Sunday, February 15, 2009
Tips To Make Your Leather Shoes Last longer
Clean leather shoes regularly. To efficiently clean your shoes without harming them, use soapy water and a soft cloth and wipe the excess. Apply saddle soap all over the shoes, both inside and out and wipe the excess again. Dry the insides carefully. Place a sheet of tissue paper or a paper napkin inside the shoe and leave it for a few minutes. Repeat the process to dry out the shoe entirely. After this, dust some talcum powder to suck up any remaining moisture. Remember that leather is skin, literally and figuratively, so treat your shoes as carefully as you would your own skin. If possible, clean the dirt off after every wear with a soft rag or brush.
Waterproof your casual shoes and outdoor leather boots with a quality shoe care product to shield your footwear from water, snow and salt stains. These products usually come on a spray. Apply a good two to three coats to make sure that your shoes are covered properly. Reapply the proofing on a regular basis to guarantee protection from weather and water damage. Leather tends to shrink and get hard if it gets wet, so waterproofing your shoes are essential. If they do get wet, let them dry naturally.
Condition your shoes to keep the leather soft and supple, to avoid cracks and to maintain a comfortable fit. Use quality leather conditioning oil or lotion. All-natural products are preferable as they allow the leather to breathe better, and harsh-chemicals can be harmful to the leather. Silicone-based products sit on top of the leather, making it look shiny. Leather conditioners are available at most large pharmacy chains in the shoe-care section.
Store your leather shoes on shoe trees to soak up excess moisture and maintain the shape of the leather. Do not put leather shoes near direct heat, and place them somewhere dry to avoid mildew. Do not put them immediately away after you take them off. Switch on the ceiling fan and allow them to air out. Leather retains moisture from your feet, which will eventually cause it to dry and crack if you don't give them a chance to air out for a day or so. Shoes need at least 12-24 hours of rest between wearing to avoid deformity.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Free Guides To Find Perfect Prom Shoes
You've spent countless hours searching for the perfect prom dress, and finally found it. Now you need to find the perfect shoe to go with your dress. But it doesn't have to be hard! All you need to know is a few fashion tricks, and the perfect prom shoe will be yours.
The most important thing to keep in mind is comfort. It doesn't matter how amazing and fantastic the shoe that you pick is - if you are unable to walk by the end of the night, it was the wrong one! How can you look at your best if your feet feel like they are about to fall off?
High heels are a common style of shoe, and for good reason - they make your legs look longer and slimmer and force you to keep good posture. But you don't need to go ridiculous with the heel height. Two-inch heels are more than enough to give the desired effect while saving your poor feet.
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If you are used to them, strapped dress sandals are quite popular and can be worn with most dresses. But they can be a pain to wear - you may find it more comfortable to choose a dress shoe with an enclosed toe. If you get an enclosed toe, make sure they have a soft, cushioned upper lining (leather is preferable).
Another option for shoes that are extremely comfortable to wear are ballet shoes. Unfortunately they are only suitable with full skirts (they just don't look right with tight fitted dresses).
It probably doesn't need to be said, but do ensure that you pick shoes that are the correct size for you. Shoes that are too big or too small will never feel comfortable, and a shoe that is too big could leave you with blisters or even come off at an embarrassing moment!
Once you have decided on your shoes for the prom, make sure you wear them in before the night. The easiest way to do this is to wear them around the house for an hour or so each day for a week. If you aren't used to the style of shoe you bought, this also gives you a chance to become used to them.
One final tip; it can be difficult to find a colour that matches exactly, so you will have two options. You can try to find a complementary colour (for example, black to go with a dark coloured dress), or if the shoe is the right type you can dye it to match.
If you decide to dye your shoes, remember that dyed items look different indoors compared to outdoors. For example, shoes dyed grey may take on a purple tone outside. There is nothing that can be done to stop this, so be sure to tell your dyer if the event is indoor or outdoor.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Five Pairs of Shoes That Every Woman Should Have
- Great Looking Business Shoes. You need to have a special pair of smart shoes for work. These should look great, and match well with your suit. They will be perfect for interviews, as well as those important presentations and business trips.
They would usually be black shoes with medium size heel, to make you look taller and in control, but still comfortable enough to wear all day.
