They even stretched out a too-tight pair I splurged on.
I have a tendency to procrastinate on tasks that, although small, could have a big impact on my daily life—like taking ill-fitting thrifted clothes to the tailor or breaking in too-tight shoes. I have not completed the former (it’s very hard to stop fully being a worm) but I did figure out the latter, and overnight at that thanks to a pair of $18 Amazon shoe stretchers.
I ordered the Eachway’s Shoe Stretchers without hesitation; they’re $18, have 18,000-plus five-star ratings, and are Amazon’s best seller in the category. They arrived 36 hours later (shout out to my dad’s Prime account) and I put them in my shoes that night. The next morning my shoes were changed.
Eachway Shoe Stretchers
Orig. $20 $18 at Amazon
The Eachway Shoe Stretcher comes in five colors, three men’s and two women’s sizes. The women’s sizes are small and large, 5.5-10 and 10-13.5, respectively. The stretching mechanism is adjustable both width- and length-wise.
I have a couple of shoes that need to be broken in but the pair that got the inaugural treatment were Larroudé mary janes that had been sitting in my closet collecting dust for more than a year. My finances and I were incredibly frustrated by my seemingly futile splurge purchase, but that changed quickly—my shoes were fixed literally overnight.
My Larroudé shoes are so cute but my feet are famously wide—my main issue was that the leather by the toes dug in really painfully, the leather on the back was mostly fine but could use some flexibility so I stretched them a little there, too. The next day I wore them for a six-block jaunt to my coffee shop and back. My feet did not cry out in pain, there were no blisters, and no torn skin. It might seem like a small, distanced feat, but those were all things that happened previously—and just from simply wearing them around the house. I have since worn the shoes a few times for a couple of hours each. I am flabbergasted by the difference and so frustrated with myself for not finding this solution earlier.
Head to Amazon to shop Eachway’s Shoe Stretchers; they’re a nifty yet game-changing product I think everyone should have in their home. Check out some other small but useful wardrobe hacks, below.
Ceryvop Button Extenders
Orig. $7 $6 at Amazon
Taoqiao Waist-Reducing Buttons
$6 at Amazon