I got these for a New Year's Eve outfit I was planning. I knew I would have to break them in, but having never owned a pair of Docs before, I don't think I quite knew what I was getting myself into. I thought 2-3 weeks would be plenty of time to break them in. Nope.

I was told to order one size down from my normal shoe size to convert from women's shoe size to men's, and it's one size too big. However, if I go one more size down, the shaft of the boot won't be big enough around. And realistically, with the socks I wear with them, the size difference is hardly noticeable.

Since I'm plus sized, and usually have to order a wide shaft boot to fit over my calves (though my ankles and foot width are not plus sized, so those wide shaft boots tend to expand EVERYTHING) I knew lacing them would be a challenge. First go 'round, I laced them with my fingers and had "string burns" for days. Then I figured out I could use a pair of crochet hooks as a proxy. Perfect! (Use the metal kind, cause the plastic ones will snap off at the hook. Trust me, I figured that out the hard way.) Then I wore them in the shower, left them on and wrapped them in a towel for a while so they would stretch out, and that worked quite well. They're comfortable except for a bend in right at my achilles tendon, and also the curve of the calf seems to be designed for someone shorter than me, since my calf starts to curve out after the boot's shaft does, so it dents in a little there. So, they just need to be broken in a bit more, I'm sure. Anyone have any further suggestions?