Invisible Socks and Shoe Trees: Preserve your shoes

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It's summer time and everybody is looking to pull off the sockless shoe look. It's casual and cool either with a pair of summer chinos or shorts, allowing your ankles a little breathing room on a hot summer day. 

PHOTOGRAPH BY TOMMY TON, June 2011

PHOTOGRAPH BY TOMMY TON, JUNE 2011

Be careful though, there's only one way to appropriately pull off the sockless look without ruining your favorite pair of summers shoes.

INVISIBLE SOCKS
Sure, you could go truly sockless but, it being the summer time, your feet are bound to sweat. That moisture is absorbed by your shoes, and moisture is the worst thing for a pair of shoes over time. It is absorbed by the internal lining of your shoes and damages the fabric and leather, which degrades the look of the shoe from the inside out. Not to mention the smell that will lurk in your favorite pair of shoes which alone might render them unwearable. 
Do yourself and shoes a favor and invest in a couple pairs of invisible socks. They come in all price ranges and colors. I like the ones with the sticky rubber on the back so they grip the heel better and are less likely to come off when you take off your shoes. Here is an example of these:

Falke Invisible Sock

SHOE TREES

Another way to preserve your loafers is to invest in a few pairs of shoe trees. I like this pair of Allen Edmonds Cedar Shoe Trees below to keep my brogues and saddle shoes odor-free and leather unwrinkled. I found a whole load and stocked up on these on sale at my local Nordstrom Rack.

Allen Edmonds Cedar Shoe Tree

Shoe trees are inserted into shoes to help maintain the original shoe shape, help prevent creases and cracking in the leather, and lastly to absorb moisture from the lining of the shoes. They are available in a wide range of shoe sizes. They are available in plastic or wood (usually cedar). The main benefits to plastic shoe trees is that they are inexpensive, and they are lightweight, making them good for travel. Though they are more expensive, cedar shoe trees have several advantages over plastic. They last longer, add a clean cedar scent to footwear and absorb moisture, whereas plastic shoe trees will not. The absorbing moisture part is key.
Contrary to popular belief, shoe trees do not actually stretch your shoes. If you have a pair of shoes that are too tight, wear them for a few hours, then put your shoe tree in immediately after wearing them. The shoe tree will maintain the shape from your foot in the shoes and make them more comfortable to wear down the line. If you want to enlarge a pair of shoes that is too small, you'll need a shoe stretcher.

Shoe Stretcher