- Great Looking Shoes to Wear With Jeans. Who wears jeans with sneakers anymore? As jeans are becoming cooler, and more embellished, you need something cuter then a basic sneaker to go with them.
We recommend cool high heel sandals in the summer, or great looking boots in the winter.
- Great Looking Sneakers. You still need to exercise and go to the gym. While you will not wear sneakers with your stylish jeans, you still need sneakers for exercising and walking outside. There are lots of different sneakers on the market now - pick the ones that fit you, and that fit your exercise routine.
- Cool Dressy Shoes. You have that gorgeous dress, and you need matching shoes to go with it. Get something fun and gorgeous to go with the dress. Splurge a little - here the right shoes will make all the difference.
- The Pink Shoes. You know, everyone has at least one pair of completely impractical, bright pink or bright red shoes. You found them at the store, they didn't really match any of your outfits, but you just had to have them.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Tips on How To Choose Large Size Women's Shoes
Maybe you were teased as a child. And, you've politely ignored the references to your feet looking like gunboats. Well, the joke isn't on you anymore. Large size women shoes are widely available like never before. Whether you want a dressy pump or a comfortable athletic trainer, retailers and manufacturers are figuring out that there is an ever-growing market in large size women shoes.
With over 30 percent of all women's shoe sales being size nine and above, there is big money in selling large size women shoes. The fact is women's feet are getting bigger. While women over the age of 35 have an average shoe size of seven and a half, their younger counterparts average a shoe size of eight and a half.
This "growing" demand for women's shoes in sizes nine through fifteen has spawned many new retailers and shoe manufacturers who specialize in larger sizes. Twenty years ago, a woman with big feet had very limited options in shoes. Now, she can choose from a vast array of business, casual, and even golfing shoes.
It is estimated that approximately 85 percent of women buy shoes in the wrong size. Most often, they buy shoes that are too small. Ill-fitting shoes can contribute to a whole host of medical problems including bunions, corns, hammertoes, and calluses. With the larger sizes more commonly available now, women are finding the styles that they want in the sizes that they need. This is a welcome relief for the many women who have bought shoes in a too-small size because there was no other option.
If you are a woman with big, glorious feet, make sure that you have both of your feet sized every time you buy shoes. Take the measurement standing up and sitting down. Ask the salesperson for suggestions on shoe brands that might work with your foot size and shape.
If you are trying to minimize the size of your feet, look for shoes with rounded toes and moderate heels. You may want to stay away from pointy pumps, ballerina flats, and t-straps that can lengthen the appearance of your feet. It is also best to stick to neutral tones or colors that blend well with hose or pants.
Finally, keep in mind that if the average shoe size of women keeps growing, you may find yourself having smaller than average feet. Those jokes about your less than dainty tootsies will certainly be a thing of the past.
Vera Wang Shoes - Make It Popular Among The Brides
More and more ladies are choosing Vera Wang shoes to express their style and sense of fashion on the most important day of their lives - their wedding day. Vera Wang shoes are made of satin or silk and come in ivory, white and silk shades mostly. Exquisite craftsmanship ensures that the shoes are spotless - no thread popping out from the ankle strap or no bead hanging loose. The cloth is creaseless and the stitches are perfectly hidden under folds. The soles of the shoes are padded and so are the edges. So say no to swollen toes, painful heel and even bruised feet. You can wear those all day long.
The satin or silk make of the Vera Wang shoes make it popular among the brides. You will also get the shoes in matte or semi-glossy finish. Choose the look as per your outfit but one thing is for sure that you will get elegance. The Vera Wang shoes can come in simple designs without any frill and attachments and you can buy one that can be dyed later on. This simplistic make often helps the buyer in accessorizing the shoes as per her needs. For example add a big rhinestone on the front or hang a bead work from the ankle strap. You also have the option of shoes with or without heels. Knowing the length of the heel is important so that you can adjust your gown length accordingly.
