Disintegrating shoes

Problem
Shoes stored for years in the tropics come out of shoe boxes, revealing a mountain of black fragments from disintegrating heels.

"Throw them away!" tuts Mr Tidy Minded.

"No, no," I protest. The box label reveals a good brand. The shoe base reveals the size. In better times I bought from expensive shoe shops in department stores in Singapore such as Ngee Ann City where we used to live. I could not afford to replace all these shoes now. The tops are fine. Such a waste. What will I do now?

Answers
1 Save the shoes and try to find a cobbler or buy shoe glue to marry shoe bases whose top part disintegrated with top parts whose soles and heels disintegrated.
2 Stick on soles.
3 Only buy one pair in the UK, this year's style (or last year's second hand). Wear them non-stop, daily for a season until they are worm out.

That way I get the wear. I get my moneys worth.

No long term storage. No finding the shoes are no longer my size.

Stick the receipt on the side of the shoe box. If shoes collapse, I still have a receipt, quick to find. I know if the price I paid meets the time and trouble to try to get a refund or replacement. I can take them back to the shop because I still have the receipt and the shoes have lasted less than six months.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.
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