Tight-fitting shoes

You can actually have a cobbler stretch your shoes—you just have to leave them on a stretcher for at least a week. I usually float somewhere between a US women's 6 and 7; the 7 was too loose, while the 6 felt a bit tight, so I grabbed the 6 and took it to the shoe repair shop. They managed to $10 stretch them out, and now they fit perfectly!!!!

shadowmaker31 said:A few weeks back, I spotted these absolutely stunning ballet flats over at Zara—not quite flat, mind you, but they had this lovely little lacquered platform heel, and the upper part was a soft grey adorned with a bow.😍😍 They were just gorgeous... but my bank account simply wasn't having it at the time.😢 Fast forward to payday; the memory of those shoes popped into my head, so I made a quick dash to Zara, feeling quite optimistic that they might still be there! And sure enough, there they were. I went straight to try them on, naturally. What happened? Well, I started by trying a size 6 in US sizing (since I usually fluctuate between a 6 and a 7). The length felt alright, but I could tell they were pinching me just a bit. So, I moved up to a 7, which fit perfectly, but when I actually tried to walk, the shoe felt loose; my foot would almost slip out, leaving enough room that I could practically tuck my toe behind it.😕 I found myself in a bit of a dilemma, so I immediately called a colleague from the nearby Walgreens where I work to get her take. She just insisted, "Oh, just grab the 6, they'll stretch out once you wear them in," and went on about how they did the same thing to her.
So, being swept up in the moment, I bought the 6, feeling so happy and convinced that I’d finally found my dream shoes. I wore them today—truth be told, I spent the entire day walking around town before heading into work—and let me tell you, by the time I got to my shift, I was in absolute agony. It was so bad I actually had to go buy something else just to find relief. Now, I'm sitting here feeling so incredibly frustrated with myself. I don't know what to do; I can't exactly return them because I've already worn them (even if they don't look used, really), but I'd be heartbroken to sell them, especially if they don't have the 7 in stock if I ever need to replace them. I just don't want to let them go.😢 Not really,🤣 but they've dug into my skin so deeply that I genuinely don't know how to fix this.

So, for the first time ever, I actually pulled the trigger on something from Zara—mostly because their proportions usually miss the mark for me, everything is either too big or just... off. Anyway, I’m a size 10, right? I tried on a 10, thought it was cutting it a little close, so I figured, why not just go with an 11. I took them home, dropped about $250 on them, and honestly? They looked great. At work today, everyone was practically tripping over themselves trying to figure out where I got my suit—they couldn't believe it was from Zara—but God, these shoes are brutal. I’m not even joking, I’m genuinely considering having my foot amputated just to escape this unimaginable heel pain. Like, seriously. Don't get me wrong, the design is fantastic—it looks sharp enough to kill—but they are stiff as a board. I’ve had shoes rub me before, sure, but this? This is enough to drive a man insane. I can barely walk, let alone function, and I’m actually contemplating calling in sick just to deal with the throbbing. This will definitely be the last time anything from Zara touches my body or my feet. With these specific ones, I don't even have a choice; I'm just stuck suffering through the pain until they somehow break in. Right now, I'm sitting in a taxi heading home, and instead of that initial $250, these are already costing me closer to $270 once you factor in the ride. And that's before I even start spending money on bandages, foam inserts, and creams. Once those run out, I’ll probably end up dropping $500 just to replace them with those Prada shoes I snagged on sale at Westgate that were actually comfortable. I really have to wonder if anyone actually tests these things before they hit the shelves. For me, this has been quite possibly the worst shopping experience of my entire life.

