Author: shoelabworld

Shoes that induce blisters are never the best way to enjoy new footwear. But that’s the price many girls pay when they want to stay fabulous. In this entry, we’ll teach you how to break into new shoes without suffering a whole lot of pain.

Use Shoe Stretching Tools

The best way to stretch your shoes is by using tools  to do it instead of your feet. Shoe stretchers are made take form of your feet so that you’re not in pain the next time you wear them. Don’t believe us? It’s true, you can actually expand the tool to the length and width you want it to be.

General ways to use shoe stretchers: 

1. Some tools need a liquid spray that will come with the product. If this is the case, use it as directed. 
2. Place the tool inside the shoes.
3. Turn the knob so that it expands to your desired size.
4. Repeat the process as often as possible.

Your Blow Dryer Will Do

We’re not kidding about this! If you want those small shoes to fit, all you need are thick socks, and a blow dryer. Try the following steps for a successful project:

1. Wear thick socks and then wear the shoes.
2. Using the hottest setting, blast the dryer toward the areas where it’s tight. Try not to be too close as it can burn you.
3. All the while, wiggle and move your feet while you continue blow drying.
4. Walk around with the shoes, and repeat the steps until you’ve reached your desired form.

Ah, spring 2017. While it’s still in the middle of winter, we can’t help but feel excited for the fashion trends of spring. There’s something so promising about its season that we had to stop and think about its interesting concepts. Upon research, we have been seeing a few notable trends that are worth mentioning.

Lace Wrapped

Whether they’re flats or sandals, laces are now a thing. They put emphasis on sophistication as you see lace going up on the ankle. They’re adorable and rather mesmerizing.

We’re not just talking about gladiator style shoes either. We’re talking about straps in general. And we think that this is actually an interesting style as it helps women walk comfortably. So in a way, this trend is truly appreciated, and we’re hoping that its reception is as successful as their debut at fashion week.

Hello, Platforms

Remember in the 90s when platforms were a thing? Well, they’re back. They come in a variety of heights and styles. From fashion week, they were at a wooden take, with leather finishes all hail from Gucci.

We have seen a lot of different styles from half inch platforms to six inches in height. Whatever you think about them, you’ll see them more often in the streets. Or at least we hope so!

Kitten Heels

Gone are days of six-inch heels that made all girls crawl at the end of the night. Kitten heels are back, and we hope that they do for a very long time! They’re easy to wear with little to no discomfort! With a touch of spring 2017 trends, they’re back and sleeker than ever.

What are your thoughts on shoe trends for spring 2017? Are there any ones that grabbed your attention? If so, tell us in the comments below!

Every year, people make it a goal in taking care of their health to kick start the new year. If you’re one of these people, pledging for healthy feet should be a priority. We don’t often think about our feet until an issue arises, and then we start to value them. Don’t let this happen to you! This coming year, make it an effort to care for your feet with the following habits.

Walk More Often

The simplest way to exercise is by walking. There is no special equipment to attain this, and you can do it in any given weather. For the overall body, it’s the best way to stay fit. As little as 20-30 minutes, a day can maintain your body’s shape without straining your feet!

Lose the Extra Weight

Okay, this is pretty much on everyone’s New Year’s resolution, but we think this important to highlight. Why? The less weight you have, the better it is on your feet. This is especially important for people who have to stand all day long. If you’re already at your optimal weight, we suggest to maintain it! Always keep your feet healthy for the next years to come.

Visit Your Doctor

You owe it to your feet to receive regular check-ups. Why? Your feet is an important part of your body that lets you move to wherever you need to go. If you already have a foot condition, this is not the time to skip your appointment with a podiatrist. So remember always to take care of your feet!

Fashion Week from New York to Paris has been hitting the blogosphere like wildfire. Everyone wants to know what are the latest fashion trends to watch out for. Prints, colors, and styles are some things to consider when you want the latest shoes in your closet. The following are trends we’ve seen for the fall and winter collection. Trust us; there is a pattern here.

Ankle Booties

Knee-high boots have been paving the way for ankle boots. This is all in good spirit as ankle boots are comfortable and provides the right balance of comfort. Also, they’re small enough so that you can still show off some legs! Wear them with some ankle-high tight jeans or rock them with a dress.

Classic Pumps

After observing runway shows, the classic pumps has been making a come back in 2016. They’re perfect to pair with flared trousers, cropped pants, leather leggings and more. In 2015, thick and thin heeled pumped set the stage for shoes when they were seen everywhere. Still, classic pumps are no longer the standard. They’re embellished with beads, accent designs and much more. So, when you want to add them to your collection, don’t be afraid to go out of your comfort zone.

Lace Up

The runways for spring and summer were filled with lace up footwear mesmerizing us with gladiator-style influences. They were a huge hit with the public as many people purchased them to incorporate with their outfit. Luckily, these shoes are in new form, and we can still enjoy them during the cold season.

