Savvy Tips for Breaking In New Shoes:

• The best thing you can do for your feet is to be smart about when you try prospective new shoes on.  Hit the stores near the end of the day so your feet are nice and plump from a day's worth of wear and tear.  You're more apt to get a great fit and may even learn that you should be wearing a 1/2 size larger before you find out the hard way.
• All shoes will rub against your heel a bit until the leather is broken in and softened.  Invest in moleskin strips (around $3 for the generic brand at drugstore.com) that you can cut down and slide into the heel so you don't get blisters.
• If your shoes are feeling tight around the toe area, enlist the aid of Profoot Pump Pouches (around $8 at drugstore.com) at home to stretch them out a bit before you hit the street.  You don't want to completely stretch out your new shoes, but by creating a little breathing room before you go out will save pinching your little piggies when you're on the run.

Photo: Nelumbo Kitten Heels, $148 at anthropologie.com (also available in black)