Oh please, for the love of all things shoe, please believe us that shoes from cherri bellini will stretch!!!
It’s the most difficult thing for us to convey here at cherri is that our shoes stretch and they stretch good! We know you’ve heard it before a million times over and we’ve all had that pair(s) of shoes that were supposed to stretch and didn’t. It’s a hard sell. We know! But we’re really for truely promise that ours do!! I’ve seen our shoes stretch to double their original state, seriously DOUBLE!! It’s all got to do with high quality leather lining and uppers. You have to have the leather on the inside as well or you simply won’t get a good custom stretch.
Beautiful soft leather uppers and lining – Pascucci $195
If you buy our shoes just right or a bit loose at the start, it’s a good bet they will become too big after one or two wears and you will walk out of them. ESPECIALLY the ballet flats and pumps without any straps. It doesn’t take long for our shoes to give. Usually as quick as a few hours of having them on! You should feel the leather start to relax as soon as it starts to warm up from being on your feet. Many of our customers feel the difference within a few minutes.
Marcopizzi ballet flats will relax in minutes – Marcopizzi $150
So if you have purchased a good quality leather shoe (of course you have, you’ve shopped at cherri bellini) and they are firm to tight (which we hope they are to start with otherwise they will fall off or become to big once they give), then here’s a few tips to help you out/ speed up the stretching process should you need it.
The time it takes to break in a new pair of shoes will totally depend on the leather. Personally I find patent the most determined and suede will always be the easiest as it’s a higher quality of leather to begin with, so it should melt like butter to the shape of your foot.
So try these if they are taking too long for your liking!
Try using a stretching spray – available from most shoe repairers.
Just squirt a small amount onto the inside of the shoe where you need the stretch, then pop your shoes on and off you go. The spray will help to relax out the leather, while using the heat you generate while walking around. I find this works a treat if you have one or two little trouble spots, like where a seam lies, or just near the little toe, that sort of thing. Speeds up the process no end!
We use and sell Collonil products here at cherri. They’re awesome.
Wheat pack – also good for sore muscles! ;)
If you have shoes that are tight all over and you need to break them in quickly, reach for the wheat bag! Warm you wheat bag up to just body temperature, not too hot or you will buckle the leather! Stick your shoes on, and place the bag over the top of your feet while you kick back and read a book or watch tele or whatever you like! Leather needs heat to give, so you are just helping the heating process along and the leather will give out to the size you need it to without all the walking around!
This is a cute one we found on http://www.etsy.com
Bit by bit – take a spare.
I usually like to break my shoes bit by bit if they are particularly small. For example, I like to buy my Riccardo Banfi’s half a size too small because I know how much his leather gives from many years experience (he’s my favourite here at cherri, I LOVE him) and I hate sloppy shoes. However this does make for uncomfortable wearing for the first few times. So I wear my new shoes for a few hours and take a super comfy pair with me so I can swap over when it gets too much. Usually only takes doing this twice, then before I know it, I’m wearing the new ones all day without a care in the world and they’re perfectly fitted to me with no extra cost or hassle. Ahh, patience, as they say, is a virtue!
These are my Pascucci slippers of choice for instant relief!
Shoe repairer – especially good for boots around the calf area.
If you are in a hurry or simply don’t want the discomfort (albeit temporary) to break in your new beauties, then head to your most trusted shoe repairer as they should be able to stretch your shoes for you, no dramas. If you have boots that don’t quite do up around your calf area, your shoes repairer should be able to fix that too. Our guys can get a good 2-3cms extra stretch out of our boots, especially if it’s a straight leather without any elastic sections. Failing that, you can always have an elastic section fitted to the tops of most boots too but usually a good stretch is plenty to get them to where you need them to be. Again you can do this bit by bit yourself (just wear them under pants a few times until they do up properly!) but the quick way is to hand them over to your shoe repairer/ boot maker.
A good shoe repairer can do more than you ever thought possible!
Vaseline – not just for lip balm.
I have also been known to use a bit of Vaseline on the inside of my shoes on the spot that rubs. As long as the lining of your shoe is leather, a bit of Vaseline helps to soften the leather and it protects your skin a bit too.
So there you have it. Please trust us on this one. You won’t regret it!
