Breaking In a Pair of Vibram FiveFingers Classics

New Vibram fan Katie wrote in the following about her recent discovery of FiveFingers Classics:

While still deciding whether or not to buy some VFFs, I browsed the web extensively, finding mostly running and hiking stories. I was looking for an example of Vibrams being great shoes for every day use, since I myself am not a runner, hiker, jogger, etc. I found enough on birthdayshoes.com to convince myself that a pair of Vibrams would be perfectly fine to have for mostly casual use. I bought my Classics (and my husband a pair of KSOs) in late May 2011, and I haven’t worn any other shoes since! I wear them to family cook outs, work, the grocery store, the mall, church—you get the picture. I have tried running in them, and I must say running is a much more enjoyable experience in Vibrams.

However, the first few days of wearing them were discouraging.  My big toes were cramped and in pain, and the back of the heel (on the Classics) hurt me with every step I took. I would find myself not even moving in them and having to take them off because of the discomfort (I might have just gotten a size too small). I was so excited about them that I just couldn’t not wear them. I’m glad that I didn’t give up, because, as the clerk at the shoe store told me, they do loosen up with wear. It’s gotten much easier to move my toes around while wearing them, and now I can but them on as quickly as any other slip-on shoes. My heels rarely give me trouble anymore, and my left big toe only occasionally feels strange (remember, I haven’t been wearing these long). I feel very comfortable in them now, and plan on taking them to the beach and maybe walking the cobble stone streets of St. Augustine Florida this summer!

~Katie

P.S.: My husband loves his KSOs. They never gave him a bit of trouble.

Glad you stuck it out!  I think Classics do seem to break in a bit after a few days of wear.  One trick to speeding up the process is to invert the heel.

I hope you keep enjoying your new toe shoes, Katie!  Certainly a good time to have a pair of open-topped Classics with the summer heating up!