Ask any fashion expert and he or she will agree: dress shoes are a fundamental component in formal men’s attire. If you plan on wearing a suit, you’ll need to pair it with the right shoes. Wearing a three-piece bespoke suit with tennis shoes just isn’t going to cut it. Rather, you need a more formal style of shoes that reflects the high-end look of your suit.
Unfortunately, though, it’s not uncommon for dress shoes to develop creases. Just like shirts and pants develop creases, so will your shoes. When this occurs, it creates a messy appearance that hurts your efforts to achieve a formal look. So, what steps can you take to protect your dress shoes from creasing?
Use a Shoe Horn
If you don’t own one already, go ahead and get yourself a shoe horn from your local footwear store. This otherwise simple accessory can make a world of difference in protecting your shoes from creasing. A shoe horn is used to relieve pressure on the back/heel of your feet when putting on shoes. Simply forcing your foot into the shoe causes the heel of the shoe to compress, which can subsequently lead to creasing. Placing the shoe horn in the shoe first, however, allows your to ease your foot into the shoe more gently. It’s a simple and easy solution to protect your dress shoes from creasing.
Ceder Shoe Trees
In addition to a shoe horn, you should also use cedar shoe trees to protect your footwear from creasing. Cedar shoe trees are large blocks of wood that fit inside a shoe. Their sole purpose is to retain the shoe’s original shape, protecting against problems like creases, collapse, etc. After taking your shoes off for the day, place a cedar shoe tree in each shoe, keeping it here until the next time you are ready to wear them.
Store in Climate-Controlled Environment
We’ve talked about this before, but it’s worth mentioning again that the climate in which you store shoes will affect their shape. If you store your dress shoes in a humid environment, the excess moisture vapor in the air will saturate the shoes and potentially create creases. A good rule of thumb is to store your dress shoes in an environment with a relative humidity of 40-50%
References:
http://www.ehow.com/how_12120971_keep-leather-shoes-creasing.html