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Another week, another church service. I was feeling rather more ambitious this week, and wore my @Jkrenzer approved shoes. I do believe that my Steve Madden Daisie pumps were the ones that got me started off with my smallish collection of traditional pumps. I do not often wear pumps, partially because I do not have that many venues really to wear them. Also, my budget does not include funds to buy real leather pumps, so my time in them must necessarily be limited. Having said that, I spent about three hours in these yesterday between church and grocery shopping. As noted elsewhere on this forum, these are a little bit difficult on the polished tile floor of my local supermarket. A heel tip replacement to hard rubber would improve things markedly. However, after it was time to change clothes and shoes, I was not ready to take them off. They are actually quite comfortable for 4 5/8" stilettos. I am on the verge of being able to walk in them. I can fool most people. One of the things about playing in the band at church is that, in time of need, I can sneak off to the bathroom during the first part of the sermon. I would estimate I do this about 20% of the time, depending upon how much coffee I have consumed on any given Sunday morning. The only person who can see is whoever is serving as liturgist that morning. Yesterday morning, I quietly opened the sacristy door to make my temporary escape, and the liturgist stopped me and whispered, "You're going to walk down those stairs in those shoes?" I whispered back, "I know! I'm taking my life in my hands, aren't I?" The stairs back there are very steep. Then she mentioned it again after the service. Well, you know, 12 years of more or less constant practice never hurt a thing.

I have been getting this persistent advertisement in my social media feed for the last couple of weeks. It is a 30-something woman telling me that the staple of my shoe collection should be kitten heels. Every so often, it seems to happen that somebody, somewhere, thinks that the kitten heel is the greatest compromise ever, and that the fashion vs. function problem has finally been solved once and for all. Luckily, hardly anybody falls for this nonsense. I submit that the kitten heel is the worst of the worst. Not because they are actually the worst looking style ever, but because they pretend to be something that they are not. Yes, Crocs look way worse on an absolute scale, but at least they have no pretense of being anything other than what they are. A 2 inch spike heel has no place in this world. If you need to wear a 2 inch heel, get shoes with block heels, pretty please!

These ‘ASOS DESIGN heeled chelsea boots in black faux leather with chain detail’ seemed to me to provide the right balance between enjoyment and discretion and I could no longer resist them when a double discount was on offer. I usually wear a UK11 or 12 and opted for 12 (securing the last pair, it seems) to allow thicker socks if needed. First impressions were favourable – a 3 5/8” heel, a zipped shaft taller than the online advert implied, and an almond toe. The fit was good and comfortable indoors. The ‘round’ heel may not appeal to some, but it is not really noticeable. Likewise, the gilt chain detail is perhaps rather too ‘blingy’, but could be removed. The hollow plastic heels were, as expected, rather noisy – and the plastic top pieces will obviously wear and need replacement. I decided to modify them before wearing them outdoors. The top pieces (held by four pegs) were carefully prised off and fitted with discs of 1/4" composition material, glued on. (I used a hole cutter, without its centre drill, to produce discs just a tad too large, which were then reduced and smoothed on my grinding wheel before glueing.) To dampen noise, I filled the hollow heels with compacted sawdust, with pieces of crimped drinking straw inserted temporarily into the peg holes to stop sawdust entering. The top pieces were then pressed in; the fit seems firm enough not to need any adhesive. The composition layer can of course be removed when worn and replaced. Adding the extra layer to the top piece has increased the heel height to 3 7/8”. The balance of the boots has not been affected; indeed, they sit rather better with the extra height. I wore them outside briefly with thick socks and bootcut jeans and they seem comfortable enough. The pics show the boots as received, as worn with bootcut jeans, and the stages of heel modification.

This week's church OOTW. There is nothing notable about it, except for the fact that this is the first time this year I was able to wear sandals. It finally warmed up, but it's only temporary. By the end of the week, we're looking at lows uncomfortably close to the freezing mark. I felt like I wanted to wear tan sandals yesterday with wide legged trousers, but my first choice was at the extreme steep end of my wearable range. Due to some strenuous physical activity yesterday, I elected not to wear those, but went instead with what I call my "pageant" shoes. Their actual designation is Steve Madden Dezzzy (yes, that's with three z's), but their very high heel with thick platform reminds me of the pageant shoes that every southeast Asian girl wears in a beauty pageant. Of course the real pageant shoes usually have a somewhat thinner heel and an ever thicker platform, but you get the idea. I get a nearly 6 inch heel with less than 4 1/2" of steepness. My son just bought himself a motorbike, and here I am somewhat awkwardly posing on it, at his suggestion. No, I did not ride the thing in those heels. A few minutes later in real time---Now that I have actually loaded the photos, I notice that I wore a nearly identical outfit sometime last August, minus the tie. I think it's the same exact shirt, pants, and shoes. I guess you'll have that from time to time if you don't document things, and with outfits, I certainly don't.

