Deichmann

Caring for shoes

• Care from the beginning

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  Whether it’s loafers, lace-ups or buckle shoes, use a shoehorn. Squashed shoe spines are ugly and irreparably destroy the fit.

  Before pulling the shoe off, loosen all shoelaces, so that the foot can slide out easily. It doesn’t really take any longer, and it protects your feet and shoes better.

  Shoetrees keep your shoes in good form, smooth out the walking creases and take the stress off the sole structure. But please use them only in the right size, because otherwise they will distort the shoe.

  A shoetree is especially practical when shoes have been soaked by rain or snow. If you don’t have a shoetree, you can stuff the shoes with newspaper. Do not dry your shoes too close to a heater, and absolutely never on a heater. This will make the leather fragile, hard and brittle. No leather care product can repair this kind of heat damage. Shoes with leather soles should be laid on their sides for drying.

  Clean your shoes regularly. It is best to wipe or brush them after every time you wear them, so that they won’t lose their sheen or velvety surface.

  Take your shoes to the cobbler at the right time to have worn heels replaced, etc. This prevents greater damage and saves money over the long run.

  And give your shoes a rest — at least as long as you wore them. Even better, let the shoes rest for 24 hours, so that they can dry out.

• The art of polishing shoes

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  The main thing is: First clean them, then protect them. Only clean leather can be treated with appropriate care products. You don’t use skin cream before you wash, do you?

  Dust and dirt are best removed with a cloth and/or lukewarm water, and on robust leather, feel free to use a brush. Clean rough leather with a rubber brush or an emery brush.

  It is best to treat new shoes with a care product before wearing them for the first time. Choose the product based on the type of leather. The wrong care product can do damage to leather, and not just sensitive types of leather.

  To refresh the colour, it is best to use a shoe care product that is a shade darker than the colour of the shoe.

  Apply the care product thinly and uniformly in circular movements; otherwise the leather gets smeared and doesn’t shine correctly. Also avoid strong rubbing during application, because that can damage the upper leather.

  Let the product work its way in for about 15 minutes, and then polish the shoe with a soft cloth or a soft polishing brush (a horsehair brush is the best).

  A SECRET FROM THE PROS
  An old toothbrush is best for cleaning and polishing the shoe’s welt.

• Which care product for which leather?

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  Patent leather
  Clean patent leather by wiping it with a damp cloth. Ordinary shoe polish should not be used, because this will leave streaks on the leather. Always treat patent leather with a polish specially made for it. Do not use any kind of impregnation on patent leather shoes, because the leather surface is already sealed with a layer of film.

  Smooth leather
  Is recommended that the leather be impregnated with a spray for smooth leather (not in an enclosed space, if possible) before the first time the shoes are worn. Depending on the leather’s characteristics, you can use a cream in a tube (for premium smooth leather), a lotion (for soft and sensitive leather, such as on purses) or a wax paste (for coarse and grease-tanned leather).

  Raw leather
  Raw leather is a collective term for suede and nubuck leather and is more sensitive than smooth leather. Waxy products can make the fine hairs on the surface stick together. For care and cleaning, we therefore recommend special nubuck and suede sprays. The colour can be refreshed with a special colour fluid. Spots can be removed with a rubber brush or a special sponge.

  Cloth shoes
  Cloth shoes get dirty quickly and look unkempt after several wears. It is best to treat these shoes with a special textile protection spray. If they are dirty, you can clean the shoes with clear or slightly soapy water.

• A secret from the pros

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  Grease spots
  Common household cleaning spirits.

  Chewing gum or glue
  Place briefly in the freezer and then remove it or rub it off.

  Sugary spots
  Wash out with cold water and soap.

  Ballpoint ink on raw leather
  Put sticky tape over the spot and rub strongly through the band using your fingernail or a hard object. Then remove the sticky tape with a sudden jerk.

  Snow streaks
  Wash them off with flowing lukewarm water before they dry. Later remove them with kerosene.

