The old fashioned way is to pack them tightly with damp newspaper. As the paper dries it should stretch them. Also you could take them to a cobbler, they have shoe stretchers.

Yes I'll second that method with the damp paper, - works most times . Or you could get your other half to squeeze his feet into them, and walk around the house in them for a bit! - but make sure you are not expecting any visitors first

Belly!

Are they definitely rubbing because they are too tight? I've experienced blisters recently as a result of sandals being too loose and my feet moving around in them and hence causing the rubbing. I have one foot wider than the other and so nearly always have to choose between having one shoe too loose or one shoe too tight. So I usually but the size that fits the narrower foot best and then stretch the other shoe to fit but this only works if the uppers and lings are all leather.

If the uppers and linings are all leather then you might want to try my usal method which is just to just to initially wear them around the house with thicker socks on than usual! For examples if they're shoes you would wear wth tights or bare legs, wear a pair of cotton socks, if you'd be wearing them with socks anyway then wear two pairs! I've just kept adding socks until they've been gently stretched enough but you can see why I do this in the privacy of home! Clarke's also sell an aerosol stretching spray - you spray the shoes inside and out and then either wear them immediately or pack them with newspaper. I've not found that it makes all that much difference but it might be worth trying.

However, if the uppers or even just the linings are plastic then this won't work and, in fact, you might find in that case that there's little you can do about it because some synthetic linings just won't stretch and are actually designed that way so cheap leather uppers won't stretch too much and cause the shoes to become too loose in ordinary wear.

SM

Hi
Brill tip if they are rubbing - rub vasaline onto the shoe and the part of your foot that comes into contact with thge shoe - be careful of the material in case a 'greasy' mark appears.
Irene

Thanks for the tips everyone.
They are deffinetly tight, I wore them out on saturday night, and sunday morning I still had the inprint on my foot

if they are leather, a tip we used to use when I was MUCH younger and working in a posh shoe shop in knightsbridge was to take them out the back, stick a broom handle end into the shoe and rub the shoe(the bit thats tight) over the broom handle before getting the customer to try them on again. I think the friction of rubbing the leather on the broom handle warms the leather up and allows it to stretch a bit. difficult to explain without showing you.
good luck
hugs la x

Much the same as La's tip, but I use a wooden spoon and work/rub the handle around the parts of the shoe that are tight (normally around the top of the heel and the front of the shoe). I did this for my daughter's shoes a few weeks ago and she is able to wear them now.

Sarah

Jax, great advise thanks. Ive recently bought a pair of ladies black ankle boots and they feel a bit tight. I will follow your advise and hopefully this will help

Try putting them in a warm oven to soften the leather, then while still warm trot around in them , this should mould them to your feet, unless they are extremly tight
x lassi

Thanks for the tips everone, it's much appreciated

try wearing them in the house with socks on!!! that`ll stretch em and you`ll feel the relief when you try them without your socks on!!!!!

sharon