Once the wedding is over, you can choose to dye your shoes and add different matching accessories. With a price tag kicking off from $300, Vera Wang bridal shoes may appear within the budget for many. The shoes are definitely worth the expenditure because these are bound to stay strong for long and can be worn in evening parties and special occasions. The elegance of material like silk or satin lies in its smoothness. Rest assured that once you touch a Vera Wang shoe or glide your fingers along one, you will know that we are not bluffing. An exquisite feeling of smoothness surrounding your feet and comforting it on your special day - now that's worth some mullah!
So go ahead and kick start your marital life in style, walk down the aisle and ensure that heads are turned in every way - Vera Wang shoes have been chosen by many celebrities over the years and their wedding shoes are definitely a class apart. Make your special day memorable from head to toe and complete your attire with Vera Wang shoes. Remember the best part is that you can dye the shoes, accessorize those differently and wear those later.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Odd Shoe Finder Evolves and Joins the "green" Movement
I received an unexpected e-mail through the Web site a few weeks ago offering to sell me thousands of new, name brand mismatched shoes at one dollar each. I felt this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to populate the site, make matches with users more likely and keep thousands of shoes out of landfills.
Around the same time that those shoes were being delivered I received another e-mail from someone else offering to sell me thousands of new, name brand mismatched shoes to me for ten cents each (if they shipped them) and free if I could pick them up. I realized that this was a twice-in-a-lifetime opportunity that just happened to come within weeks of the first of the offer.
Before I had a chance to make shipping arrangements for the second batch of shoes, I received yet another e-mail through the site from a shoe manufacturer asking if I was interested in taking 3,000 shoes off their hands. It was becoming clear to me that new, mismatched shoes are an extremely common problem in stores that sell shoes - especially self-service stores and thousands of these shoes are being thrown away each year.
How do stores end up with so many mismatched shoes? Sometimes, people open more than one pair of shoes to try them on and unintentionally put one of the shoes of each pair in the wrong box. Some of those people come back to the store when they realize their mistake but others do not. Perhaps more common is people with mismatched feet intentionally switching out shoes to get one in each of their sizes, leaving a pair of mismatched shoes the store cannot sell.
With most chain stores, the mismatched shoes are sent to a central location. In some cases the chain itself sorts through the shoes and makes as many matches as possible to return to their stores and take whatever they can get for the shoes that cannot be matched. In other cases, the chain just sells the entire batch of shoes to salvage companies, who sort through the shoes to find matches to sell at discount stores.
Mismatched shoes are worth very little to shoe stores, but are potentially worth a lot to those who normally have to buy two pairs of shoes at a time. Until now there has not been an efficient way to match the shoes with those who need them.
OddShoeFinder.com is the first searchable Web site that matches otherwise unwanted shoes that would normally end up in a landfill with those who can use them. It offers business opportunities to some and low-priced shoes to millions. While it was launched for people with mismatched feet, there is no reason for users not to post their matched pairs of shoes. It costs nothing to post shoes on the site, and there are no commissions.
OddShoeFinder.com started as a very simple site. People registered with the site and posted their shoes and others clicked on "buy this shoe," triggering an e-mail to the seller including the shipping address and contact information of the buyer. Buyers and sellers decide pricing and shipping and payment methods. Users are encouraged to give feedback on the site and enhancements have been developed based on their input.
Some users complained of the inability of to communicate with each other prior to a sale, so a messaging system was added. If they decide to complete the sale then we recommend they use the "buy this shoe" button because it removes the shoe from the listings and helps the seller and Webmaster keep track of sales.
Realizing that many people may visit the site repeatedly to search for shoes in their size, only to find nothing new, we installed a feature that allows users to receive an e-mail each week to when someone posts shoes in their size(s).
A few users asked for a means of rating sellers and buyers such as those found on eBay and Amazon.com. While we have not reached that point yet, OddShoeFinder.com now has a forum where people can post information about their experiences - or anything else (in good taste, of course) they want to talk about. Many users of the site suffer or have suffered from similar health issues and we hope the forum provides a place for them to find each other for advice and comfort.
Our plan is to help the site reach critical mass by purchasing and posting mismatched new shoes so that everyone will have the opportunity to purchase an inexpensive pair or shoes, a mismatched pair or a single shoe in the perfect size.
(c) 2008, Odd Shoe Finder. Reprints welcomed so long as the article and by-line are not changed and all links are made live.