# How long does it take you to break in a new pair of shoes?



## Hector Freemantle (Aug 2, 2008)

A pair of burgundy Herring Richmond were worn today for perhaps the 10th time and I finally felt that they were beginning to be broken in and to provide excellent support along with so much comfort that one could really keep them on all day. I felt in fact they were so nice to wear that I am very tempted to order a black and a tan pair on-line from Herrings. The shoes were never uncomfortable but they did creak and pinch a bit. Are you prepared to break shoes in or do you demand instant comfort from the start?

https://www.herringshoes.co.uk/prod...&shoeID=1396&selectedSizeID=0&selectedFitID=0


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## medwards (Feb 6, 2005)

Hector Freemantle said:


> Are you prepared to break shoes in or do you demand instant comfort from the start?


I do expect shoes to fit properly from the outset. That said, leather will indeed adjust over time as a result of the contours of your feet and the way you walk. The degree that such a shoe "breaks in" will be dependent on a number of factors: the fit, the construction of the shoe, the nature and quality of the leather, the extent and placement of seams and broguing, the amount of use the shoes get and under what conditions.


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## JohnHarvard (Oct 7, 2008)

Depends. The pair that took me the longest to break in (and because it was tough I had it on the back shelf for over a year), is the pair I wear the most these days.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^JohnHarvard is right. The design and construction of a shoe can greatly affect the time it takes to break them in. My Alden flex-welts felt fully broken in to my feet, from the moment I first pulled them out of the box and slipped them on my feet, while my Alden shell cord longwings (with the double oak soles) required perhaps 15 to 20 wearings to achieve that level of comfort and perfection of fit!

PS: I am in agreement with Medwards observation (see below). The break-in for the Alden longwings discussed above, referred to the time it took to 'train' the double layer of sole material on the shoes, to flex properly and readily. The shoe uppers were comfortable from the first time I put them on.


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## medwards (Feb 6, 2005)

At the same time, I would strongly caution about purchasing shoes in the "hope" that they will break-in over time. Shoes that are uncomfortable from the outset may never fit properly. Twenty wearings is an awfully long time to countenance discomfort. Indeed, with a good shoe rotation, that could easily be six months to a year of an ill fitting shoe! The consequences of shoes that do not fit properly are 1) they stay in one's closet and are never worn or 2) if they are worn, they are uncomfortable at best and harmful to one's toes, feet, and back at worst.


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## VincentC (May 23, 2008)

I was thinking this today as i am wearing a new pair of shoes today. Very comfortable aleady. Whereas i had a pair of loakes and they never broke in. Everytime i wore them i got blisters, and i ended up limping everywhere. Everyone thought i had an accident. Blood on the inside of my shoes.


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## Hector Freemantle (Aug 2, 2008)

VictorC said:


> I was thinking this today as i am wearing a new pair of shoes today. Very comfortable aleady. Whereas i had a pair of loakes and they never broke in. Everytime i wore them i got blisters, and i ended up limping everywhere. Everyone thought i had an accident. Blood on the inside of my shoes.


There are 3 possible remedies for this, Victor:

1. Wear socks.
2. Paint the inside of the shoes red.
3. Invest in pair of crutches.


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## Hector Freemantle (Aug 2, 2008)

medwards said:


> At the same time, I would strongly caution about purchasing shoes in the "hope" that they will break-in over time. Shoes that are uncomfortable from the outset may never fit properly.


I agree and I feel that we ought to demand more from manufacturers in terms of their providing more guidance on the shape of their lasts. Rather than saying 'elegant new last' or whatever there ought to be some way of knowing what types of feet certain lasts are suited to. Dimensions at various parts of the shoe on sale could be provided as is the case with shirts. For an item of clothing so important for our well-being, do we not buy without enough information to have an informed opinion?


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## CrackedCrab (Sep 23, 2008)

depends, most Aldens (except Aberdeen last) fit great right out of the box, as does Edward Green 202 and 606. Edward Green 888 (narrower chiseled last) take longer in my experience.


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## VincentC (May 23, 2008)

Hector Freemantle said:


> There are 3 possible remedies for this, Victor:
> 
> 1. Wear socks.
> 2. Paint the inside of the shoes red.
> 3. Invest in pair of crutches.


Oh i always wore socks, but ended up bloodstained. Did you think i didnt? No i didnt paint the inside of my shoes red, and didnt buy crutches, although i think i needed them. lol
After 5 wearings and still pain i gave them away to a friend, after wiping the blood away inside the shoe, which i didnt tell him about. He was so happy to get a free pair of shoes. But after wearing them a few times he had the same problem. For his interview he was limping into the interview room because he was in pain. He takes the same size as me as well.


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## Hector Freemantle (Aug 2, 2008)

VictorC said:


> Oh i always wore socks, but ended up bloodstained. Did you think i didnt? No i didnt paint the inside of my shoes red, and didnt buy crutches, although i think i needed them. lol
> After 5 wearings and still pain i gave them away to a friend, after wiping the blood away inside the shoe, which i didnt tell him about. He was so happy to get a free pair of shoes. But after wearing them a few times he had the same problem. For his interview he was limping into the interview room because he was in pain. He takes the same size as me as well.


There were other things you could have tried first, Victor. For example you could have softened the leather of the shoes by polishing them. I think one reason that my Herring Richmond's are now starting to be so comfortable is that they have been massaged very well with several coats of polish and after each wearing they have had a half cylinder of springy cardboard and tissue stuffed into them to return them to their original shape, I would have preferred shoe trees but cannot buy them where I live. Cardboard is my solution and it does seem to work, offering absorbency and support.