It seems that every month there is a new fashion trend that takes the internet by storm. High waisted jeans, crop tops, and knee-high boots are some the most breakthrough fashion statements that have surfaced. Keeping up with all of these trends can cost tons of money and can cost you space in your closet! Some clothes may seem to get tucked away and never see outside of your closet doors. Instead of falling to the habit of feeling like you have to have the latest clothes, try incorporating these fashion habits into your next shopping spree and overall fashion lifestyle.

Remember What You Have Already

It can be hard to pass through a mall and see all of the newest and cutest clothes sitting on the racks with sale signs everywhere. However try to resist these temptations, satisfy that craving of buying new clothes and see if you can make new outfits with the clothes you already have! Mix and match different shirts and pants together and see what you can create. This will make a shirt you may not worn for a while into an almost new shirt!

Recycle

When you transition from the different seasons, you may think that you’ll have to throw or give away old clothes because you aren’t going to be wearing them! You don’t have to give away old clothes for that reason at all, you can recycle that. Make those old pairs of jeans into shorts or cut up that old t-shirt into a cute racerback tank top. The possibilities are endless and you won’t have to go shopping to get those cute new shorts because you just made a pair yourself!

Care For Your Clothes

If you find yourself going through articles of clothing left and right because they are fading, have fabric bumps on them, or shrink it might be caused from your laundry routine. Since clothing is made from all sorts of different materials, you shouldn’t mix and match those materials with others. When the clothes rub together in the washer and dryer it creates friction between the clothes therefore ruining that article of clothing. Also pay attention to the tags on delicate materialed shirts, pants, or dresses, some should not go in the washer and should be hand washed and dried. Doing these little extra steps will help keep your clothes lasting longer physically and creatively.

2016 has become the year of retrograde and throwback trends from the 80s and 90s decade. We have seen everything from the crop top to high waisted jeans roll back into our closets, but what about the shoes? There is so much to be talked about when it comes to the completion of an outfit. So what are the shoes and accessories you need to be wearing this fall to keep your outfits trendy and everyone jealous? We’ve listed four that will make you worthy of New York’s Fashion Week!

Doc Martins

These leather based boots were all the craze in the 90s and they are back! With hundreds of colors, designs, and styles you can wear these comfortable, heel-raised, lace-up boots with your favorite sweater dress and tights or those high-waisted jeans and bomber jacket!

Over-The-Knee Boots

Although ankle boots have been quite the style staple for sometime now, it’s time to break out the almost pant like boot! Over-The-Knee boots are the perfect pairing having t-shirt and sweater dresses that need a bold statement without leggings or tights. You can go lace-up or suede, either one brings a subtle fall look!

Sweater Socks

Boots can be boring even though they can make your outfit stand-out, maybe it is time to give your boots the attention they deserve. Peek-a-boo sweater socks are the perfect way to do that! Without being extremely thick, these type of socks come in hundreds of colors and patterns to match your boots and outfit, but also keep your feet cozy warm!

Knitted Headbands

It can be difficult to not only keep yourself warm during harsh winters, but look cute in addition to that. Your ears can be cold and that hoodie just doesn’t perform at it’s best. What’s the solution, knitted headbands. The cutest and warmest thing you can wrap around your head will present a fashion icon when you walk outside your doors! These accessories will complete your outfit from head-to-toe…literally!

Connection to rocks is a climber’s dependency to safety. Along with connection are climbing shoes that provide comfort and leverage. The following is an explanation of the importance of good climbing shoes for those getting into the game.

What is Rock Climbing?

Rock climbing is a type of sport with lots of variations. Climbers move upwards to different kind of stones. They do it in a variety of ways whether it’s a short or long route. Some activities can take minutes while others can take days. Because of such variations, climbing shoes are designed to fit the need for the climber. Each niche can cater to one or more of the following: traditional, sport, overhangs, cracks, big walls, gym, bouldering, and approach. The demands are unique for each one.

Beginners and Rock Climbing

It is suggested that beginners start at a pace that they are most comfortable with. It is advisable to work in a less aggressive manner to prevent injuries. An expert’s recommendation to shoes: medium stiffness, rounded toe and neutral in shape. Using other climbing shoes may pose difficulties which is why users need to stick to the suggestion. Otherwise, they’ll focus on the pain inflicted by the footwear instead of the activity ahead.

Explanation on Climbing Shoes

Those who are interested in vertical climbing should invest in rock climbing shoes. The level of fractions is provided by “sticky rubber” of the sole which helps climbers to balance on black rocks.

For high performance, the shoes tend to snug on the feet. Interestingly enough, they are worn without socks for stability. While all climbing shoes are different, there are important factors to consider: climbing fit, shape, stiffness, toe box, stretch, material, and closure.

