Rightful Place

By this time it had gotten so hot and sunny in our apartment that I had to move one of the photos out of the window, lest it start to buckle and bleach out in the sun. The photo is of my mom in high school -- she's normally just over my right shoulder, but now you can just barely see her peeking through the bookcase door behind my left elbow. Don't worry mom, you'll be back in your rightful place soon!

After the last time I wore these shoes, I stretched them a little more and they got even more comfortable. In between wearings, I plan on keeping the stretchers in there until the shoes are fully broken in with their new wider width, otherwise I fear they might shrink back a little. I definitely noticed the difference between the first round of stretching and the second, so if you're planning on doing any significant amount of stretching on your shoes, keep in mind that it may take more than one try. Another trick is to apply the stretching spray before you wear the shoes, as the heat from your feet will also stretch them a little as you wear them; the spray will help them conform to the shape of your foot.

I love oxfords and am very glad I bought this pair, but to me it sometimes seems that they're only ever used to create very sweet and somewhat twee outfits, so I added the harness to toughen up the look and give it an edge.  

Shirt: a gift from mom
Harness: Audra Jean
Shorts: White House Black Market
Shoes: All Saints

Raising the Vamp

I liked this outfit a lot; I thought the subtle polka dots added a lot of interest to the all-dark color scheme, and everything was soft, stretchy, and completely comfortable. I've also worked on these boots a little more since putting the Foot Petals in; awhile back I finally got a good quality boot stretcher because I have several pairs that are tight across the top of my foot, especially on my slightly larger right foot.

Stretching boots follows pretty much the same process as stretching shoes, only you need a different kind of stretcher for increasing the width versus the kind I got for raising the vamp. The stretchers themselves are also a good deal more expensive, so I just bought one and resolved to be patient while I stretched each pair one boot at a time. But after years of owning these boots and wearing them relatively little, I've finally managed to fix all their comfort issues and am excited to get more use out of them.

Dress: from local boutique Ruby

Tank top, vest: F21

Obi belt: Audra Jean

Skirt: thrifted
Boots: from Scoop in Copenhagen

Stretching Shoes

At last I got to wear my adorable new All Saints oxfords, which languished in my closet for several months while I tried to decide whether to stretch them or send them back. Obviously I decided to stretch them, and although they could still use a little more work, they're already vastly more wearable than they were at first.

The problem with these shoes was the width, which I increased using FootFitter Pro stretchers and stretching spray. From the reviews I read on several of the different models of shoe stretchers, I deduced that the issue with the plastic-threaded ones is that they can strip when you tighten them. However, the models with metal threads are more than twice as expensive, and I wanted to be able to buy two so that I could stretch both shoes at once (I'm not exactly known for my patience). So I went with the plastic-threaded model and proceeded with caution, at first turning the width adjustment until it was just tight, and increasing the tension about 3/4 of a turn per day, preceded by a thorough soaking with the stretching spray.

In the end it took me about a week to complete the stretching, using the spray, tighten, wait overnight, and repeat technique. It worked so well that I've already got several other pairs in mind for some size adjustment. Considering that it costs around $12 per pair to have shoes stretched professionally, it will take less than 3 pairs for these stretchers to totally pay for themselves. And if I end up with shoes that are more comfortable, the cost really becomes negligible.

All in all I'd highly recommend getting your own set of shoe stretchers if you're like me and struggle with the comfort of your shoes, and also if you have several pairs that need length and/or width adjustment. Not only can you make initial adjustments to new shoes, but you can go back and readjust older shoes that may have become tighter during months of not being worn (this is a particular concern for people who live in areas of temperature extremes, where you have entire seasons where certain shoes cannot be worn). Note that the stretchers I've discussed here do not work on boots; boots require a special kind of stretcher that is typically a lot more expensive. If anyone has a model of boot stretcher they can recommend, I'd love to hear about it.  

Cardigan, shoes: All Saints
Shirt: Tulle
Belt: Lazaro
Shorts: White House Black Market