Half-zipper boots tear

[ShockQueen]

Has anyone else have the misfortune of having a pair of boots with the half-zipper, and while getting them on/off, the leather tears a bit above the end of the zipper? I would think a cobbler could sew a reinforcement over the tear, and then duplicate it on the other one, so it looked more like decoration. Does anyone know if this is a do-able fix for something like this?

[ShockQueen]

*UPDATE* Well, I took my boots in to have the repair work done, since the slide on the zipper escaped as well as the tear above it, and they worked miracles! The slide has been replaced, they did an excellent job stitching up the tear above it, and did reinforcement above both zippers! They look great once again! Wee-hoooooooooo!

[Dr. Shoe]

I was going to say that that is a standard repair for this problem, some might take the zips out and cut the boot so that the new zip extends right to the top.

[Guy N. Heels]

I was going to say that that is a standard repair for this problem, some might take the zips out and cut the boot so that the new zip extends right to the top.

I, too, would opt for having the zipper going all the way to the top in such a circumstance, especially if you've got to take them to the cobbler anyway. But I'm glad you got it fixed.

[ShockQueen]

Well, as the fickle finger of fate would have it, the patch didn't hold (I must have FAT feet or something - but the right one goes on and off just fine!!!), so I might go back and ask them if this is truly an option - and if so, how much it would be. I think that's a brilliant idea to see if they can do full-length zippers! Thanks!

[foxylady]

Hi ShockQueen, Are these the new boots youtalk about....?

[ShockQueen]

Yeah. I don't know what I did to them, but it just happened to the left one - the right one is fine. I'm gonna check around to see what my options are with the zipper. Eventually I'm going to get another pair - just one size larger. That may be the issue with these boots. I'm a size 14, but Pleaser medium width is a bit narrow for me, so I usually go 15 with them. In this case, with the rounded toes, my toes are right up at the front of the boot, so I may have to just go get a 16 and see how those fit.

[foxylady]

Can't you return them as faulty. This shouldn't happen. I any caseI wish you good luck with the new ones FL

[ShockQueen]

Too much gone into them to return, unfortunately, so I'm just chalking it up to "lesson learned" and then trying again. No harm no foul. I'll let ya know how it goes seeing if they can convert the zipper!

[Guy N. Heels]

Too much gone into them to return, unfortunately, so I'm just chalking it up to "lesson learned" and then trying again. No harm no foul. I'll let ya know how it goes seeing if they can convert the zipper!

You might consider having yer cobbler put in an expansion strip - an extra cut or two at the top with a bit of elastic to allow for your calf and for pulling the boots on/off and while zipping them up.

[ShockQueen]

I did figure out one trick to keep this from happening again. When taking these boots off, once the foot is out of the "foot" of the boot, spin the shaft around, so the top of your foot is toward the zipper - then they seem to just come off with NO problem. I don't know if this is the recommended method for taking off such boots, but it seems to really work for me!

[Skirted-UK]

While we are on the subject of splits in shoes. I have a problem with upvc court shorts, (Pumps to our American friends) After a while they sometimes split on the widest part of the shoe, I usually just buy another pair ,but with the demise of HayWay shoes I have been looking at ways to repair splits in my large collection of HayWay pumps. I first make a patch to fit on the inside of the shoe were the split is, from one inch wide black Petersham tape. ( Petersham tape is what they use to reinforce the waistbands of skirts and trousers, you can buy it by the meter at any good dressmaking shop. ) I stick the patch on with Evostick on the inside lining of the shoe were the split is. When the patch is stuck I sew through the patch and the shoe fabric with doubled polyester thread, using a strong needle and a pair of long nosed pliers. I use a zigzag stitch working from one side of the split to the other. When I get to the end of the split I work back again, interfacing the second row of stitches in between the first row. When I get back to the start of the split I tie off the ends of the tread. The stitching now has pulled the split together so I now LIGHTLY cover the stitches and the split with Super Glue. I leave the shoe overnight for the glues to set hard and I finish it off by polishing the shoe with black shoe polish. Its properly not what Dr Shoe would recommend, but it seems to be a permanent method of repairing splits in upvc shoes. You cant really see the repair on black shoes unless you are looking for it, and its prolonged the life of several pairs of my favourite and now irreplaceable pumps.

[ShockQueen]

Well, I gave up the ghost on trying to get my boots repaired. I think I may not have gotten them large enough, even though I was sure of my size due to past purchases from Pleaser - it may be just this style, but once shaft leather tears, no matter how much you patch it, it'll never be whole again the way it was. So I did another order, but for a size higher. This should provide much better luck in getting a good fit, and much easier to put on and take off. Wish me luck!

[foxylady]

I wish you good luck with the new boots, Shockqueen. I bought a pair of nice boots too, but the calf is to small, so I always have a gap. Have you any tips on loosing some fat on the calfs, by doing some exercise. What I mean are there any particulary things we can do to make the calf a little smaller.. FL

[ShockQueen]

I keep asking myself the same question. I thought perhaps toning exercises just to keep the legs lean, but if you do too much, then the muscle will come back in the same proportion as any fat you were trying to lose in that area. I'm not sure if there is any sure-fire method for it or not. btw....the new boots are AWESOME. :-) You should try them.