Angela Green said:So, for the first time ever, I actually pulled the trigger on something from Zara—mostly because their proportions usually miss the mark for me, everything is either too big or just... off. Anyway, I’m a size 10, right? I tried on a 10, thought it was cutting it a little close, so I figured, why not just go with an 11. I took them home, dropped about $250 on them, and honestly? They looked great. At work today, everyone was practically tripping over themselves trying to figure out where I got my suit—they couldn't believe it was from Zara—but God, these shoes are brutal. I’m not even joking, I’m genuinely considering having my foot amputated just to escape this unimaginable heel pain. Like, seriously. Don't get me wrong, the design is fantastic—it looks sharp enough to kill—but they are stiff as a board. I’ve had shoes rub me before, sure, but this? This is enough to drive a man insane. I can barely walk, let alone function, and I’m actually contemplating calling in sick just to deal with the throbbing. This will definitely be the last time anything from Zara touches my body or my feet. With these specific ones, I don't even have a choice; I'm just stuck suffering through the pain until they somehow break in. Right now, I'm sitting in a taxi heading home, and instead of that initial $250, these are already costing me closer to $270 once you factor in the ride. And that's before I even start spending money on bandages, foam inserts, and creams. Once those run out, I’ll probably end up dropping $500 just to replace them with those Prada shoes I snagged on sale at Westgate that were actually comfortable. I really have to wonder if anyone actually tests these things before they hit the shelves. For me, this has been quite possibly the worst shopping experience of my entire life.

Just because it says Prada doesn't mean they're comfortable... 🙂
You can pick up leather heel pads at Foot Locker or Walgreens (probably everywhere, really). http://www.deichmann.com/HR/hr/shop/...e-njegaislicno

I have them in one pair of shoes—the only ones that ever gave me blisters—and now they're among my most comfortable. If they're hurting because they're too tight or short, take them to a cobbler to get them stretched...
Opinions on Zara shoes are pretty split (setting aside the design, which I think is fantastic), but I haven't had any bad experiences personally, and I own quite a few of their pairs...

Is it possible to stretch shoes out a little bit? I bought some fake Converse in a size 37 because my feet were spilling out of the 38s. They feel fine for a quick trip, but after walking any significant distance, they start chafing terribly at the back. It’s not even the toes—though they ache a bit—it’s the pain in my heel that is just unbearable. Honestly, I was practically limping my way home; all I needed were crutches. I assumed that since they are canvas, they would loosen up with wear, but after five or six uses, they still feel exactly the same as day one. 😢

Carl Cox3 said:Is it possible to stretch shoes out a little bit? I bought some fake Converse in a size 37 because my feet were spilling out of the 38s. They feel fine for a quick trip, but after walking any significant distance, they start chafing terribly at the back. It’s not even the toes—though they ache a bit—it’s the pain in my heel that is just unbearable. Honestly, I was practically limping my way home; all I needed were crutches. I assumed that since they are canvas, they would loosen up with wear, but after five or six uses, they still feel exactly the same as day one. 😢

It usually takes a few months to break in sneakers. I have a pair of All Stars that absolutely wrecked my feet, but I eventually made it through... try loosening the laces a bit more.

Rachel Jones said:It usually takes a few months to break in sneakers. I have a pair of All Stars that absolutely wrecked my feet, but I eventually made it through... try loosening the laces a bit more.

That sounds great. 😢 Thanks, I’ll try breaking them in, otherwise I'll just stuff them with paper to keep them shaped. 😁

Brandon Gonzalez said:Just because it says Prada doesn't mean they're comfortable... 🙂
You can pick up leather heel pads at Foot Locker or Walgreens (probably everywhere, really). http://www.deichmann.com/HR/hr/shop/...e-njegaislicno

I have them in one pair of shoes—the only ones that ever gave me blisters—and now they're among my most comfortable. If they're hurting because they're too tight or short, take them to a cobbler to get them stretched...
Opinions on Zara shoes are pretty split (setting aside the design, which I think is fantastic), but I haven't had any bad experiences personally, and I own quite a few of their pairs...

My toes aren't even touching anything and the sizing feels fine, but the material is hard as a rock. I've got a whole weekend plan involving spray, foam, and basically just attacking them. In the meantime, I managed to half-sprain my ankle and bruise it, too. Also, my apologies to my lovely wife for using her username—I'm clearly not tech-savvy enough to create my own account, and honestly, I won't be bothering with it again.

Angela Green said:My toes aren't even touching anything and the sizing feels fine, but the material is hard as a rock. I've got a whole weekend plan involving spray, foam, and basically just attacking them. In the meantime, I managed to half-sprain my ankle and bruise it, too. Also, my apologies to my lovely wife for using her username—I'm clearly not tech-savvy enough to create my own account, and honestly, I won't be bothering with it again.

Zara is famous for having gorgeous designs, but their shoes? Honestly, they can be incredibly uncomfortable.
I haven't managed to find a single pair there that was even remotely comfortable; they're all just painfully stiff, but I still ended up buying from them three separate times because they are just too beautiful to pass up.

