A good pair of designer shoes can pretty much last a lifetime, provided you take good care of them. Follow a few simple maintenance rules from the minute you buy them: Treat them with either a weather-protector or a leather conditioner before you even wear them for the first time. Keep them in the dust bag whenever you're not wearing them, to protect them from light and heat that can fade and crack the leather over time. And guard your soles from city sidewalks with Grippy Steps or some other kind of sole protector.
Provided you've done all of that, a yearly trip to your local cobbler should keep them looking like new for quite a while. Most shoe catastrophes fall into a few (easily solvable) problem categories: If the nail head of the heel is starting to poke through, take them in to get new heel tips put on, which is a relatively cheap and easy process I recommend for any shoe that's had some wear and tear. If the sole is starting to separate from the shoe, ask for it to be stitched, not glued, back on. It's more intensive and expensive, but well worth it when we're talking Italian shoes. If your shoe upper has scratches and scuffs, try working them out with saddle soap or leather conditioner and a soft rag.
Of course, a good defense is the best offense when it comes to taking care of your shoes. If you've already been treating your Sergio Rossis like an old pair of trainers for years, they might be beyond help. I'd take them to the cobbler and let him have a look and see if the "ragged" heel can, in fact, be fixed. And next time you buy an expensive pair of heels, treat them like the little works of art they are!
by Tracey Lomrantz
No comments:
Post a Comment