• Tips for any weather

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  Weatherproof
  
  1. First, choose the right shoe care product
  No article of clothing requires more protection than shoes. You can make your smooth leather shoes weatherproof with ordinary shoe polish, from Deichmann, for example. How often should you polish them? It’s simple: If you wear them often, you should polish them often. If you’re out and about in wet weather, besides shoe polish, you should also use an impregnating spray like those available from Deichmann.
  Carefully spray your shoes with it before the first time you wear them. And it’s the same here: The more, the better. Repeat this process later, so that the spray can work itself deep into the leather. There is a special impregnating product for leather soles. Suede and rough leather shoes should only be treated with a shoe brush and impregnating spray.
  And you shouldn’t skimp on them here either. For one pair, you need about 100 millilitres of spray. Antique leather is best treated with leather oil. This maintains the leather’s spotted look. In especially tough cases, impregnation spray also helps.

  2. Dealing with white streaks
  If your shoes get very wet, the moisture, tanning salts and minerals flow out of the leather. This causes the famous white streaks on the shoes.
  To remove the white streaks, wash them off with a soft cloth and lukewarm water. Then let the shoes dry for a long time. After they’re dry, intensive care with shoe polish is called for, such as those available from Deichmann.

  3. Shoe care and correct drying
  Drying is best done after the shoes have been stuffed carefully with crumpled newspaper. After you have stuffed them, it is best to set the shoes down on a slant, so that the soles can thoroughly dry. But be careful: Wet shoes should never be placed on heaters, because this will make the fine pores of the leather swell, distorting their structure.

  4. Comeback care for shoes
  How to care for shoes correctly after they get wet and have dried depends on the leather. Coarse smooth leather is best lubricated with tinned shoe polish, like those available from Deichmann. For sensitive leathers you should use polish from a tube. For suede and wild leather, it is better to remove dirt with a brush, and on raw leather a rubber eraser helps with more stubborn dirt on the uppers. After that, treat the shoes with an impregnating spray. Antique leather should receive extra treatment with leather oil.

  5. Warm feet in rubber boots
  Yes, it’s really possible. You’re best here using function socks. These socks are made of a wool-synthetic blend whose interior core (a polyester) transfers collecting moisture away from the skin.

  You can also support the socks with thermal inserts in the boots. Note: After long periods of wear, your feet may get wet despite the inserts, because the sweat cannot evaporate.

Shoe care products

• Weather protection cream and patent leather cream

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  Deichmann weather protection cream and patent leather cream are ideal for sensitive surfaces and patent leather shoes. Their cleaning strength provides gloss and suppleness. You can find out how to use these products and about everything you need for shoe care at your local Deichmann shop.

• Sprays for care and protection

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  Deichmann protection and care sprays and lotions can be used for any material. These care products are suitable not only for leather and textiles, but also for thermal membranes. And their price is right at Deichmann.
  

• Brushes

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  Your shoes appear in a new light. Whether it’s suede, smooth or nubuck leather,  every shoe needs the right care. In our local shops, for every type of upper you can get the right brush — synthetic,  with plastic knobs or with natural bristles. Our friendly staff are ready to help you.

• Boot shaft shapers

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  Deichmann offers the right boot shaft shaper for every need — both for high and low boots. Their robust shell design makes Deichmann boot shapers right for any size. Boot shaft shapers keep your boots in good form and do the most to smooth out the walking creases.

• Insole

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  Deichmann also offers the right insole or a comfortable footbed for any shoe. Save your feet and joints and keep your feet at the right temperature with premium insoles from Deichmann.

• Foam shoetree

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  Deichmann offers the right shoetree, made especially for women’s shoes. The foam shoetree with handle is made for slender, pointed women’s styles and can keep women’s shoes in their original shape. It removes moisture from the leather and provides  good air circulation. The foam shoetree does the most to smooth out walking creases.

