A leather shoe left empty collapses along the creases it picked up during the day. This cedar tree pushes back from the inside: a split toe spreads under tension to fill the forefoot, and a contoured heel seats the back of the shoe across 11.5 inches of length.
The toe section splits and widens, which is what lets one tree fill the forefoot of shoes that differ slightly in volume. Held open inside a leather upper, it works against the deep creases that form across the vamp, so a dress shoe keeps closer to the shape it was lasted with.
A shaped heel matches the curve at the back of a shoe instead of jamming a flat block against it, and a handle at the top gives something to pull on. Without that handle a snug tree has to be worked out by the toe, which is how both the tree and the lining get damaged.
This tree is the large size on the American chart and a medium on the European one, measuring 3.25 inches high, 3.63 inches wide, and 11.5 inches deep. Checking the sizing chart first matters more here than with most accessories, since a tree too long for the shoe strains the stitching at the heel.
Six folding fabric bins in regal red, eleven inches on each side, with silver grommet pull handles.
Set of six 11-inch folding storage bins in dark green, built with chipboard walls and front grommet handles.
