Break in a Pair of Sperry Top Siders Quickly
Top-Siders are the ultimate in laid-back, coastal preppy chic. They are incredibly comfortable shoes too. However, they take a bit of breaking-in before they will develop that classic fit and appearance. If you have a $200,000 yacht and a lot of free time, good for you, but for everyone else, there are a few simple things you can do to rapidly give your brand new Top-Siders a head start.
Steps
- Take your new Top-Siders out of the box, try them on and decide if they are definitely the right fit and/or style for you. Be absolutely sure, because after you apply the aging processes, no retailer will take them back.
- Find a watertight container large enough to fit your shoes. They should sit flat inside the container without protruding above the rim. A large Tupperware or similar box is ideal, or you can use a roasting tin or plastic tray. You are going to fill it with water, so make sure it doesn't have any holes in it.
- Fill the container with cold water, about two thirds full.
- Add sea salt. The quantity of salt you will need depends largely upon the size of your container and the volume of water therein. Roughly speaking, for each liter of water, you will need 35g (approximately 1 tablespoon) of sea salt. This will give you a salinity of 3.5%, which approximates the average salinity of ocean water. Do not worry about being too precise. If in doubt, add more salt rather than less, and taste it. It should be repulsive, like a mouthful of New England brine. Not tasty at all.
- Stir the water well to dissolve the salt, then place your Top-Siders in the solution. If they float, use a weight to keep them submerged. You can turn the shoes upside down, too, which ensures the whole of the leather upper is submerged.
- Leave for 24 hours.
- Extract your sodden footwear from the brine, shake loose the excess water, then put the wet shoes on your feet. Wear them around for a while until they begin to dry; this will not take as long as you might imagine, and the leather becomes quite comfortable and warm. You may not even realise you have wet shoes on.
- Walk around, play golf, do lunges, practice dance moves. Your shoes will begin to conform to your feet, and the shiny new gloss will be considerably subdued. The leather will take on a tasty patina, as if you have been sailing for two weeks.
Tips
- It is probably best not to leave your soaking, salty shoes out in direct sunlight on a hot day. Just wear them for a while wet, then put them away and treat them as you would any other pair of everyday shoes.
- Depending upon how "used" you want your new shoes to look, you can repeat the process. Top-Siders were designed to be worn in the sea, on boats, and to get wet every day without spoiling.
- Never forget; leather dries out over time. Make sure you apply a conditioner (like mink oil) to your shoes twice each year to preserve the leather and ensure longevity. You will achieve best results if you condition once before the weather warms up (when you will start wearing your boat shoes) and once when the weather cools off (when you will put them away for the winter).
Warnings
- Never wear socks with your Top-Siders. Your Top-Siders are casual boat shoes.
