Fix-Up: How to Fix a Broken Stiletto Heel

January 19, 2010 Comments (0)

If you’re a devotee to stiletto heels, chances are you’re also a slave to the cobbler!

You see, when you wear skinny heels, it’s only a matter of time before the heel tip comes loose or just falls off completely (you know the drill, you’re walking along and all of a sudden, the noise of your shoes pounding the pavements takes on a decidedly more metallic tune as you start walking on the now-exposed nail in the heel).

The good news, however, is that you can fix these heels yourself with a set of replacement heel tips, some shoe glue (available at most cobblers!) and some needle nose pliers (which you can usually find at a hardware store).

If the heel tip has fallen off, take the pliers and remove the nail that remains in the stiletto heel. I’ll give you fair warning here – the nail typically gets pretty wedged in here (especially if you walked on them after the heel tip fell off!) so you’ll need to use a little elbow grease to get it out!

Next, you’ll want to clear any debris from the stiletto heel. You can also take this opportunity to repair any damage to the wrap of the heel using a small amount of shoe glue and a similarly hued magic marker (seriously – it really works to fill in any nicks!) 

Now you’re ready to really get some fixing done! Align the new heel tip with the stiletto heel, add a dab of shoe glue and press firmly. You’ll feel some resistance, so you’ll want to tap this into place either with a hammer or by banging the heel against a hard surface.

For best results, replace both heel tips at the same time, regardless of whether the other is damaged, so that your shoes will wear evenly.

Lianne Woolley