Out of all the articles of clothing we wear, our shoes have the most wear and tear to them. They are exposed to physical activity, dirt, water, concrete, just about anything that is on the ground, our shoes get it all.

This causes the shoes not to last as long as they should, or is that our fault? Should we be taking extra steps to care for our shoes better? We know we should because having to buy a new pair of tennis shoes or sandals every six months is not ideal.

To solve this problem, these are five ways to help make your shoes last longer.

• Protect the Soles: This part of the shoe takes most of the abuse throughout the day! If you are in a profession where you are constantly on your feet, or you walk everywhere, consider giving your sole some protection with sole protectors! You can find them for any shoe, and they are made to be comforting for you to wear.

• Spray with Water Repellent: Waterproofing shoes can be beneficial for two reasons. One it allows you to be able to rinse off any salt residue that you might find which can result in an impossible stain to get out. Two it keeps the material the shoe is made of clean and intact. This is especially crucial with suede shoes which are prone to water stains.

• Don’t Use Washing Machines: It may be tempting, efficient, and easier just to throw your dirty sneakers into the washer and dryer to give a clean. However, this damages the rubber and structure of the shoe. Putting it through a rough turbine in the washer followed by intense heat and tumbling in the dryer is doing more harm than good. Simply use an old toothbrush to scrub away stains, then put them in the sun to dry.

• Use a Shoe Horn: When putting on a pair of shoes with any heel collar, it will most likely suffer extreme crunching. Having to wiggle your fingers between your foot and the collar to get fully into the shoe and unfold the collar to its shape is damaging and wears on the shoe. Using a shoe horn to slide your foot effortlessly into the shoe while maintaining the heel collar is easy and keeps the shoe in good condition.

• Moisturize: We know it sounds funny, but trust us, this will save any leather shoe you have. Leather shoes have the tendency to dry out. This is how creases and cracks are created in this type of material. If you notice your expensive leather boots or dress shoes are becoming cracked or creased, go to the shoe store and pick up some leather moisturizer to keep your leather shoes looking fresh and young!

Suede shoes are fashionable, soft, and VERY delicate, which can make them very intimidating to clean. They have a higher rate of getting ruined, especially if they are exposed to water.

Like any shoe, they are prone to stains, scratches and dirts whenever worn outside of your closet. It is important to clean them every so often to ensure the longevity of your beloved suede shoes by following these cleaning procedures to a tee.

Cleaning the Suede

Suede is not like a normal material so you cannot use a normal bristled brush to clean them. Using abrasive pressure will ruin the shoes immediately. Invest in a suede cleaning brush and soft nylon brush for a cleaning process below.

• Crumple old newspapers, paper, or even paper towels and insert into the toe of the shoe. This will allow the shoe to maintain it’s shape while you are cleaning it.

• Softly brush dirt and dried mud from the material of the shoe using suede cleaning brush mentioned above. Go with the fibers of the shoe and not against as that will also destroy the material.

• If there are stubborn marks and nicks that aren’t coming out with the brush, use a rubber cleaning stone or suede eraser on the area.

• For the final step, use the nylon brush to buff and revive the material back to it’s naturally soft touch.

If you wear these shoes often, we suggest putting them into a protected covered area in your closet. If you have the original shoe box, great! If not use whatever box you can find, wrap the shoes in light airy tissue paper to keep them free of dirt and ready for their next outing!

Leather boots are a fashion icon, giving any outfit a bold and fierce statement. Anywhere from a night out or in a profession, it is important to take care of your boots to prevent the possible wear and tear. Boots are made with different types of leather which call for different ways of cleaning them.

Your boots can either be finished or unfinished, which can be tested by placing a small amount of leather cleaner onto the boot. If the cleaner sits on the surface, the boot is finished; if it is absorbed, the boot is unfinished. But no matter the finish, this is how you clean leather boots and how to keep them clean for the future.

• Get rid of dirt: A long day of working, commuting, or partying can cause your beloved leather boots to become dirty and worn down. To keep the appearance of your boots looking fresh, clean, and new, we suggest brushing off any dirt from the surface of your boots. Using a soft bristled brush, carefully wipe away visible dirt to prevent scratching and degrading of the leather

• Wipe with water: Using a soft damp cloth, wipe down the boot. This will clean up any possible remnants of dirt, dust, or grime. Water does not damage leather so you can wipe down the boot as much as you need. Once done, dry it off with a dry cloth.

• Oil/Polish Boots: On this step, you must adjust according to the type of finish your boot has. Your finished leather boots should be polished, and unfinished leather boots oiled. A cloth or foam applicator will be beneficial to the boot material, allowing them to absorb the oil or polish the best.

• Repeat: Depending on how many times you wear these boots and for what occasion, it is important to repeat the process of these steps. If you wear the boots frequently, we suggest every five wears to do the cleaning process. However, if it is once in awhile then consider once a month!

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