Thanks! I was drawn to the bling. To be honest, the femininity is what drew me to them. And they will most likely wind up as housewearing only. I wish I was going to the Junior Prom next month, so I could rock these. But in all honesty, these may never see the light of day. Truth be told, I am probably just as much a collector as I am a wearer. I see objects of great beauty, and I must have them, lol. With all the shoes I have ammased over the years, I bet way more than half of them have never seen the light of day. But if the mood strikes me with these ones, you just never know. These will probably end up being house shoes for me as well and may never see the light of day, but you never know.

just thinking, what was the last pair of heels anyone wore? as I had those on yesterday https://www.amazon.co.uk/Womens-Platform-Peeptoe-Strappy-Fuchsia/dp/B07CL972S8/ref=sr_1_17?crid=J20W94SH7NFA&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.GBbrm9XHXmEnUuTvAQy5uh_IxdtXk69oSlGxwMLKaK8CbEKi3Fha-W0ZyWKQv2XnSi-34tIe5rD203ay986xFn-hbWq9NQ5bSx-ER3K_b4vCCT01lvNycZUG4UGJeh3veIDidNF2jpDeMUmZXXrFfxThtpaaLn-vkpwKJtZkTIbGCEsq7_j85prmOTZBO108lz4W8v5-uVAAnWihVSV0z61csq5lTLXVa9KKSKJEwwF_SyMdRGWPNWi2hSG0sHPxPQoai5FcynsfRk7TjtlkMK5lBs-O-Cwd6vY_cqwwROU.9I40MU9E98jap1VuKajl6tD9-9CH5du-ZmOWvh3Skwg&dib_tag=se&keywords=pink%2Bhigh%2Bheels&qid=1713705317&sprefix=pink%2Bhigh%2Caps%2C169&sr=8-17&th=1

It depends upon your definition of "wear." You mean, like, out? In that case, it would be my Steve Madden Daisie pumps, catalogued elsewhere in this forum. What I am using as house shoes this week are my Style & Co. wedge thongs, which might not be recorded anywhere on this forum. After all they are not really "high" heels.

I could easly fill this thread with 365 posts a year. I was at a conference yesterday with over 300 people. Second conference with this group, but I am known by almost all by my foot wear (and nails). Several women told me they wore heels this time because of me last time. It nice to have that sort of influence. I had planned on wearing my knee high JS suede stillettos, but I had trouble walking in my Jessica Simpson 4 inch block knee high on Friday because the carpet padding was thick (plush hotel). So, I wore my 3.5 inch Impo Owney knee high (really only high calf boots). I had several conversations with both women and men about my choice of footwear.

It was my knee high boots I wore this morning.

Well I’m wearing a pair of ankle boots at the moment with 3.5” block heels. So if I’m struck by lightning or some such today, those will be the ones.

I think that is a very valid proposition; you are much more likely to be overlooked (literally!) or ignored because, with or without height-boosting heels, you do not stand out, either in the company of others or against objects such as a doorway. I am tall (but by means a giant) and am quite conscious of being more prominent than many men. I have always been reluctant to draw enhanced attention to myself by what I am wearing - however normal that might actually be in terms of style, colour etc - and it took a fair measure of courage for me to venture out in even modest men's cuban heels some years ago.

Oh, I don't think anybody is in the least offended by your post, I'm just saying that according to the terms of this website, we are not allowed to discuss the subject plainly and openly. And especially not at great length. I am not opposed to such discussion, but not here. The real question is whether such a presentation is cringeworthy. I realize that it's a very subjective thing, but it's something that I consider pretty much every day. My problem is that I consider myself a representative of an unofficial movement. It is my desire to show that men can indeed look good in fashions that are outside the "traditional," without pushing the envelope so hard that people immediately think I look totally bizarre. In reference to your recent observation, I think a large part of the reason why I get away with what I get away with is because I am not physically large. I can think of a few situations where I could get away with wearing the Barbie shoes, or indeed heels in general, without looking too extreme where some of my larger male friends and colleagues could not. That is probably a bias on my part, but I am quite open to changing my opinion, as I have done many times over the course of my life.

