Guide Archive

An insole can change cushioning, fit and the feel of the surface underfoot, but it cannot lengthen or widen a shoe. Knowing what it does and does not change prevents a lot of pointless buying and a lot of disappointed expectations.

The word leather on a label covers a wide range, from full grain hide to reconstituted scraps, and the differences show up in how a shoe creases, breathes and ages. A few simple checks will tell you what you are actually buying.

How a shoe is built decides whether it can be repaired and how it ages. The upper, lining, insole, midsole and outsole each do a different job, and the way they are joined matters most of all when the sole wears through.

A well-fitting shoe is not a tight one. Three clearances matter, at the toe, the heel and the instep. Knowing which tightness disappears with wear and which never will saves a lot of returns, and a lot of uncomfortable weeks.

A size number quietly describes length and little else. Width across the ball and the volume of the whole shoe decide whether a pair pinches, and the two are not the same problem. Each has a different remedy, and going up a size solves neither.