If you’re a style pragmatist, you make an effort to maintain your clothes’ quality. Your dry cleaning bill is huge. You know how to polish your shoes. You actually USE the dust bags that came with your handbags.
These precautions are a MUST to prolong your wardrobe in Manhattan. After all, sweater-eating insects run rampant here. Freak snowstorms stink-ify wool coats. Subway grates shred stilettos. I pride myself on being prepared for most immediate sartorial disasters.
But if Jurassic Park taught me anything, it’s that nature always finds a way.
Last weekend, I was caught in a torrential, unexpected downpour 10 blocks from my apartment. I was also wearing a pair of gray, suede Jenni Kayne flats that I had just purchased — and hadn’t remembered to weatherproof. When I got home, I frantically Googled repair methods, but I couldn’t do much — especially past midnight on a weekend.
In my experience, if you ask a shoe repair place how to fix your shoes yourself, they won’t tell you. (They will, however, suggest you pay THEM to fix it.) I decided to try an at-home remedy, using these directions, which I paraphrased below.
1. Wait for shoes to completely dry. I waited more than 24 hours. I also stuffed the shoes with paper towels to prevent shrinkage during drying.
2. Gently rub a suede eraser over the water stains. (GO EASY — In my zeal, I rubbed a little too vigorously.)
3. Use a small brush (similar to what you use to clean under your nails) to brush the suede back to its original texture. (I also highly recommend spraying every single suede shoe you own with this protectant spray afterward.)
All told, the DIY repair cost me $9 for the repair tools. My husband was so delighted with the results, he insisted I clean all his suede shoes, too. (I’m charging him the typical NYC rate — $20 a pair, plus his firstborn.)
