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Originally posted by Arch Anglo Catholic:
I 'rotate' my pairs of shoes, never wearing one pair for more than a day at a time, and they last much better.
I have four pairs and the four will last about 5-7 years. Good shoes will stand re-soling regularly and do require regular cleaning and polishing, but you do get what you pay for!

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Originally posted by Hazey*Jane:

Depends on your style, but I've found Doc Martens of all varieties to be extremely durable. The soles last very well even with lots of walking. I miss having them in my wardrobe at the moment.

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I think Docs used to be really durable - I have a pair that I got second-hand from my cousin more than twenty years ago,which are still fine (and they're the vegan ones, not even leather), but I bought a pair of [url= http://www.drmartens.com/uk//Men%252527s-Boots/Dr-Martens-939-Ben-Boot/p/11292001]these[/url] in February for work, thinking they'd be worth the money and last. Stupid. It rained yesterday, and I ended up with wet feet. The sole has split in the middle where it's glued, so there's a gap. They're still wet today, and I'm working today, so I will spend the whole shift with wet feet, and I can't afford to replace them at the moment.
Not impressed.

On a totally different note - how's about Godzilla heels?

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"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." (Mark Twain)

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Originally posted by Tree Bee:
I bought these sandals in the blue colourway last Saturday and look forward to wearing them. They are comfy and oh so pretty.

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Originally posted by Gwai:
Some people though are saying that shoes get more uses when they are worn less often.

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I'm sorry if this has already been answered; I didn't get to finish reading before I responded.

I used to sell shoes, and being the nerd that I am I read up on the subject so I could sell more.

Shoes need to dry out after each wearing. Even though it may be freezing outside, and even if your shoes fit snugly, there's always a bit of friction inside between foot and sock and shoe, and that causes heat, and that causes perspiration. Also, I think I remember reading that something like a quarter of all your sweat glands are in your feet -- but don't quote me on that. Still, you shoes absorb this moisture (especially if your socks are doing their job correctly and wicking it away from your skin), and so need time to dry out. One way you can reduce the amount of moisture is to wear a good wicking sock. Try wool, if you haven't already -- yes, even in summer. They're pretty awesome. And soft.

Another reason is that a shoe bends every time you take a step. This constant bending back and forth begins to wear out the materials. Leather can take it a lot longer than many other materials, but the glues and stitches that attach the uppers to the lowers generally cannot (and that's also where the constant moisture starts to work first).

I buy the best pair I can possibly afford (and will stretch just to buy the good ones), because with shoes it seems that you get what you pay for. Merrells and Clarks have always worked very well for me, but I don't need a special size. I also start looking for sales before I actually need a new pair, so that I have more time to shop. Then the oldest "good" pair I have gets relegated to yard work and the yard pair gets thrown away.

Whether you end up with two pair or one, you can buy shoe trees to put in them when you aren't wearing them. I invested in cedar because the wood helps dry them better and helps get rid of any odor. I'm particularly careful to put them in my dress shoes. It helps them keep their shape, too. If you get your shoes especially wet, put them in a warm place (but not hot) and stuff newspaper inside. Change the paper once or twice if needed, and then put them away when they're dry to the touch. If the insoles come out, pull them out as well. Never put shoes in the dryer unless they're the yard shoes, because the heat will melt the insole and glues.

And that's way, way more than you ever wanted to know about shoes.

ETA: I wouldn't reccommend this for shoes you intend to wear more than once a week or so, but you can actually get shoes stretched. We used to have a stretcher in the stockroom and could do it in anywhere between a few minutes to overnight, depending on the amount needed. It generally only works with leather shoes, though, and can't change the length. But if you absolutely must have that pair of pumps for a wedding or weekly business meeting and simply cannot find your size, try a stretch.

[ 16. May 2015, 00:46: Message edited by: Barefoot Friar ]

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Do your little bit of good where you are; its those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world. -- Desmond Tutu

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Originally posted by Heavenly Anarchist:
I'm amazed that a Barefoot Friar wears shoes, let alone sells them

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We all have our worldly temptations, don't we?

