A Shoe Stretching Method that Actually WORKS

This is a picture of my favorite spring shoes after six hours of graphic facilitation, but before having broken them in. Oh my word, let me tell you this was a painful, painful day. Notice my swollen ankles. What you cannot see are my squashed toes, which molded themselves into the shape of a wedge in order to fit into the arrowhead toe box of these unforgiving shoes.

Imagine my delight when I discovered this shoe stretching trick from The Improvised Life, which I tried and can tell you IT WORKS. I am today wearing these selfsame spring pumps with a floaty skirt, and am dancing around a mile of marble-paved hallways like Cyd Charisse. No more crushed toes, goodbye swollen ankles!

Here's what you do: put on your fattest pair of gym socks (two if you have a lot of stretching to do) and heat up your shoes with the hair dryer (full disclosure, I set mine on the radiator while I made breakfast). Then, while the leather (or pleather, in the case of my pink patent shoes) is HOT, jam your stockinged feet into the shoe and wear 'em till they cool down. Take the gym socks off and test. Repeat, if you have to, until they feel like your favorite slippers. Do a little twirl, skip and jump!