Two pairs of shoes are killing my feet.
These Crocs flats are squeezing me from every angle. I have no idea how to stretch them out. It’s that weird plastic material they use.
The other pair are wedges, but they’re way too big for me 🙂... would those silicone heel pads from Walgreens actually help with high heels?

I honestly thought I was the only one out here struggling with shoe sizing, haha.

My feet are long but pretty narrow, which makes finding a pair that actually fits perfectly a total nightmare.😵 I usually aim for a size 12 or 13, and right now I have two pairs of size 12 at home that fit just right—they don't pinch or anything. But lately, whenever I try on different styles in a size 12, I start feeling my big toe hitting the front while I walk. It’s not like it’s agonizingly painful, but it’s definitely annoying... and I’d much rather not deal with it. It seems like the molds they use for certain brands are just smaller than they should be, which creates this massive headache because you can rarely find a 12.5, and if you jump up to a 13, there's way too much extra room and they just flop around because my feet are so slim. My only real fix is using insoles, not to mention the fact that for a few years there, I actually forced myself into a size 11!😲I honestly don't know how I managed to do that.🤔I just absolutely hated the idea of my sneakers looking like giant clown shoes, haha. But one day, the pinching got so bad that I made a vow: from that moment on, I'm sticking to a 12 no matter what. I'd much rather have them look a little awkward than deal with that constant, irritating pressure. Grrr.

Alright, I’m throwing this out there, so please bear with my rambling...

So, here's the deal. I picked up some shoes today, and they felt perfectly fine while I was still in the store because I was just wearing thin socks. But then I got home, tried them on with thicker socks, and now they are absolutely crushing my feet.

Is there any way a professional cobbler can fix this? I really don't want to mess around with any of those sketchy DIY hacks you see online... I'm definitely not the type of person who should be tinkering with things like this at home.

The length is actually fine, but the width... hmmm... yeah, not so much.

They're full leather, Kickers.

A quality shoe should ideally come with a specific mold and a specialized softening paste designed to stretch the leather effectively. Given those tools, I honestly don't see why you wouldn't be able to resolve this issue yourself. 🙂

Thanks so much for the reply! I'll give them a wear tomorrow and we'll see how it goes.
A whole week of suffering because of these shoes.
First off, my better half buys me shoes from MASS where the sole literally falls apart after just one day (if anyone needs legal advice on how to get a refund for footwear, hit me up—I actually filed a report with the consumer protection agency against MASS, so I have all the inside info on shoe and clothing returns... seriously... you guys have a mountain of rights that the store won't admit to).
Honestly, even yesterday I wasn't sure about grabbing them; I had some thin-soled sneakers and they were fine, but man, wearing these with normal socks is anything but okay—they're way too tight. I'm used to comfortable gear, like how my Timberland boots feel just right... I should have just gone for those Timberlands instead, but I saw these and grabbed them... blah, clearly I'm losing it in my old age... I'm heading in the wrong direction! LOL.

Anyway, I saw someone on this thread mentioning treating them with chemicals and stuff, so I figured I wouldn't bring them in yet, lest they fall apart even more.
To be honest, I don't trust every single brand, but that's just how it goes when you find something you like and then end up acting like some woman (sorry ladies, no offense intended... just speaking from years of experience. Just kidding... kidding... 🙂).

Alright, I'm wearing the boots tomorrow, "come what may" (literally 🙂).

Oh, and the length is fine, but the toe box could definitely be a bit wider, though I'm hoping the cobbler can sort that out.

We reached out to my partner's mom since her dad was a cobbler, and even she says a good shoemaker can stretch them onto a mold to widen them by nearly a full size. That sounds perfect to me, so I really hope it works.

If this doesn't work, there will be a pair of brown Kickers ankle boots showing up at the "flea market," and even better, they'll be professionally repaired. LOL.

Thanks everyone... you know how it is, and it's extra stressful for me because I've never owned such "tight" shoes. They are a size 10, and if I went to an 11, they'd be massive on me.

