Any tips for breaking in new docs?

[ThisPasadenaHomemaker]

I'm in agony but they're so beautiful that I'm determined to get them broken in asap so I can wear them all winter.

They're rubbing at my heels and making the soles of my feet cramp up when I walk. Definitely the right size.

Help!

I've had this problem with docs. I just load up my heels with plasters and then stride out very purposefully for a couple of weeks.

Don't know about the soles of your feet though - are your feet slipping on the slippery insole?

Wet socks and blister plasters. Wear them around the house with the socks wet. It feels horrible but the moisture helps to soften the leather so they mold to your feet. A hair dryer on a warm, (not hot, that will crack the leather) can help speed things up a bit too.

Other than that time and some compeed plasters is all I can recommend

We always used to stuff them with damp newspaper when I were a lass. A warm hairdryer speeds up the process

2 pairs of socks for 1-2 weeks,

Sounds strange but I had the same problem & after a google search & recommendation, hit the backs of them very gently with a hammer. It definitely speeded up wearing them in & they're as comfy as slippers now!!!

Thanks all!

I've only had them a few days so I knew they'd be stiff but holy hell it's so much more painful than I remember it being in 1995!

Have been wearing tights with socks on top but they still rub like fuck. Will use plasters tomorrow and get the hammer out. Feels a bit weird to pay £100 for shoes to then start battering them though 😂

I take them to an old fashioned cobblers and pay £3 to have the leather stretched. I'm too much of a princess to break in my own DMs they hurt.

I've just been through this. I cracked it by wearing very thick socks and wearing them for an hour or so a day for the first couple of weeks.

Silly you can do that??!

I've just bought a new pair which have destroyed my feet! For me it's under the ankle at the side, I have a blister the size of a 10p piece on one ankle!

Is it a hammer to the inside? Mine are lovely and shiny and I don't want to damage them.

It's daft because I have loads of DM's and none have hurt me like this pair. Even with compeed blister plasters on, they still rubbed.

Two pairs of socks and tie them tightly just above ankle height to stop them slipping as much.

Yes we have one in town that cuts keys and repairs shoes. They break mine in for me by stretching the leather.

I haven't worn Docs since 1988. I tried some on last week and the agony came back to me. No way I'd go through the breaking-in thing again.

The pascal ones have lovely soft leather that mould to your feet instantly. Don't come in all colours but some very nice options!

Dh has loads of docs
He swears by the hammer method
Just whack the heel area on the outside to soften the leather

I used to wear them all the time as a teen and remember only having a couple of days of soreness and then they were fine.

Treated myself to a pair a year ago (am now 36) and even after several weeks the pain was unreal! I tried everything - socks, hammer, leather stuff etc- nothing worked. Definitely the right size etc. I think I am going to sell mine on eBay.

I can only assume they're either harder than they were or my poor old feet are more wimpy!

Leather stretch spray (mine is Woly) all over the inside, 2 pairs of socks, do squats!

They sell Docs socks which help with the heel and the tongue seam rubbing. Propwr hiking socks work too.

I really would not recommend any method involving water or freezers.

Tbh though I bought a black pair of soft leather Pascal a month ago and a burgundy pair last week. In the second pair I bought a 40 instead of my usual 39 to avoid the palava.

I got some recently but not he traditional style, they are the Teresa jodhpurs. I panicked when I got them as the leather was so stiff but for me breaking them in was quicker than expected. I wore them around the house loads with two pairs of socks and put plasters on as soon as there was a little rubbing. I only got a few small blisters.

I am not sure about the soles of your feet as I can't get over how bouncy and comfy the air cushioned soles are, I wore DMs lots as a teen but perhaps wasn't as appreciative of a comfy boot as I am now. They are as comfy as trainers!.

I never managed to break in my gorgeous red patent docs I had to give up wearing them in the end but I persevered for a good year! Mine hurt where the tongue attached to the boot and I got foot cramp.

Purple that's exactly where mine rub too! I'm positive they didn't have the same seam in them in that place when I was younger.

The hammer worked!!!

One session of whacking the back sections plus one school run of agony and they're now completely comfy! And gorgeous, getting compliments left, right and centre .

Explain where do you whack them with a hammer?

Is it just flat on a surface an hammer?

🔨

Puppet
Just whack the back of the heels