Stopping Scratchy Shoes
OH Wise Shoe Guru,
I have a brand new pair of beautiful black Anne Taylor heels. I love them so! However, they are scratchy, on the inside. I can’t wear them with pantyhose or they pull and rip them. They are completely comfortable and I thought that I found my new winter shoe.The only part that is bad is the edge. Is there any way to soften the part that sits around your ankle area so that it won’t pull at your hosiery? They are expensive-ish shoes and I hate to never wear them, but I also hate to ruin a pair of knee highs, or thigh highs or normal old pantyhose every time I wear them.
Help me salvage these shoes from a dusty life in the back of my closet!
Thanks,
Scratchy Ankles
Ugh. Hate shoes like that. My ankles are soooo sensitive to scratchy seams like the ones you described — forget hosiery, they rip my skin to shreds and ow. Ow! I always rub my finger around the inside of the shoe before I buy it (or right after it arrives all shiny and new from Zappos), and if I notice any raised seams or bumps along the ankle, they go right back from whence they came. It’s usually a sign of a defect or just a poorly-made shoe.
But! I know how true shoe love can make you blind to defects or wear a shoe that you know will only hurt you in a few hours. It’s like my relationship with Ikea, I suppose. I just went there this weekend and spent a fortune on a lumpy sleeper sofa and curtain holdbacks that don’t actually hold my curtains back and the glass in the RIBBA frame cracked when I tried to insert a picture but oh my God, I got the cutest barstools for my kitchen. Jason says they are wobbly, but I think that’s just because he’s fat.
Suggestions for you and your scratchy shoes:
1) Try sanding down the scratchy parts with an emery board or even some sandpaper. If it’s excess material or mis-aligned leather that’s causing the problem, I think this should help.
2) If that doesn’t work, try some moleskin. It’s very thin, fleecy soft cotton with adhesive on the back. Dr. Scholl’s makes it. I’m not sure how well it would stick to the outside of pantyhose, but you could possibly use it on the actual shoe. Basically MacGuyver-up your own non-scratchy shoe lining.
3) If NEITHER of these ideas work, take the shoes to a cobbler and explain the problem. Although I bet the first thing they’ll try is some sandpaper, but perhaps an experienced shoe sandpaper-er — one who is not blinded by shoe love and is willing to get a little rough and slap those shoes around a little bit — might be able to help.
