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Toe Jamb?

By Gabrielle


Some of TGF's prettiest readers have agreed to share with us their favorite style, beauty and "how-to" tips. This week features ideas from Gabrielle, a lovely lady from Missouri who appeared in her own Pictorial here. You can email her at gabrielle@tgforum.com and visit her website at members.tgforum.com/gabrielle/
How many times has it happened to you?

You find "THE" perfect pair of shoes for that new outfit. You get them home, try them on, only to find that after wearing them for a few minutes, your toes start cramping as if you had run a marathon in them. They're your regular size. You have searched for weeks to find this style and you won't or can't return them. Now what do you do? That night on the town with the girls is fast approaching and the thought of traipsing all over town in these torture devices just puts a dark cloud on the whole event. So what are your options? Well, you have a few choices. You can exchange them for a larger size (If a better size is available), trash the whole idea of wearing the darn things (Not an option if you are anything like me), or fix the problem as I recently did.

I had spotted this cute little dress in a catalog that was one of those "I have to have that!" dresses we all run across from time to time. It was black stretch velvet with burnt-out velvet bodice and sleeves. I had several pairs of black shoes but none of them did justice to the dress. I found and bought a pair of black velvet pumps to match. Once I tried the whole outfit on, I immediately noticed that the shoes were going to cause some problems.

I am accustomed to a heel height of 1½-2" and the new pair was (to me) a towering 2¾". I credited the excessive tightness in the toes to the added incline of my foot caused by the increased height to which I had been accustomed. After a couple of times wearing the shoes, I decided to try and return them for the next larger size (I normally wear an 11w).

Alas, no size 12. I really had mixed feelings about that too. On one foot, I was disappointed that the larger size was no longer available. On the other foot, I was a little relieved that I So, there I was stuck with a pair of shoes I would have to practically put on with a crowbar. I could either resign to not wear them or come up with a way to make them more comfortable.

I had remembered seeing somewhere a device called a shoe stretcher in which a split form was inserted into a shoe and then expanded to "Stretch" the shoe to a more comfortable configuration. I employed several search engines on the web and found a few sites that carried such devices.

Not wanting to wait for a mail order, I inquired at several shoe repair shops in the area and found one that usually carries them but was out of stock. I had the owner order one for a ladies 8-11 shoe and anxiously awaited it's arrival.

After receiving the call that it had arrived, I hurried home to give the test. The instructions were to dampen the inside of the shoe with water, insert the stretcher and expand the unit using the crank handle until snug and then tighten a max. two turns more, then let sit for 48 hours.

I wet a washcloth, moistened the inside and followed the rest of the instructions. After the allotted time, I tried the shoes and couldn't believe the outcome. The shoes were still snug but the process had stretched the toe portion enough so wearing them for several hours was manageable. I'm sure, as with most new shoes (especially pumps), more wear will allow the material to "break in". I now do not fear wearing these out and have managed to go an entire evening without my toes wanting to curl up in a ball.

If you have had the same problem that I incurred, consider this method of getting a better fit out of those glamorous pumps. The price was very reasonable, $11.00, and you only need one stretcher as it will fit either the right or left shoe. Several different styles are offered. In addition to the one I used, there is a model that will not only adjust the width but will stretch the length at the same time. Inserts can also be added to expand a particular area in the case of bunions or corns. Good luck!

Gabrielle (gabrielle@tgforum.com)

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