Toes collapses on leather shoes... how to deal?

[cazzzidy]

Hey folks,

First time poster here - been lurking for a long time.

I wear various quality leather dress shoes pretty much full time - working in the office, going dancing, taking walks, working in the shop, etc. Most of my shoes, even my precious pair of ferragamos, have pretty hard lives. I guess it's okay cause I buy em cheap on ebay.

Anyhow, almost every pair, after being worn for three to five months, will get the dreaded "toe collapse." Let me describe the condition - the tip of the toe of the shoe will collapse down to be flat with the sole, only bumping back to the shape of a normal shoe tip where my toe actually begins. It basically creates a straight crease across the front of the shoe, about 1/2" from the tip, running perpendicular to the shoes length. It looks awful because it ruins the graceful form of the shoe and makes the leather crinkly. This happens to loafers, cap toes, boots, whatever... even when I keep them in shoe trees.

My question is - does this happen to anyone else and why does it happen?

My hypotheses are:

- Shoe fitment issues. My feet are wider than normal, so sometimes I wear a shoe that is slightly too long for my foot. Maybe a half inch between my toe and the front of the shoe. Isn't that normal though? No ones foot actually conforms to the shape of the shoe perfectly and totally fills the toe space, right? But most people don't get the front of the shoe collapsing around the shape of their foot....

- Wierd gate. I think when I take a step, I push off with my trailing foot. I suppose this might cause the toe portion of the shoe to deform with every step.

Any solutions? Can I reinforce the shoes in some manner to prevent this from happening? Should I see a physical therapist to learn to walk again?

Thanks all,

Cassidy

 

[lee_44106]

are you using shoetrees?

 

[z7f9q]

Can't say I've had the toe-box collapse on a shoe before, but perhaps I don't put the same sort of wear on them. I'd be interested in hearing what the answer to this is, but there's always the possibility that its a mix of factors (fit, stride) that are causing it.

 

[onix]

picture >> 1000s words

 

[cazzzidy]

Here's 4000 words worth. Devastating toe box collapse on two of my favorite pairs:

 

[lee_44106]

Originally Posted by lee_44106

are you using shoetrees?

Originally Posted by cazzzidy

Here's 4000 words worth. Devastating toe box collapse on two of my favorite pairs:

nevermind. obvious you do not take care of your shoes.

buy new ones, that'll eliminate the problem.

 

[cazzzidy]

Thanks for the dismissive judgments, sir.

I actually use shoe trees every night.

I wear my shoes hard. I ride a motorcycle, wear them in the rain, walk several miles a day in them. I polish and wax regularly but because I wear stylish shoes all the time, I am forced to replace them more frequently. Thats the price I pay for always looking good.

This problem may be related to wearing the shoes a lot. But please don't accuse me of not taking care of them. This problem arises immediately with almost every pair I own. My ferragamos have survived the longest, probably because the leather is the most rigid and thick.

Maybe I should also add that I have extremely long toes - probably 1.5 to 2x longer than average.

Any one with similar experiences?

Cassidy

 

[alliswell]

Hard use and cheaply constructed shoes, especially if the fit is not perfect, will do this to you. Look for a more substantial shoe or don't sweat it.

Also, while everyone understands what you mean, fitment is not a word correctly used of clothes. It means 'piece of furniture'.

 

[DWFII]

this kind of collapse can be attributed to any number of things.

Start with construction...these are obviously not very expensive shoes and probably have a celastic toe stiffener (a common enough practice/material even in most high end RTW). But there are various grades of celastic and some celastics are more of a promise than a reality in terms of actually stiffening the toe area.

It is also widely recognized, in shoemaking texts, that three full sizes is the required clearance from the end of the toe of the foot to the end of the last...which in this case would translate to the inside of the shoe. So, half an inch is too little. And this may be contributing also as creases that would normally be somewhat set back from the end of the shoe (and from the toe stiffener) are now moved forwards such that normal walking will begin to break down the stiffener.

I would suspect from the minimal information provided that you are buying your shoes too short and too frugally.

Edit: I apologize...I meant to include the fact that one full size is generally recognized as one third of an inch (at least in the English and US sizing scales) so three full sizes would equal one inch.

 

[Sanguis Mortuum]

Get a better dancing partner.

 

[cazzzidy]

Great thoughts.

So are mid level Florsheim and Johnston & Murphy (the shoes pictured above) considered too low end and prone to this type of trouble? I always assumed that any shoe over $150 should at least take some months of wear before losing shape as badly as this.

Besides Ferragamo, where should I focus my attention?

 

[onix]

Originally Posted by cazzzidy

Great thoughts.

So are mid level Florsheim and Johnston & Murphy (the shoes pictured above) considered too low end and prone to this type of trouble? I always assumed that any shoe over $150 should at least take some months of wear before losing shape as badly as this.

Besides Ferragamo, where should I focus my attention?

Florsheim & J&M are not considered to be well constructed shoes. Here will be an initial list of shoe makers:

http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/T...seyOnShoes.htm

 

[InsBrokerTX]

More important than the price of the shoes, I suggest buying shoes that fit properly.

 

[bigbris1]

That comes from downshifting.

 

[oroy38]

Originally Posted by bigbris1

That comes from downshifting.

It's on one of the right-foot shoes too.