• Weather protection cream or wax spray

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  Brilliance in a flash: The Deichmann shoe care line provides all-around weather protection for shoes on the go. At your local Deichmann shop, we will gladly help you pick the right weather protection cream or wax spray.

• Nanotechnology

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  Here, nature is the example: As on a lotus plant, water beads up on impregnated leather or textiles and takes the dust with it. Although previous impregnating products often needed repeating in as little as a week, with ordinary use, nanotechnology protection lasts for months.

• Soft gel soles

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  Developed according to orthopaedic requirements, a gel sole’s construction and the integrated cushioned 3D gel zones in the forefoot and heel area compensate for any pressure actively and comfortably.

• Universal impregnating spray

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  Universal impregnating spray provides extended protection for all types of leathers and fabric materials from wetness, oil and dirt. It reliably protects against moisture, repels oil and acids and prevents quick soiling. Suitable for all colours.

• Shoetree

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  Deichmann offers the right shoetree for any shoe and any leather. The wooden shoetree lets shoes relax into their original shape. It removes moisture from the leather and provides good air circulation. A wooden shoetree does the most to smooth out walking creases.

• Nano Vario care foam

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  Nano Vario spray from Deichmann is an impregnating foam for all types of modern synthetic materials and leathers. It provides long-lasting protection from moisture, oil and dirt.

Footcare

• Groomed to the tip of your toes

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  Summer, sun, light fashions — and a natural part of this is open shoes that you’re proud to show your feet in. Even more important is a well-kept appearance. Here we show the five steps to good-looking feet.

• The foot bath

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  Foot baths relax and promote blood circulation to perk up tired feet. Ten minutes are enough, so as not to stress the skin. You can mix a wide array of additives to the water. Particularly soothing and effective are essential oils: Besides their treatment properties, orange, lavender and lemon balm give off a pleasantly soothing aroma.

  Once the bath is over and the skin is soft, you can do a foot peel and remove calluses. Don’t forget to dry your feet thoroughly. Moisturizing creams and mousses complete the care.

• Massage

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  Foot massage brings perfect relaxation and gives new energy to the whole body. Reflex zone massages have proven especially effective. There are experienced therapists for this, but anyone can try a simple variant: Massage in circles around the ankle. With a closed fist, move along the length of the sole. Massage with sufficient pressure between the toes. An especially important point lies between the two balls at the front of the foot. With thumb bent, press the soft area in small circles.

• Nail care

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  Once the feet are fit, the skin is soft and supple, all that’s left are the nails. Filing is much better than cutting, to prevent sharp edges and hangnails at the edges. If complete nail filing takes too long, use nail clippers for the centre and only use the file on the edges. If the cuticle interferes, be very careful: Germs can enter if it is completely removed. Therefore you should soften it and push it back very carefully.

• Exercise

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  The foot bath and massage have made the muscles soft and supple — the best prerequisite for a couple of exercises. Grip your toes individually, press them and turn them. Then stretch the toes out and move them apart and together. Do it as if you were using them to type. Finally, you can try to grip objects with your toes or to crumple and tear a piece of paper with your toes.

Men

• Men

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  They don’t say, “Clothes make the man,” for nothing. We often see people in the right clothes, but their shoes are often an afterthought. But finding the right outfit and shoes for a specific occasion can involve a tough decision.

  That’s why we’re giving you a few tips to make it work.

• Leisure

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  Freedom in your free time

  • A sporty monk or Norwegian loafer can be worn with a suit during the day, but it’s not just business or evening wear.
  • Casual longwings for jeans or sportswear or rustic wingtips for the country wardrobe — perfect for cords, loden or tweed.
  • A fancy leisure shoe that’s especially for summer is the extravagant Spectator, which goes with white linen, for example.

• Classics

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  Classics with class.

  • Always wear socks whose colours go with the shoe and suit. Avoid contrasts that are too strong. White tennis socks are completely taboo with a business suit. It is always nicer for men to wear socks that are long enough to cover their hairy legs when sitting. Knee socks are a good solution here.
  • Make sure that the trousers don’t completely cover the shoe.

