How to Repair Damaged Rain Boots (and Recovering from Nemo)

I got a pair of Kate Spade rain boots at T.J. Maxx two years ago for less than $30 and have worn them frequently, through rain and snow (with a pair of Wellie socks tucked inside for insulation), ever since. They've were great protection against the elements until I pulled them on a few days ago and discovered some damage.

First there was a crack along the ankle, which wasn't a huge problem. The bigger issue was that the boot upper had split from the sole. I wasn't super excited about dropping a bunch of cash on new boots, especially because these are super cute and have served me well.

So, what to do?  I turned, as I always do when I need to learn something, to YouTube where I found a video of a guy repairing his Wellington boots with something called StormSure. 

It seemed like it worked pretty well, so I ordered some from Amazon and got to work. It was a little messy (I wish I'd read a little more to find out that you can smooth the goo out if you dampen the finger of a rubber glove and use it to mush it around a bit), but the crack is filled and sealed (and totally flexible) and the boot and sole are attached once again. There's a bit of a scar where the split was, but someone would have to be inappropriately close to my shins to really see it.

I haven't worn them outside yet, but the mess left from those 34" of snow we were hit with here in New Haven should be a pretty good test. I'll keep you posted . . . 

Speaking of which, here's a picture of how things have been looking around here lately: 

Apparently, my winter style hasn't changed much since last year's post about the Seven Style Must-Haves for Winter!