# New shoes hurting near toes from creasing - advice?



## SKooT1027 (Jun 6, 2008)

I purchased a pair of AE Bel Air's about 2 months ago, and only recently started wearing them. I wore them about 2 weeks ago and they were pretty good aside from some normal discomfort for breaking in new shoes. Today I put them back on (only the second time wearing them) and as I walk, I get what feels like a sharp, almost cutting, pain in my right foot. It's on the inside top part of my big toe and it's from the way the shoe is creasing there. I dont have this problem with my left foot.

Is this something I should just tough through, and as I wear them more the leather will soften up and stop doing this? Or will this not get any better and should I consider just selling the shoes?


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## jwa_jwa_jwa (Jul 13, 2010)

I bought a pair of Cognac Florsheim shoes back during the Labor day sale and experienced similar discomfort during my first 2 or 3 wears. I attributed this to breaking them in. Unfortunately, after wears 4, 5 and 6, I could sense a tightness around my toes on both shoes that was unpleasant.
What made this even worse is that when I bought these shoes, I bought 2 other pairs in the same model/style only in a different color and they fit fine.
I called the store where I bought them and explained the situation. The manager (John at the Penssylvania Florsheim outlet) was understanding and very professional. He asked for me to return them and said he would send them back to the factory and see what they had to say about it.
This was about a week ago but suffice it to say, there might be some anomaly in the construction of the shoe that's hurting your feet. AE's customer service is great about customer satisfaction. I'd recommend you explain this to them and return them.


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## dwebber18 (Jun 5, 2008)

Yeah if they are bothering you they are either made incorrectly, you got the wrong size for those shoes or that last is way off for you. There is no need to be in pain with your shoes, and AEs customer service is very good. Call them and explain whats going wrong, I'm sure you will be taken care of very well.


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

This does sometimes happen with cap-toes, especially where the leather of the vamp/non-cap is especially soft. The edge of the cap cap be quite stiff in comparison, and when it bends it can bite the top of your toes. FWIW, every pair I've ever had with this issue did break in and become comfortable.


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## SKooT1027 (Jun 6, 2008)

The shoes are 10EEE. I have a very wide foot, but this seems to be my normal size. I got 2 walden loafers in 10EEE and they're actually still a bit narrow. The Park Ave fits in 10EEE pretty well. My thought is maybe they're a bit too wide or a bit too long, but I've had shoes that were too small before and err on the larger size if I have to pick between the two.

What options would I have if I wanted to exchange them toward a different shoe? I didn't purchase these from an AE store, but rather from an online reseller. They've been worn outside, so obviously I cannot return them to the online store.

I'm tempted to try putting on some heavy socks (like wool snowboarding socks) and walking around my apartment in these for a while to try to break them in while cushioning my feet.


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## David_E (Apr 18, 2010)

If your sure returning this is not an option, you might try applying a generous amount of shoe cream to soften the leather near wear its creasing so it flexes more gently over a larger area rather than folding sharply. I've used mink oil on boots before to soften them but I'd see if a more shoe smart poster responds - I would hate for you to ruin a pair of AE based on my recommendation. Also, depending on how soft the leather is, you might try massaging it by hand or getting it to form a crease in a different, less painful position. You might also see if the vendor will do an exchange even if they won't do a return.


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