"I agree with you 1,000%." I had a guy at work who would say this on a fairly regular basis. I pointed out to him several times that this was impossible. I think he understood on some level, but continues to this day to say 1,000%. I think he just likes saying it. It was very much in style to say "give 110%" a few years ago, at least in the U.S. Although this is also theoretically impossible, as an industrial electrician, I can make this one work, and teach a valuable old man lesson at the same time. Most industrial facilities are heavily based on electric motors. Of course, the customer always wants to use the smallest motor possible that will still do the job. Unlike internal combustion engines, most electric motors are designed to run at 100% of their rated capacity continuously. This is why you can replace a 5 hp rated Briggs & Stratton small gasoline engine with a 3 hp electric motor, and whatever it is will probably work better with the "reduced" power. However, electric motors are always rated with something called a "service factor", or "SF" on the nameplate. This is a rating which tells you whether a motor can be pushed beyond its rated capacity briefly. A typical service factor for an industrial motor is 1.2, meaning that for a short period of time, you can overload this motor by 20% without damaging it. Put another way, it can give 120% for short periods of time, e.g., on startup, when the loads are temporarily higher than they are at full running speed. I believe that we humans have a Service Factor also. We can, in fact, give 110% (SF of 1.1) for short periods of time when necessary. However, if we are asked to give 110% on a regular basis, guess what? Just like that electric motor that is overloaded too often, we're going to burn out, and we will have to be rebuilt or replaced. Hopefully not after going down in flames.

You are both correct! Yes, I have a vertical drill and it was duly used. I did prepare a guide by drilling through a piece of 6mm MDF with the holesaw, and then placing this on top of the composition material to 'centre' the holesaw (with its centre drill retracted) before cutting the required disc. Clamping was not necessary (although it might well be advisable to avoid 'snatching') and a little water was used as a cutting lubricant. If and when the extra top piece requires replacement, it should be possible to prise this off and simply glue another on. But, if the original plastic top piece fails (or the extra height created by the composition is unacceptable), I would fill the peg holes with dowel forced in and use brass panel pins to nail the new top piece into the dowels, reinforcing with suitable adhesive. Adding some wood forced into the hollow void before glueing and nailing would give a stronger job.

One trick for using a holesaw without the centre bit is to drill a hole in a piece of scrap wood, using the centre bit in the usual way. Then use this as a guide when drilling the wanted item. Ideally clamp the guide and wanted item together. Works perfectly in my experience.

I'm curious if anyone else has run into this "issue"... I recently started wearing heels/boots to the office with a heel no higher than 3"-3.5" and always very professional in style (block heel, solid, dark colors, with an occasional splash of spice to mix-it up). Likewise, I have started wearing both feminine and masculine clothing with such for a completely professional ensemble. I also wear accessories such as earrings (still on posts as I just had them pierced - can't wait to start wearing hoops!) necklaces, and painted nails (no make-up). There are two women who sit near my workstation who, since I have started dressing "en femme," have been both complementary of my outfits but at the same time, routinely offer their completely unwanted opinions of what they think I should wear. One of them, "Frick," continually informs me that I wear "too much" black or dark colors, need more color, should wear paisley, and have my eyebrows done. Her partner, "Frack," has also told me that I should wear more colors, I wear "too many turtlenecks," and a recent weight loss on my part (~25lbs) has left me with "no butt." With respect to Frick and Frack, both of these women may qualify as being petite (5'2" to 5'4") and, not to disparage them, are grossly obese. Frick often wears sweatpants, a hoodie, or a track suit and crocs (with or without socks) whereas Frack is slightly better dressed in tie-dyed shirts or sweaters, jeans, and rainbow shoes - these are their outfits everyday. Frack also likes to wear cheap, gaudy jewelry from Temu. Although I am grateful for the compliments when offered, I am growing tired of the "you should wear this that way or wear that this way..." and the like comments. I have mentioned to both that I do not dress for them nor do I want to be dressed by them but yet, they persist in their comments. In all fairness, Frack is not as bad as Frick in telling me what I should wear. What I find interesting in all of this is that long before I started wearing heels to the office, neither ever said word about my attire. Since I have started wearing heels, however, it seems as I am "open season" for unwanted comments about what to wear. If needed, I can change my workstation so that I do not have to sit near them as they are not part of my unit. The photos are all outfits I have previously worn to the office

I had a blue day on Thursday. Only two interesting comments. I woman I know told me,"I don't like blue shoes, but I like those." And our Admin. Assist: "I'm surprise you're not in open toe heels today." It was a warm (high 70's) day.

About 5-6 years ago I was vindicated of a fraudulent 'MeToo' harassment charge. The accuser resigned shortly afterwards. I was thanked by many men and women throughout the organization for standing up to her 'bully' style of threatening to using the 'MeToo movement' to get her way. A couple even cried while thanking me.