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## bigCat (Jun 10, 2005)

I see "breaking in" period, only as a time to set the shoe as your own, to get the flex points right, break the slippery surface on the sole so the shoe gets traction, etc.

It has nothing to do with stretching the shoe to fit properly. That has to be right from the get go.

Some shoes are designed to be tight and then relax a little - but the tightness should never be painful or uncomfortable in any other way.


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## Hector Freemantle (Aug 2, 2008)

hreljan said:


> I see "breaking in" period, only as a time to set the shoe as your own, to get the flex points right, break the slippery surface on the sole so the shoe gets traction, etc.
> 
> It has nothing to do with stretching the shoe to fit properly. That has to be right from the get go.
> 
> Some shoes are designed to be tight and then relax a little - but the tightness should never be painful or uncomfortable in any other way.


Agreed. But I think it's also true that leather does soften with time ( think about a watch strap) and this softer leather will offer less resistance and more comfort. I suppose thought hat there comes a time, as happens with very old shoes, when the compromise between suppleness and necessary firmness shifts so far in favor of the latter that the shoes no longer support the foot.

Incidentally, one of the reasons why I prefer Goodwear welted to Blake shoes is because of the far superior platform they provide for the foot.


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## VincentC (May 23, 2008)

Hector Freemantle said:


> There were other things you could have tried first, Victor. For example you could have softened the leather of the shoes by polishing them. I think one reason that my Herring Richmond's are now starting to be so comfortable is that they have been massaged very well with several coats of polish and after each wearing they have had a half cylinder of springy cardboard and tissue stuffed into them to return them to their original shape, I would have preferred shoe trees but cannot buy them where I live. Cardboard is my solution and it does seem to work, offering absorbency and support.


Springy cardboard? Never tried that before. Although i have stuffed some newspapers into my curent loakes that i havent worn for 7 months. I havent got shoe trees as well.
But as i got blister on the back of my foot i suppose polishing the back of the shoe would have been best i guess. Even though i didnt think polishing helped at all. Those loakes were ridiculous anyway and nothing would have broke them in. My friend threw them away after a while as well.


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## Hector Freemantle (Aug 2, 2008)

VictorC said:


> But as i got blister on the back of my foot i suppose polishing the back of the shoe would have been best i guess.


Well,it wouldn't have done any harm. But I believe the correct remedy for the problem you experienced would have been to saw off the part of the foot that was causing the blister. That would have solved the blister problem and prevented any further occurrence in that region at least. Admittedly, there can be extensive bleeding doing this and there are two options to deal with this. The first is a coat of red paint inside the shoe to disguise the blood, and the second is the purchase of a good supply of absorbent red socks. As you seem not to like the paint option, you might try the red socks. And, as you are fond of stuffing your shoe rather than 'treeing' them, you could utilize the soaked socks as 'shoe stuffers' should you experience a newsaper shortage.


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## JerseyJohn (Oct 26, 2007)

The only thing I've found that has to "break in" is the stiffness of the sole. There's a tendency at first for my heel to lift slightly because the shoe doesn't want to bend. But that goes away in a few hours. I also notice that after a few hours, I can draw the laces a little tighter as the leather warms up and the sides mold a bit to my feet. But I don't think shoes should ever be uncomfortable, and it would be a mistake to buy a pair that's too tight or loose, thinking the fit is going to improve much.


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## Brooksfan (Jan 25, 2005)

About 90 seconds. I always buy Alden, so breaking them in entails removing from the box, evening up the laces, tieing them and starting to walk.


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## Hector Freemantle (Aug 2, 2008)

Brooksfan said:


> About 90 seconds. I always buy Alden, so breaking them in entails removing from the box, evening up the laces, tieing them and starting to walk.


Wow, that's some ad for Alden! Are you saying that the shoes don't come more comfortable after a few wearings?


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## Miket61 (Mar 1, 2008)

Hector Freemantle said:


> There are 3 possible remedies for this, Victor:
> 
> 1. Wear socks.
> 2. Paint the inside of the shoes red.
> 3. Invest in pair of crutches.


Is this why many patent leather tuxedo shoes have red linings?

I remember a pair of Cable & Co. wingtips that fit beautifully in the store but required a very lengthy breaking-in period. I was pretty well hobbled the first half-dozen times I wore them.

Placing a lit firecracker inside the shoe also does wonders to make it roomier. :icon_smile_wink:


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## Hector Freemantle (Aug 2, 2008)

Miket61 said:


> Is this why many patent leather tuxedo shoes have red linings?
> 
> Placing a lit firecracker inside the shoe also does wonders to make it roomier. :icon_smile_wink:


Brilliant! :icon_smile_big:



Miket61 said:


> I remember a pair of Cable & Co. wingtips that fit beautifully in the store but required a very lengthy breaking-in period. I was pretty well hobbled the first half-dozen times I wore them.


What do you think happened to the shoe to make it feel 'broken-in'?


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## Miket61 (Mar 1, 2008)

Hector Freemantle said:


> What do you think happened to the shoe to make it feel 'broken-in'?


I'm apparently very rough on shoes. After about five years in heavy rotation, all of my shoes develop the floppiness of an over-loved pair of Bass bucs.


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## Hector Freemantle (Aug 2, 2008)

Miket61 said:


> I'm apparently very rough on shoes. After about five years in heavy rotation, all of my shoes develop the floppiness of an over-loved pair of Bass bucs.


Yes, there does come a point where broken-in becomes broken-down! From postings by people like Groover though I've gleaned that this might not be the case when one approaches the higher end of the quality shoe market. That's not a category that I've ever gone for (although I have been tempted). My upper limit for shoes is something like AEs or the Loake 1880 range.


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