  The right shoe for business apparel:

  • The Oxford is a classic, rather conservative style for gentlemen.
  • The Blucher also works well due to its simplicity.
  • An elegant Balmoral semi-Brogue is also possible. However, the more distinctive the hole pattern, the sportier the brogue is and the less it works with an elegant suit.
  • Overall, the rule of thumb is, “No brown after six,” since brown shoes are modern and sporty
    and should be worn only until sunset.
  • As for women, athletic shoes are good for a casual business look for men.
    
  • A new trend for courageous men: Sandals, once confined to the leisure realm, are conquering the business world.

• Elegant

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  Total evening elegance

  • A general recommendation for shoes at official occasions (receptions, weddings, etc.): Smooth, black (brown is absolutely taboo), with no cap and no excessively thick soles.
  • Just as with business attire, the Oxford is an absolute classic for an evening social wardrobe.
  • Do not wear Brogues at official events, because they are too sporty.
  • With a tuxedo and tails, it is best to combine patent leather shoes with smooth, fine socks. With a morning suit, wear smooth black shoes and solid grey socks.

Ladies

• Ladies

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  Where clothing and shoes are concerned, luckily there are no strict rules anymore. Whatever you like is allowed, and individual taste is decisive. Of course, exceptions prove the rule, so there are still a few standards, especially for official events or at work.

• Leisure

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  Total freedom in your free time

  • The general rule for leisure time: Whatever you like is allowed. 
  • Dress to your mood, to the trend, to your personal taste, style, comfort or functionality.
  • Typical leisure shoes are Norwegian-front Oxfords, light moccasins, robust ankle boots or shoes with rustic Ghillie laces.
    

• Business

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  Elegance in business

  • Before you decide on a certain look, first get oriented in your environment. In an advertising agency, things will definitely look looser than in, say, a management consultancy, a bank or an insurance company.
  • If a businesswoman is wearing a skirt, then fine hosiery helps create the perfect outfit — even in summer at 30°. If you want to show your legs, then your toenails should be polished and your legs carefully depilated.
  • Higher heels make the legs and figure seem longer, so a truly suitable shoe for business should not have excessively high heels. A small rule of thumb: The standard height is 3.5 cm.
  • Classic shoe styles for a suit are pumps, trotteurs, buckle shoes, tassel loafers and ballet shoes. High and ankle-length boots also go well with an ankle-length skirt. It becomes even more stylish if you wear high or ankle boots with a knee-length skirt.
  • In summer, strap sandals, high-heeled sandals or D’Orsays are good alternatives to the classic closed shoes mentioned above. However, high-heeled strap sandals will make you overdressed.
  • With a pantsuit, good flat lace-up shoes, such as the sporty Derby, the classically elegant Balmoral (such as the Oxford) or even the brogue go well.
  • What’s great about fashion: What was previously completely taboo at some point becomes the absolute height of fashion and finds its way into offices. So now even athletic shoes are worn with suits.
  • Colour is also seen more often now in business apparel. What once had to be solid coloured — preferably black, grey or brown — can now be more striking. Inspired by seasonal colours, such as two-tone orange-khaki or bright red.
    

• Elegant

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  Evening beauty

  • It stands to reason that you don’t wear big, clunky shoes with an elegant evening dress. Here light, elegant shoes are called for, such as strap sandals or high-heeled pumps.
  • The shoes should be comfortable enough that you can casually move around in them all night, but that doesn’t mean that you should turn to leisure or comfort shoes. They look much too sporty, so they’re not suitable.
  • Generally speaking, in the evening you can wear something fancier and more extravagant.

Conversion chart

• Size conversion chart Women/Men/Children

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  Different manufacturers use various size data. In this size conversion chart, you can find your size in centimeters, and in German, British and American sizes.

