Breaking in, without the blisters

A welted leather shoe leaves the workshop stiffer than it will ever be again. The insole has not compressed, the upper has not creased, and the leather has not yet learned the shape of your foot.

• Wear them indoors for two hours on day one. That is enough.
• Use a shoe horn every time. Crushing the heel counter is the one damage that cannot be undone.
• Alternate with another pair — leather needs a day to dry out between wears.
• Cedar trees overnight, every night, for the first fortnight.
• Do not soak them, freeze them or wear thick socks to stretch them.

By the fourth or fifth wear the insole will have taken an impression of your foot and the flex point will have set across the vamp. From that point the shoe is yours in a way that a synthetic one never becomes.

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