Arghh how to adapt shoes to fit!

Luvly.cuppa.T

Hi all,

I am bridesmaid to me mate in a week's time and we finally have the shoes that we are all going to wear. (AFter going through many of them and the ups and downs of the style fitting all, if they were dyable etc, my mate finally found a pair that matched the colour of the dresses perfectly)

Unfortunately for the last shoe buying trip I wasn't with them, and now I am left with 2 pairs of shoes, a 5 and a 6.

The 5 is great on the length, but too tight on the width ( I really don't want to be wearing them all day and think they will kill me- they have after half an hour!) but whilst the 6 are great on the width, the length is not- leaving about half an inch gap at the back.

Any suggestions about what to do to make them work and as comfy as poss?
I have heel stickers which if I double up on each foot might solve the problem on the size 6 , but as one pair will have to be returned to the shop in immaculate condition I don't want to actuallystick them on the shoe. I have tried them on with their plastic covering on and fear that the plastic is the thing keeping the shoe on my foot!!

Anyone had any dealings with them heel spongey things?

Would an insole work? Or just squeeze my foot up higher , thus making it tighter?

Could I wear thick socks with the 5's to make them looser??

Please help!!

PS - I can't change the shoes at all, I have to work with them!!!!

k8te

I always have this problem as my feet are quite wide I usually end up with a size too big, and just get on with it, with help of plasters! sorry not much help there... But if you search on here there are quite a few tips and advice which can help you, so then it would be up to you with what size to keep, or even take them to a cobblers? I think they can stretch shoes, or you can do it yourself, but unsure of the timescale and of course money! x

gill_81uk

What sort of shoe are they?

If they're a full shoe then an insole should definitely push your foot back and help them to fit, and you can also get heel grips to stick in the back. Possibly try a combination?

Also are they leather? If they are, and the 5s aren't very tight they will give slightly if you wear them round the house with socks on.

Are you wearing tights or popsocks? If not, they do help tight shoes to fit better.

Luvly.cuppa.T

Hi both!

Shoes are not leather, and peep toe, so good ole bare feet!

I don't think I will have time to get shoes to cobblers, but nice idea!

I do have some of them heel things, but will it be alright to stick them on and see if the shoe fits better? I mean what if the 6 in the end can't be fitted and I have to return them?

I will pop out later and get some insoles, but like you say I am not sure with the full shoe thing- One side is continuous and the other side is like this shoe
http://www.bridalpeople.com/wedding-open-toe-pumps/20776.asp (with heel too). Will an insole work with this? One bonus is that the dress goes pretty much to the floor.

In addition can I do something to the sole to stop it slipping? Like score it?

Horace

To stop the sole from slipping rub it with sandpaper or a brillo pad.

Insoles with peep toe shoes don't really work but you can get some of those gel pad thingies to put into the shoe under the ball of your foot to make them more comfortable.

Could you not take both pairs back to the shop and buy some that fit in both length and width?

gill_81uk

There's a chance the heel grip may make a mess of the shoe so sticking it in is probably not the best thing to do.

I used to work in a shoe shop and in my experience heel grips only work if the shoe is slipping just a little bit.

Insoles are by far the most effective at making a shoe fit better. If you take your shoes with you most shoe shops will let u try insoles in them. You can get a half insole, or as someone reccommended above, those gel pads to go in the front, which may help?

If your dress is floor length could you get away with just wearing them for the first bit of the wedding and putting another pair on for reception?

ceebeeby

.... Or have a laugh and wear your trainers under the dress!! Okay so it's a bit of a statement, and depends how well you know and love the bride!!!

Failing that, as a 5.5 myself, I'd go with the 6 and pad them out with insoles AND heel-grips. Also in Boots you can get things called blister plasters. Stick them over your heels and over the bottom of your toes at the edges both sides, so that in effect youre also building up your foot as well as the shoe.

Try walking round and round the house first!!

Good luck and have a ball!!! (Also, take some spares for the reception - just in case you want to boogy without plasters falling off everywhere)

littlel_3

Hi, I had this problem last year with my sons school shoes, all we did was put in a insole, some are thicker that other and it worked a treat and he never complained they were uncomfortable, it is worth a try and you wouldnt be ruining the shoes just in case you wanted to take them ones back.

Krystaltips

The experience I've had with the gel insoles is that the slip to under your toes and may well pop out of the to of the shoe... I would go for a full insole and cut it where the peep toe is so it doesn't show... Failing that, take the size 5s and wear really thick hiking socks in then for a few days walking round the house...

Luvly.cuppa.T

WEll I have bought some full insoles and tried them on. To be honest there isn't much difference without them (although fell comfier under the foot!)

I added the heel things (2 for each foot- still with their covering over it) and they seem to help, but there still looks like a little gap there at the back....

Hrmmphhh.

Horace- thanks for the sandpaper idea. And no I can't get other shoes! WE had 2 pairs chosen beforehand and thought both were dyable, but it turned out that they weren't, hence last minute buys without me! (I live a fair distance away you see aswell) And the pair we have now are a really good match with the dresses- and not a common colour you would find you see.

Gill- Absolutely about having different shoes for the reception. My mate is cool with that and suggested it herself as she doesn't do heels neither!! I just need to have something that suits, which I do hopefully... I am taking the dress home with me tomorrow, so I will faff about with other shoes then.

ceebeeby- wouldn't it be great to wear trainers? A happy bouncy bridesmaid I would be!! (My mate would kill me if I ever did that and I think she fears me doing such a thing lol) The dress wouldn't allow I don't think for such footwear for the day as the peep toe bit of the shoes shows and the hem is just right for that heel height...

ooooh what to do. 5 all tight and hurty for what 6 hours? (but may be able to wear them in with big socks and lots of walking around house?) or 6 with many bits and peices in them to keep them on, but may actually slip on the back bit of the shoe? (but comfier on the width and me toes)

Oh screwballs

Luvly.cuppa.T

Krstaltips- great minds think alike with the big socks and walking about!

Do you think it will work?