They might stretch out a bit in width 😉, and you could always wear them with double socks for a few days to help loosen things up 😉, but stretching them lengthwise is a much tougher battle, especially if they’re already a size or two too small... honestly, I think I’m just going to make the jump to a 46; it’s better to have some breathing room 😬

Buying stuff has always been easy for me, except when it comes to shoes—it's a constant struggle because of how my feet are shaped. Plus, my big toe tends to point upward a bit, so I can't really pull off every style 😵, they're just built like that

So, let me ask you all, when you're buying sneakers, how much space do you usually leave between your toe and the tip of the shoe? Is it about half an inch, maybe an inch? Anything more than that feels way too huge 🤔, though I don't even know anymore 🤣—I get incredibly indecisive when shopping for footwear. I've bought so many wrong sizes in the past that now I'm actually terrified of making the same mistake again
.
In a perfect world, a 45.5 would be my sweet spot, but I rarely ever find half-sizes in stock; stores always tell me they don't carry them. A 45 feels a little tight on my toe, but a 46 somehow feels cavernous...

Honestly, at this rate, it might be easier to just wear flip-flops everywhere, haha

I picked up some leather loafers from Foot Locker and the sizing is spot on. I tried a larger size, but my foot just slipped right out. They feel fine in the front—no toe cramping—but the back edge is absolutely killing me when I walk. It’s fine while I'm sitting, but that top rim feels like it was fashioned out of literal wire. Anyone have any advice?
I've worn them maybe two or three times now, but only with a Band-Aid stuck to my heel every single time.

Has anyone ever actually bought these wooden shoe stretchers? 😁
Something like this or maybe this kind of thing
Do they actually work?

Carl Cox3 said:Has anyone ever actually bought these wooden shoe stretchers? 😁
Something like this or maybe this kind of thing
Do they actually work?

I actually have the second kind
I mostly use them to maintain the shape of shoes I store away for long periods, especially since they tend to lose their structure if left sitting too long.
The last time I tried using them, I was working on a pair of shoes that were just a bit too tight; I ended up using the front wooden part wrapped in a thick sock that I had pre-treated with some hand cream. I think I managed to stretch them out by about a third of a size, though I can't say for certain because those shoes are so gorgeous that I suspect I might be 🕺deluding myself just a little bit.

Does anyone else feel like Adidas sizing is just aggressively small? I can't be the only one noticing this. 🤔I recently tried on a few different models in a size 12, and they were digging into my feet quite uncomfortfully,
even though I usually wear a 11. Honestly, if I'm buying Adidas, I probably need to jump up to a 12.5 or maybe even a 13 just to breathe. 😲I had my eye on these high-end Pro Play sneakers, $217and I really wanted to pull the trigger and buy them,
but the largest size they had in stock was a 12, which actually felt smaller than the 11s I currently own. I have no idea why Adidas insists on making their molds so tiny. 🤷..
So, in the end, I walked away empty-handed.

I actually made the mistake once of buying a pair of Adidas in a 10.5; the sales clerk totally played me, and I ended up wearing them for a couple of days, which was pure torture. It felt like my toes were being crushed—it hurt so much I genuinely thought I might break something. They were squeezing my feet even when I was just sitting down; it felt more like I had shoved my feet into a size 9 because the fit was so cramped! And to make matters worse, I actually went out on a date wearing them. 🤦

I ditched them immediately after and ordered some Pumas in a size 11 online through a Shoebedo web shop instead, and they fit perfectly. 👍Puma seems to follow a much more reasonable, larger sizing standard.

Boots, however, are a completely different story; it feels like the sizing there is massive. I tried on a pair in a 11 and they felt a bit loose, and when I measured them against my usual 11 sneakers, these boots were actually about half an inch longer.

Hey everyone,

First off, sorry for the little off-topic detour here, but since we’ve got plenty of footwear enthusiasts on this board, I figured I should ask for some advice.

So, I have these light brown leather ankle boots from Kickers, and I went into Foot Locker (or whatever they call it now) to ask what the best way to maintain them would be—specifically so they wouldn't lose their color. They ended up giving me some beeswax.

I followed all the instructions to a T, but now my shoes aren't light anymore... they're practically black?
It's been a few hours, but the color isn't shifting back, and they just stay dark.

Has anyone else dealt with something like this? Is there any actual way to get the original color back on these shoes?

Sorry again for going off-topic, I'm just at a loss here and don't know what to do. Can I even fix this, or is it permanent?

Thanks in advance for any help or advice you can give.

Does anyone happen to know a good way to stretch out some tight sneakers?