Yet one of those tips that are obvious to many of you, but I’ve noticed that surprisingly many still do wrong about this. It’s about ensuring that you tighten the laces/buckles on the shoes properly so that the feet is held in place as they should in the shoe.
This is a topic I’ve mentioned briefly in an earlier post for about a year and a half ago on the Swedish version of Shoegazing, but since I started consulting for Italigente and do trunk shows and other things with them I’ve helped many to try out shoes myself, and then I have realized that it’s even more common than I thought, and therefore think it is worth a separate post.
The lacing of shoes is a brilliant design that allows us to completely individually tighten the shoes so that they sit so well and comfortably as possible. Especially shoes with five pairs of eyelets or more have excellent possibilities for it, but fewer are of course also functional. Buckles on for example monk shoes are more limited, but in most cases you are be able to adjust them reasonably.
A shoe which not have the laces tighten enough, which results in space at the ankle and a foot that most likely is sliding around in the shoe. Picture: StyleForum
I don’t know if this is an illness that comes from the fact that people often are accustomed to go in different sneakers that have fairly loosely tightened laces, preferably with a fixed knot so you can just pull off and put them on without ever have to tie them. That it’s a reason that people aren’t used to tighten the laces. For it is as I mentioned surprisingly common to not tighten the laces enough, sometimes also with the foot placed a bit forward in the shoe too, so that it gets really loose and fipply when you walk in them. It’s obviously not correct.
When you put on shoes, make sure the heel is flush with the heel stiffener, if you sit down you can lift the toes in the air and bang the heel of the foot in the floor so the heel is going back properly. Then, tighten the laces starting at the bottom and methodically work your way up to the knot, which you then tie after pulling the laces one last time. It should of course not be so hard that the foot goes numb because you’ve tightened them like a madman, but it’s about getting the foot completely fixed with the help of the laces, or buckles or when there is such type of shoes. A shoe with the correct fit is still comfortable, or rather become truly comfortable only when the laces are properly tightened. If you have gaps, for example in the heel or at the sides of the opening, the shoe is not properly tensioned, or fit incorrectly. Then the feet will move around in the shoe, and one can get heel slippage, which neither is desirable. So if you are aware of the fact you that you don’t tighten your laces enough, and not have feet fixed in the shoe, begin to practice to do this properly straight away.
Boots should be tightened all the way up. Picture (top picture as well): Cobbler Union
