Every Girl Needs A...

Good cobbler, especially if you're a shoe luving gal.  I'm sure I am not the only one who has bought shoes purely on it's looks.  And for some reason most of the prettiest looking shoes are also the most uncomfortable shoes.

I picked up these Balmain shoes because of the asymmetrical  vamp. At that time, I had never seen an asymmetrical vamp, and thought this would be a nice detail. For the 5 mins I was walking around the store, they seemed really comfy, so I purchased them. I was even tempted to buy the brown pair, thank god I didn't.

Asymmetrical Vamp

These were quite possibly one of the most uncomfortable pair of heels I had ever purchased.  These are what I was call a pair of driving shoes.  And by driving shoes, I mean shoes that are meant to be worn directly from the car to the restaurant (assuming I did not park too far).  The problem with these shoes were, I constantly felt like I was going to loose my shoe every time I took a step. Plus there really wasn't much arch support.  I tried the heel grips and shoe pads, and they failed to work.  And from experience, I'm not a fan of these quick fixes, they often don't work or make the shoes more uncomfortable.

So I decided to bring them to a cobbler for some advice, turns out this pair of shoes there was no arch support because the shoe itself was very narrow. It was so narrow that they couldn't add any thing for arch support since it will just ruin the shape of the shoe. These pumps also had a very shallow heel, which is why foot kept slipping out.

Their solution, was adding cork padding to the balls of the shoe so my foot wouldn't slip forward.  I know what you're all thinking; those foot petal thingys would achieve the same thing.  But trust me, they do not because I tried and this cork padding is so much better. I  find when you use the foot petal padding although it does prevent your feet from sliding forward, but often your toes are pinched in all different areas. The perks of the corking padding, is that the cobbler can basically customize the padding.  They can add or shave down the padding until they fit you perfectly.

The cobbler removes the insole lining of your shoe and glues on the cork padding

Plus, the padding will never be visible

The only annoying thing about this, is that it may involve multiple trips to the cobbler.  The reason being is that once they add the padding, the cobbler will recommend you take the shoes back and wear them for a bit to see if they're comfy. If they're still uncomfortable, they can make any necessary adjustments before they glue the insole lining back down.  Once the insole lining is glue back down, there is no turning back! So you better make sure of the fit

These once unbearable pair  shoes suddenly  became a very comfortable pair of shoes! The cork padding was so great, I actually had the same thing done to another pair of shoes that I had the same issues with.

A good cobbler can save your shoes or at least make them wearable!

♥ Viv