protecting new shoes

[Kitty]

I have a new pair of standard shoes ... shiny satin.
I can't compete in them yet - they hurt my feet (yes, they are perfect size for me), I need to practice in them a bit to stretch them. I' m afraid that if I practice in them on a dusty floor (there is noother floor available) they'll become durty and not so pretty... I want them to still be shiny and pretty when I compete in them. Is there a solution to this?
Is there a way to protect the uppers of satin shoes?

[Chris Stratton]

I've wondered about that from time to time - the problem is how to keep something covering the upper without interfereing with the sole. I've seen women try things like putting old stockings over the whole shoe, but that may interfere with the way the shoe works against the floor.

If it's not going to cover the sole, then how to keep the cover on? I guess you might be able to very carefully hand sew it around the edge of the leather and have it last for a few days. You might almost do better to sew to the edge of the leather sole itself than to try to do anything non-damaging to the upper.

A cover with it's own suede sole would I guess theoretically be possible... if it had an upper made of really heavy spandex or something.

[tasche]

Break them in at home by practicing on the carpet. You could scotchguard them first I suppose but its probably better just to wear them a little and then check after each wear for dirt and clean of with some sort of cleaning fluid

[G809]

I once knew a girl who tried to resolve this problem by cutting off the bottoms of a pair of old socks such that the top of the shoe was covered but the bottom was left open except for one really narrow string that held the cover down which was looped around the tip of the shoe. So, in other words, the only part covering the suede was a narrow thread looped around the top, or near the top, of the pump (and probably some fabric holding the cover down under the arch, although I don't recall exactly). This seemed to work for her even though it always seemed to me that the thread would break with lots of use. I have been meaning to try this myself and see if it works.

[Chris Stratton]

I do wonder if the leather shoes might be a better option for those who can't demote a pair of shoes to practice use after every comp or two.

[Vince A]

Old socks is what we use . . .

[dancin_feet]

I now have my second pair of satin shoes so am learning a bit about the care of the satin uppers.

Firstly when I get them I give 3-4 coats of spray on waterproofing, allowing it to dry between coats. I then wear them around the house with socks over them to help to break them in. If they are particularly tight I put a thick pair of socks under as well. Every week I give them another coat of waterproofing. After 2-3 weeks when they start feeling comfortable, I'll wear them to 1 lesson, usually with my instructor so the "stepping on the toes" scuffs are kept to a minimum. If that goes OK, they can then go into my regular shoe rotation, but I generally don't wear them as much to class as my leather ones. Once they start to feel comfortable, I'll cut the waterproofing back to once every 2-4 weeks, depending on if I have worn them or not. Before I spray them I'll clean any scuffs with spot remover and let it dry. They seem to come off easier if you keep the waterproofing up to them.

[Joe]

I do wonder if the leather shoes might be a better option for those who can't demote a pair of shoes to practice use after every comp or two.
If she wears leather shoes for practice, the only stretching/break-in the satins will get is on the comp floor.

[Kitty]

what is "waterproofing"? what do you spray them with?

[Chris Stratton]

If she wears leather shoes for practice, the only stretching/break-in the satins will get is on the comp floor.

There's still around-the-house-with-socks-over-them and the possibility of occasional practice at studios with cleaner floors...

[randomMysh]

I use Four Seasons Weather Guard. It's a spray you can probably get at any shoe repair shop. I only spray my shoes a couple of times before I ever wear them and let them dry overnight. It keeps the scuffs factor down, but I still wear the satin off after a few months, especially on the inside of the heel area. That's for latin, though. I don't think there's anything that could be done about that--if you're gonna do the footwork, it will damage the satin. :(

[chachagirlie]

Waterproofing helps especially with black scuff marks from your partners shoes...only catch is you cannot dye your shoes later as the dye will not be absorbed and "take".

Satin shoes just won't look pristine for long...