours in. They felt snug, then.

What did I wear to work before? Since May I have been wearing my black walmart sandals. Before that I wore the runners on the days I didn't have to wear my winter boots. I started this job in October, so it was pretty much winter boots from the get-go.

I change into steel-toed boots when I get to work.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

It sounds like you need to size up half a size. Can you return them?

Alana in Canada

(website)

Veteran

No. I suppose I can try. the policy is not once I have worn them outside. As well, they told me they are not carrying half sizes.

Elizabeth P

Veteran

Ditto! You should be fine, just take it easy, and give your feet a chance to recover before you wear them again.

Smartwool socks rock. They are available in pretty much any sporting goods store. They started off with just hiking socks, but now make them for all kinds of things, including thin dress versions, for kids, etc. I don't find the hiking socks last as long as some other brands, like Icebreaker. I can't comment on the longevity of the thinner ones. But I do love the ones I have, regardless of that!