  Conversion chart Women/Men
  Conversion chart Children

Fit wizard Women/Men

• Fit wizard Women/Men

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  The right fit determines whether you feel good in your shoes or not. The right shoe should prevent foot fatigue and allow comfortable walking and standing. Shoes are the clothing item for which a perfect fit is especially important.

• Why do shoes fit differently?

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  Various manufacturers use different lasts during shoe production. That’s why Deichmann precisely measures the length and width of each shoe. To get a perfect fit, you should always use our measuring template to determine your size.

• When is a shoe the right length?

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  Order the size shown by our measuring template, because the push room for the toes is already factored in. Shoes that run large or small, are indicated with the sentence, “This shoe runs large/small.” Please be sure to follow our recommendation when ordering. Different manufacturers use various size data. If you need the right conversion to centimetres, British or American sizes for your German length measurement, use our size conversion chart.

• When is a shoe the right width?

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  The shoe holds the foot in the ball area. In shoes that are too wide, the foot slides forward and slaps at the back, and too narrow a shoe pinches it. The pictogram shown with the shoe gives an idea of the foot width for which each shoe is suitable (dark blue = well suited).

• What shoe goes with which shape of foot?

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  Narrow foot:
  Pointed shoes, lace-up shoes or narrowly cut slip-ons;

  Wide foot:
  Lace-up shoes, wide styles or even special-width shoes;

  High instep:
  Lace-up shoes, shoes with Velcro fasteners, slip-ons with elastic bands, and wide-cut pumps or ballet shoes;

  Inserts:
  Special-width shoes, lace-up shoes or shoes with removable inner socks

• What should I watch for when I try shoes on?

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  If possible, try shoes on in the early afternoon, because in the evening feet are mildly swollen and in the morning the shoes fit too loosely. If you try the shoes in the morning, they’ll pinch in the evening. Also take enough time to break the shoes in. Do this first for a short time on a carpeted floor before you move on to harder flooring. Always put the shoes on with a shoehorn to avoid crushing their spines. A crushed spine changes a shoe’s fit.

  Fit wizard Children
  High demands are placed on children’s shoes even during development. The growth and maturing of the child’s foot has to be considered. Shoes that fit properly and conform to the shape of the foot are a prerequisite for maintaining healthy feet.

  Children barely feel pain, because their feet are still soft and malleable. They therefore don’t notice when their shoes have become too small. For example, they may wear shoes four sizes too small without mentioning it. Foot damage is often the result of ill-fitting children’s shoes. Every three months children’s feet should be remeasured: A child’s foot can grow two to three sizes in one year. The length and width must always be measured.

• Why do shoes fit differently?

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  In this case, use our measuring template to determine your child’s shoe size. Our measuring template takes into account the necessary extra room for optimal fit. Order the size shown by our measuring template. Shoes that run large or small, are indicated with the sentence, “This shoe runs large/small.” Please be sure to follow our recommendation when ordering. In our children’s size conversion chart, we also offer you the data in centimetres.

• When is a shoe the right width?

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  For the child’s foot to have the necessary support in the ball area, children’s shoes are offered in various widths. We provide you with the width data for every children’s shoe. You can determine the foot width with our children’s measuring template. All children’s shoes are marked as follows:

• What should I watch for when I try shoes on?

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  When trying a shoe on, check the length again. Press with your thumb, or if a hard toe cap makes this impossible, use the following test:
   
  Hold the sole of the right shoe under the left foot and press it firmly to the foot. Between the foot and the edge of the uppers (the toe), small children should have a margin of 8 to 15 mm, and older children 12 to 15 mm. Consider the edge of the uppers and the lining, if there is one. Check the ball measurement by stroking the leather with your thumb with light pressure over the leather in the ball area. The shoe fits when the leather forms a slight fold. With the child standing, check the heel and ankle area. Make sure that the heel closes correctly and that the angle and closure of the uppers have enough space. The shoe must not flop when the child walks or runs.