I've finally worn them! My
Ferragamo Varina patent leather flats, that is. After waiting a full month (mostly out of fear of scuffing pretty shoes within three minutes of wear), I exchanged for the proper size - my feet, it seems, shrink a half size to a six in Ferragamos - and then waited another week while I deliberated on how to best protect my investment.
Since the exterior is patent leather, I wasn't worried about the shoe itself getting dirty or wearing down. One of the reasons why I chose patent was because it masks stains and marks better; the shoes being flats, I planned on wearing them often and didn't want to baby them. What made me hesitant to wear the Varinas right away were the slippery bottom soles. Made of leather, the soles seemed too nice to ruin and I cringed thinking of the gritty Manhattan asphalt scraping them up.
I decided to look into adding rubber soles to the bottom of the shoes. Actually, to back up for a minute, I considered the options I had. For other similarly slippery pairs, I'd stuck on self-adhesive grippy pads, but those didn't last long and eventually ground all the way down. I wanted a more permanent solution this time. I also thought about just wearing the shoes normally and letting natural scuffs increase their traction, and later getting them completely resoled. But this seemed like a never ending (and not to mention, pricey) alternative - I'd have to replace them repeatedly once the new sole wore down. To me, I'd rather preempt the issue by getting a rubber sole applied to the bottom.
I took the flats to a local shoe repair shop and was quoted $18 for the pair. Note that $18 was just for half of the shoe's length - a thin layer of rubber material is applied from the toes to about where the arch begins. It would be extra if I wanted to keep going and cover the full length. This is useful if you have Louboutins and don't want to cover the beautiful red bottom (because really, that's why you bought them in the first place). In this case, the Varinas came with a slightly lifted rubber heel already so I only needed to coat the front. The shoe peddler also told me they have red and beige colored soles; useful if ever I have light colored shoes and don't want black bottoms to contrast.
Finished result. This is the only picture I have that clearly shows the original sole - see how shiny and slippery it is?
The rubber soles are great. Now I wear the flats without anxiety of falling, and am satsified knowing that my shoes will last longer. Next time I purchase a pair of expensive shoes, these will be the first steps I take to protecting them.