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Do your little bit of good where you are; its those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world. -- Desmond Tutu

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Originally posted by The Intrepid Mrs S:
Mrs. S, no-one hates shoe shopping more than me

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Originally posted by The Intrepid Mrs S:
I wear a lot of Pavers or FlyFlot shoes and sandals, especially the clog/mule type as that saves me from having badly rubbed heels.

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Originally posted by Drifting Star:

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Originally posted by The Intrepid Mrs S:
Mrs. S, no-one hates shoe shopping more than me

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We should go shoe shopping together. We could glance in the direction of the shoe shop and then go and have coffee instead.

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Originally posted by Yangtze:
Presumably not just that the heels or soles have worn down because shoes can be re-heeled and re-soled.

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Originally posted by Gwai:
...re-soled for $40...

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Yikes. Round here it's about £10 for re-soling and £5 for re-heeling.

(Actually I think I paid £18 for re-soling one pair recently but there was something special about them, though I forget what right now! Maybe the pair with an actual hole in the sole.)

[ 19. May 2015, 20:09: Message edited by: Yangtze ]

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Arthur & Henry Ethical Shirts for Men
organic cotton, fair trade cotton, linen

Sometimes I wonder What's for Afters?

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Originally posted by Lamb Chopped:
I own one pair of tennis shoes (trainers, whatever) and one pair of decent-for-funerals shoes. That's it, bar a pair of ballet slippers. The reason is that the forefront of my foot (you know, the bit that's supposed to be covered by the tongue and laces of a tennis shoe?) is about an inch higher than normal people's. Which means that unless the shoe has virtually no upper, it will crash against the bone there and hurt like hell. What do you call that, tall-footed? thick-footed? Whatever it is, it's a disaster for a woman who is required to wear non-laced closed toes work-formal shoes (i.e. pumps). I go straight to the men's department and most of those don't work either.

This is all made much much worse by the fact that I have to wear custom orthotics in my shoes, which raises the height of the foot one inch more. My mother says I should just wear the shoebox and be done with it. Thanks, Mom.

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Lamb Chopped There are laws against that kind of behaviour in the EU, though they are not always rigorously enforced.

Penny S:

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Could women faced with dress codes that demand unsuitable shoes cite elfin safety and submit papers on the damage that ensues from incorrect footwear, pointing out that employers wouldn't really want legal cases about it, would they?

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Originally posted by Jane R:
Lamb Chopped There are laws against that kind of behaviour in the EU, though they are not always rigorously enforced.

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Originally posted by Firenze:
In fact this one and this.

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Really hope that they give you happy feet, Firenze!

Mrs S, who will feel guilty if they don't

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Don't get your knickers in a twist over your advancing age. It achieves nothing and makes you walk funny.
Prayer should be our first recourse, not our last resort
'Lord, please give us patience. NOW!'

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Originally posted by OliviaCA:
I did have a pair of red leather kickers ...

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Originally posted by Lamb Chopped:

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Originally posted by OliviaCA:
I did have a pair of red leather kickers ...

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Of course I read this as red leather knickers...

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Originally posted by Penny S:

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Originally posted by Lamb Chopped:

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Originally posted by OliviaCA:
I did have a pair of red leather kickers ...

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Of course I read this as red leather knickers...

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I think I may have seen a pair of those in M&S sale yesterday.

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Originally posted by Firenze:

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Originally posted by Penny S:

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Originally posted by Lamb Chopped:

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Originally posted by OliviaCA:
I did have a pair of red leather kickers ...

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Of course I read this as red leather knickers...

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I think I may have seen a pair of those in M&S sale yesterday.

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Sure it wasn't a S&M sale?

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:lol
... :rofl!
... ...
.

[ 23. May 2015, 13:05: Message edited by: OliviaCA ]