When the strap on my Botkier broke, I initially allowed my preoccupation with my Abaco to distract me from the pain of loss. Alas, no handbag worth its monetary and emotional investment is easily gotten over. Said bag was, after all, the original reason behind my waiting tables in college; I sacrificed sleep, time and dignity to pay for the thing in 20s, 10s and 1s, and it served me well for five whole years. The least I can do is give it another shot. So I’m taking this sick puppy to the leather doc today to see if he can bring it back to life.
That leather cobbling is a dying art totally speaks to our constant need to buy new crap. When our old stuff starts to wear and tear, we don’t think about how to prolong its lifespan; we think of it as an excuse to spend on things we want under the guise of need. When the worn-out stuff in question is a fugly dress or an old t-shirt, tossing the old and buying the new ain’t no thang. When it’s a $550 handbag, you best think twice.
I got these for $110ish last year (reduced from $150). While they weren’t quite as much as an investment as the Botkier, they’ve become the most comfortable heel I own (via a long, arduous breaking-in process). And when you’re 5’2″, you can’t put a price on a comfortable heel. I’m hoping they’ll look less gnarled post-makeover.
Stay tuned for reports on what my local cobbler dude charges me, and – hopefully – for “after” shots too.
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A cobbler totally brought my favorite pair of D&G pumps back to life. It was like a miracle! Good luck resurrecting your Botkier. I’d be traumatized.
I def believe in the cobbler. I’ve had a pair of DJP boots for three years, and they’re still going strong. He’s replaced my heel and the toes on them, and they’re still my favorite pair. Getting your heels done should not cost you more than $10 (and that’s expensive)… unless there’s more that they had to do to the shoe to get the heel to stay.
Oh BTW! Aldo replaces the heel on ALDO shoes for free. At least… that was my experience last year… I don’t know if they still have that service… you should ask!
They can work wonders. I wouldn’t be surprised if the shoes look like new when fixed. I just spent 16 bucks getting shoes re-heeled (totally dead shoes on which the heel actually fell off while I was walking home) and the are perfect for another 2 years, I bet.
Good luck!
I def believe in the cobbler. I've had a pair of DJP boots for three years, and they're still going strong. He's replaced my heel and the toes on them, and they're still my favorite pair. Getting your heels done should not cost you more than $10 (and that's expensive)… unless there's more that they had to do to the shoe to get the heel to stay.