Happy Palm Sunday, everyone. It sure was cold and rainy for the load-in yesterday. It was cold and less rainy for the load-out. I had to set my camera back in the garage so it wouldn't get wet. One thing about the major religious holidays is that church attendance is way up compared to normal. Next Sunday at Easter there is a chance we'll have a packed sanctuary, which I haven't seen in years. As an aside, my Jewish friend from the Twin Cities just sent me pictures of her Purim service, and it looked well attended also. She wasn't wearing heels, though! I didn't necessarily wear anything different than normal, but I did get caught up on ironing last week when I was sick, so my shirt and pants haven't seen the light of day for some time, even though they are not new. Also having not gotten much love lately (judging from the cobwebs I had to knock off of them) are my BCBGeneration Sassafras boots. I figured this was one of the last chances I'd have to wear them for the season. The only thing I really don't like about them is that they are really too big around for me, and an inch too tall by my estimation. I hadn't been walking for 8 days because of my illness, and I almost overdid it today. I walked 3 miles (in other boots) and wore these boots for about 4 hours directly after. My feet actually cramped up a little bit as I was trying to get the boots off.

Another day in the big city yesterday - and in the shuffling crowds an encouraging number knee and ankle boots with chunky heels of varying heights and even a couple of pair of stilettos. Looking at the demographics of the wearers make it clear that it’s the older age group with the sense of style - not only nicer (undoubtedly more expensive) boots but worn with greater panache, the standout being a stylish but by no means showy woman in her sixties looking effortlessly at ease in black OTK boots with 3-4 inch heels and a stylish but generally conservative long coat.

Went to the theatre last night - Fascinating Aida at the London Palladium - great show. This may be their last ever tour so catch a performance if you can. If you look them up, be aware that some of their material is NSFW. I'm also warning that some may not like the overtly political nature of some of their songs, but that's not a legitimate topic for this forum. Saw plenty of heels, though mine were the only ones on a man. Examples seen on the tube (subway for left pondians) included black 4" block heel knee high boots on a young woman, 4.5", possibly 5", "nude" stiletto sandals on a woman out with her man. She looked at ease with them, even though most women would think of them as "taxi shoes". A few more thin heels up to 4" and loads of block heels up to 3". Some recent photos of Michelle O'Neill, the new Northern Ireland First Minister, show her in possibly 4" stiletto court shoes. I wonder if she was wearing them when she met Rishi Sunak (UK prime minister and not very tall). Whatever you may think of O'Neill, Sunak and all again their politics isn't a subject for HHP.

I spent another long day travelling on inter-city trains and saw an encouraging number of boots with chunky 3” heels - not high by the standards if some in here, but a height and style I like very much. I also saw for the first time in a long while someone out and about in four inch heels - knee boots with tall thin block heels. One seldom sees heels that high out and about. I suppose four inch, fashion height, is more likely to be used for dressy or formal occasions than long days on your feet, in trails and railroad stations, where chunky three inch heels would have unbeatable appeal

Yesterday when I was at the supermarket I was surprised to see a pleasant mild-mannered looking woman in her sixties wearing tight leather trousers and patent black ankle boots with what looked to be three inch chunky heels. There was nothing about her that suggested mutton trying to pass as lamb, or really anything overt about it. It appeared simply to be her natural style, worn with a tasteful but nondescript coat, her grey hair bunched in a loose bun. And because it was so obviously her natural style, she carried it off with ease and assurance. It was nice to see

I was waiting for this question 😝 Here it is. The first one was wearing white boots with high Cuban heels. I'd say around 3 inch. Very fashionable on other clothes also. He was walking on the street, close to where I work. Something like this: Not obvious men's shoes what do you think? I'd wear them without a second glimpse. The second guy was in a train station, platform opposite then mine, plain view for me. Wife with me, I said he had more courage than me in his choice. Zebra boots with thin heels like this: My jaw dropped and I was jealous. How fancy it was. He had also other beautiful fashion clothes like a long coat. It was a quite cold Sunday in Paris. He was talking with a friend or boyfriend, I don't know, he seemed very well on his skin, big smile, enjoying his life. Those encounters made my week. It's not rare I come across men in heels in Paris but two in a week is a first. Happy to be part of this also 😁

I'm always looking on what other people are wearing on their feet, the functional trend is here but a good part of women still benefit on their liberties and remain wearing high heels or other fancy shoes. What is overwhelming is that, in a single week, I've seen two men (other than me) wearing high heels in quite fashionable ways and that makes me very happy.

I do have a pair of ankles b00ts but haven’t worn them since the last time we had snow. A couple of years ago. The heels are so noisy they attract attention which I don’t particularly care about.