How DO Girls Do THIS Department? (shoe straps)

PaulaK · Post by **PaulaK** » Wed Nov 10, 2004 6:27 am

I recently purchased two new pairs of heels, my first in several years. Just getting used to heels again. The pumps were no problem, but the strappy spikes? (Hey they were on sale, what can you do?) an unexpected problem came up.

How do you enlarge the holes in the straps once you have determined the right size? I mean so you can JUST put them on and do up the straps in the little teeny tiny buckles? The "Sex and the City" girls make this all look SO easy!.

I tried inserting round toothpicks into the selected holes (sorry if this sounds, you know, naughty) but if you put the shoes away for a few days the holes close up again.

Wonder how GG's try these things on in stores? One thing, I sure wouldn't wear a skirt if I had to do this as a GG!

Thanks!

Diane · Post by **Diane** » Wed Nov 10, 2004 2:28 pm

I know exactly what you mean, Paula.

I have a pair of strappy high heels and trying to get the buckles fastened is a nightmare. I have practiced and practiced but I still have great difficulty in doing it without being totally inelegant and, when wearing a short skirt, showing my panties to the world.

Post by **DonnaT** » Wed Nov 10, 2004 2:48 pm

OK, I have a Dremel tool (small rotory tool; Craftsman similar rotory tools too). Put a small drill bit in the tool and drill out the hole. I would use my drill but the bit is so small the drill won't hold it.

One pair I have the buckle is on the outside of the ankle, and with the ankle being nearly to large, very hard to fasten.

Another pair had a removable strap, so I turned the strap around so that it buckles on the inside of the ankle.

PaulaK · Post by **PaulaK** » Thu Nov 11, 2004 3:51 am

DonnaT wrote:OK, I have a Dremel tool (small rotory tool; Craftsman similar rotory tools too). Put a small drill bit in the tool and drill out the hole. I would use my drill but the bit is so small the drill won't hold it.

Aghh. We estrogen-difficient "girls" always reach for machine tools!

As you had guessed, I think I will need to make an extra hole in the strap (which, yes, is-non removable and buckles on the outside.) You need them to be a BIT snug and let the strap and the buckle "adjust". But then you just want to put them on and do them up. I have seen GGs do this easily, Just wondered if there was a secret.

Missy · Post by **Missy** » Thu Nov 11, 2004 5:09 am

There's nothing like machine tools!

I just take an awl and force it through the desired hole to make it slightly larger. Then after a couple of uses it works fine. I have noticed that the biggest obstacle comes from the strap made of two layers of material. In the beginning it is hard to get the holes to line up because they stretch at different rates. My hole stretching usually fixes this.

I love strappy heels!!

Jaye · Post by **Jaye** » Sat Nov 13, 2004 5:46 am

My mom used to make the holes bigger using an icepick. I "inherited" a pair of sandals from her when I was about six or seven. Mom thought they weren't very girly looking, so she gave them to me. Ny feet were just a tad too small, but not so much that the shoes were noticeably larger. Mom just got out the trusty icepick, and made a couple of holes in the strap past where they naturally stopped. They were just the right size, and the sandals were comfy. Unfortunately for me, someone somehow noticed that they were girls', and made the point of telling everyone in sight that I was wearing them. Needless to say, I never wore them again though I wanted to.

Now I have all the sandals I want, and girlier than anyone'd ever have imagined.

RikkiOfLA · Post by **RikkiOfLA** » Wed Nov 24, 2004 10:09 am

Hi girls,

Actually, I want to let you in on a little secret about strappy shoes--the kind where the strap isn't removable. (This is true of all of mine, and they come from different mfrs.)

Where the ankle strap connects to the body of the shoe (underneath the vertical piece of the shoe that reaches up to hold the strap) is a tiny piece of elastic. It's hidden so it can't be seen from the outside--you can only see it when you take the shoe off, and look from the inside. You may not be able to see it even then, but here's how to find out if it's there.

When you put the shoes on, do up the strap so it's right. You know, tight enough to look good, but still comfortable. Then see if you can slide your foot out of the shoe without undoing the strap. If you can, you have elastic in the strap. And you can slide your foot back into the shoe without undoing the strap either. You might decide you want it one notch looser to make this easier.

On television if they show a closeup of a girl tightening doing or undoing her shoe straps, it might be that the hand and the foot belong to different girls.

Hope this helps.