Hi,
I’m just wondering if anyone has experienced a similar problem? I recently have purchased used DMS parade shoes, only problem is I am experiencing pain whilst walking just above the toe cap are where the leather usually would crease. Is this a common problem and how can I get around it.
Thanks!
There might well be a “settling in” period while the shoes adjust to the shape of your feet.
Two old-fashioned options that have worked for shoes / boots with areas of leather that make the feet sore.
Soak the entire shoe (submerged) in warm water until the leather is completely saturated. (you could do this with it on your foot - make sure it’s outside to avoid upsetting your family with wet floor / carpet!!). If not wearing it, drain off the excess water for about 10-15 mins - put shoe on. Then walk around in it for a couple of hrs so it can “bed” to the shape of your foot. Leave to dry with pieces of newspaper / kitchen towel stuffed inside (change these every now & then) until the shoe has dried out.
Stuff some socks firmly into the shoe by area that makes your foot sore. Whack the leather for a couple of mins to soften up the material - don’t use a massive hammer or one that will scratch the leather.
Option (1) is more likely to get a better fit but takes longer.
You can get toe crease protectors (if that is the right name for them) quite cheaply online. They are designed to stop trainers creasing around that area - the vamp.
They’re plastic so they can cause some discomfort as well, but fabric tape or a plaster holding it in place helps with that.
It’s also possible if you’re getting a lot of discomfort, that the shoes are too small?
The toe cap has been beeswaxed as they are grade 1 used parade shoes. I’m unsure if this is contributing to the problem and also don’t really want to crack the beeswaxed to cap with the hammer method.
Sounds like your feet and the previous owner’s feet simply “flexed” differently.
The existing crease points are the results of breaking into suit the former owner.
As @MikeJenvey suggested - it sounds like you’re just breaking them in to suit your feet…
If you’re 100% sure that they have been beeswaxed (“grade 1 parade DMS shoes wouldn’t normally be beeswaxed - rubber sole = too much flexibility compared to leather sole), then you going to just have to wear the shoes in & warm them up naturally to help soften things up. Even just wearing them while sitting around will help.