The Heel Tab Folded Under

You feel the fold as soon as your heel drops in. The shoe is still on your foot. You don’t yank your foot out fast, because you know that’ll just crumple the soft suede tab more and leave a permanent crease you’ll be picking at for weeks. You balance on your other foot, one hand braced against the doorjamb of your apartment, the mat under your bare sock dotted with half-dried leaf mulch from the walk up. The Doorstep Bench is just off to your left, low enough that you can sit without wobbling too much even when half-laced into one sneaker.

This suede running shoe fits perfectly everywhere except the loose heel tab

You wiggle your foot just enough to slide the sneaker off without catching the folded tab on your sock, holding it by the toe so the upper doesn’t crumple further. You’d bought it three weeks prior, worn it for casual walks and quick grocery runs, and never noticed how the heel tab stitching started to pull loose after you got caught in a rainstorm last Tuesday. The fabric of the tab is thin enough that it folds over on itself easily, especially when you’re rushing to slip shoes on without untying the laces all the way, and you’d felt the rough edge of the folded fabric digging into the back of your heel before you even took your first step off the mat. You turn the shoe over in your lap, running a finger along the back of the heel to feel where the tab is tucked under the inner lining, no hard plastic stiffener to hold it upright the way your older hiking boots have. The rest of the shoe fits like it was custom made for your foot, no tight spots across the toe box, no slipping at the arch, so you’re not ready to write it off just because of this one small, annoying quirk.

Check the inner stitching first so you don’t tear the tab while you adjust it

You flip the shoe so the opening faces you, prying the inner heel lining apart gently with two fingers to make sure there are no loose threads or ripped stitching that would make the fold worse even after you fix it. You don’t see any tears, just the soft suede tab tucked under a thin layer of mesh lining, caught on the edge of the heel cup because you’d jammed your foot in too fast. To get the tab back in place without damaging the fabric, follow these steps:

1. Hook the tip of your index finger under the folded edge of the tab, pulling up slowly so you don’t stretch the suede or catch it on the rough edge of the heel cup.
2. Run your other thumb along the outer edge of the heel tab once it’s pulled upright, pressing firmly to smooth out any creases that might make it fold under again when you put your foot in.
3. Loosen the top two eyelets of the laces by half an inch each, so the opening of the shoe is wide enough that you don’t have to jam your heel past the tab when you slide your foot in.
4. Tuck the edge of the tab under the thin elastic band stitched to the inner top of the heel cup, if your shoe has one, to hold it upright while you put the shoe on.

You work through each step slowly, making sure you don’t pull too hard on the suede, since you know the thin material will stretch out if you yank it too fast. You run your finger along the back of the tab once you’re done, making sure it sits fully upright, no folded edges peeking out over the top of the heel cup. You give the tab a small, gentle tug to make sure it doesn’t slip back under the lining easily, and it stays in place, no give beyond the natural stretch of the suede.

Set the adjusted shoe on the entry mat to hold its shape before you put it back on

You set the shoe on the cleanest spot of the entry mat, heel side down, so the weight of the sole holds the tab upright while you grab your water bottle from the counter inside your door. You don’t want to put it on right away, because rushing could make the tab fold back under again before you even make it down the stairs. Illustrative example: Leaving it to sit for 12 minutes while you fill your water bottle, grab your hat, and reply to that text from your roommate gives the creases in the suede time to soften out so the tab stays upright longer. You check on it once while you’re passing by, pressing the tab down gently with one finger to make sure it pops back up immediately, no lingering fold that would slip under when you put your foot in. You also double check the laces, making sure the top two are loose enough that you can slide your foot in without shoving, and you tuck the end of the left lace into the side of the shoe so you don’t trip on it when you head out. The leaf mulch on your sock brushes off onto the mat as you shift your weight, and you grab the other matching running shoe from the stack by the door to make sure its heel tab is still sitting upright too, no loose stitching you haven’t noticed yet. It’s fine, fully upright, no creases, so you set it next to the adjusted shoe while you finish getting ready to leave.

Grab the shoe first the next time you head out for a morning walk to test the adjustment

You don’t grab your older pair of sneakers the next time you’re lacing up to head out, reaching for this adjusted pair first to see if the tab stays in place through a full 30 minute walk. You slide your foot in slowly, making sure your heel hits the back of the cup directly, no angling that would push the tab down before your foot is fully in. When you stand up, you shift your weight from heel to toe a few times, feeling the back of the shoe for any rough edges or folded fabric digging into your skin, and you don’t feel anything out of place. You walk down the stairs slowly at first, then pick up the pace once you hit the sidewalk, testing the fit through a few fast steps and a short jog across the crosswalk when the light starts to blink. If you feel the tab start to slip at any point, you can stop on the nearest curb to readjust it, no need to walk all the way back home to fix it, and you can add a small dot of fabric glue to the base of the tab later if you want to help hold it upright for longer. You don’t have to do anything permanent if you don’t want to, since the fold only happens when you rush to put the shoe on without loosening the laces first, and you’ve already gotten in the habit of undoing the top two eyelets every time you take the shoes off so they’re ready to slip into easily the next time you need them. By the time you get back home from your walk, the tab is still sitting fully upright, no creases or folds peeking out over the top of the heel cup, and you set the pair back on the mat by the door, laces loose, so they’re ready for your next trip to the park or run to the corner store for coffee.