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This is a spin-off of my last post entitled, "Sadly, That Will Not Be Happening Again!" because part of this story is a related to that thread and part of it is not. Part One: My swearing off of 4"+ heels only lasted for a week as today, I wore a pair of beautiful 4.75" block-heeled, western styled boots to the office. At either the end of 2023 or the start of 2024, I purchased a pair of beautiful boots (Brand - Raye/Model - Inferno, an appropriate name as they are hot!) via Revolve.com. I have only worn them out once because they always seemed a bit too fancy for wearing wearing to the office. They seem (and are) to be very appropriate for a fancy event or other "dressy" occasion. In fact, I wore these boots to a fancy dinner with a former work colleague about two years ago. Since then, they have sat in my closet waiting to be worn again when the opportunity presented itself. Since that first wearing, however, I have never really had the opportunity to wear them out as fancy dinners or other similar events are few and are between. Given such and my belief that any item I own should be worn out at some point, I have long contemplated selling them in some way, shape, or form. Today is New Year's Eve and I was in the mood to dress up a bit for the office to celebrate the last day of 2025/coming of 2026. I have a lovely burgundy dress that I had yet to wear which, like the boots, is a bit on the fancier side. So, I decided to pair them for the day and what a pairing it was! I generally gravitate towards dresses with a waist tie but as this dress did not have one, I took a black neck scarf and used that as I waist belt. I had thought the boots were a 4.25" heel but when I measured them upon arriving at the office, only then did I realize that they were 4.75." I realized they were taller than I had believed as they just had a certain feel to them, in terms of heel height. Regardless, they were very comfortable and after my work day was done, I ran a quick errand to pick-up a few items for my New Year's Eve dinner. No problems in wearing them all day on any front - no pain in the hips, back, knees, and/or ankles. I just have to wonder if slightly lower heel (0.25") really makes a difference or if they are just of better quality that the once I recently wore. Regardless, I am glad I kept them. Part Two: Some time ago, I happened to view a picture of a female reporter wearing a pair of gorgeous black leather boots while interviewing an individual on the air at her Texas television station. Sadly, there was no information about her boots although when seeing them, I remember thinking to myself that they were "killer" and I would give my left eye to have a pair. I bookmarked the photo as a reference/reminder to look for a similar pair as that would probably be the best I could do. Shortly after I received that boots that are the topic of this post, I went back to that photo to see how my boots compared to those which the reporter was wearing. After carefully examining the boots in the photo with mine, low and behold I realized that, quite by chance/luck, I had purchased the same pair the reporter was wearing! Needless to say, I was quite surprised for a few reasons but more so than not, in a state of disbelief of my find. The manner in which the reporter was wearing them for that interview was very much an inspiration for my New Year's Eve outfit. What's interesting about these boots is that when I first wore then out, the height of the heel was challenging for me but today, not problem what so ever!

On your last post I somehow already had the feeling that this won't be the end of 4"+ heels for you 😉 I know that feeling. Even if i was sometimes demotivated with a pair that was higher than what I usually wear, it never let me go! The higher it gets, the more small increasements in heel height will already make a big difference. I'm sure you felt that.

I'm surprised you didn't get clocked on the head with a frying pan!

Crawling about the rocks in high heels would be insane. Sneakers are appropriate in this case. (BUT ONLY in this case.)

OK, so I felt guilty about slacking, so I pulled out my highest regular heels for church yesterday morning. I actually had the morning off from musical duties, so I could sit with my family in the congregation like a normal person. These particular pumps are some off brand called Elisabet Tang. There is another brand called GenShuo that is exactly the same. They are inexpensive shoes, but appear to be well made for what they are. They are slightly higher than the similar Steve Madden shoes of that ilk like the Daisie, but still clock in at a mere 11.3 cm when translated to size 38. I thought I did ok in them. I didn't have to walk more than 30 meters at a time, though, so I can't give a real assessment. At the time this photo was taken, the wind had picked up to about 40 km/h, and everything was starting to ice over. Therefore, I switched to boots to after that to run errands.

I’ve had back troubles in the past - a ruptured disc a long time ago - and have found that heels really help. Not really high heels - I don’t think 10 or 12cm would help, certainly not 12cm! But 8cm chunky heels are really good. When I had a kid I had a toe injury that had a very beneficial side effect! I was goofing around, running through the house (aged about 12j and managed to break my little toe on the leg of a table. It hurt. My foot swelled up and I couldn’t wear my shoes. It was winter and my mother had a pair of mid heel knee boots that I could get my foot into. And so my mother lent them to me. I was delighted. I secretly wished I could wear knee boots and here was my opportunity. I had sure to take a long time healing. But then winter ended and I had to give up my borrowed boots. Looking back I realise that nobody - not a soul - commented in my wearing mid heel women’s knee boots. There it was - an open possibility to wear heels

Indeed. It’s what I would call living dangerously

Gosh, I wish I could be so casual about wearing 12cm stiletto boots ... I'll get there one day, I hope, but I've sure got some practicing ahead of me ...

I ventured into women's jeans and cords 8 years ago and haven't ventured out. In Levi's I have several 311's both red tag and cords. In Express I have many different styles, mostly skinny, size 10 and some 8's. Some are 'short', I like the short versions for some boots because the stop before the ankles and don't give me extra bulk around the ankles. My boots fit better. I have gotten a few 'straight jeans' and recently I have some skyscraper in size 10 and 8. I just got a size 6, I can get them on and close the button and zip them up, but they are a little too tight for now. Hopefully, I will be able to wear them with a little more weigh lose. Several of my cords are JAG. I get compliments in those all the time. Love the new 4-way stretchable materials.

Compliments from guys are the ultimate compliments indeed!

Sounds very festive! And nice to receive the compliments!

I think you did great! For not being used to them, spending a day in them with all the walks you had is quite an accomplishment 🙂 I'm not surprised that you felt it all over your body. I'm fine in 13 cm heels, but I never wore anything higher than a 11 cm heel to the office. Sure I could wear 12 cm heels, but with all the walking before, meanwhile, and after the office I definitely also would feel it! I'm sure with just a little more practice you'll be fine in your 5" boots. You can join us in the "aiming high" topic 🙂 If you'd rather stick to the "normal" heels that's also fine, there's no need to push the limits all the time.

What you have said is absolutely correct, but the "context" of my original statement has a much simpler explanation: It was supposed to be, you know, funny. Or at least mildly amusing. Tongue-in-cheek, that sort of thing. I am hanging my head in despair, knowing that I have failed miserably in my attempt at humor. Wouldn't be the first time, and certainly won't be the last. What adds interest to this story is that you're not wrong! I rarely miss an opportunity to wear heels. Put another way, and perhaps closer to the way I actually feel, you will rarely catch me wearing flats unless there is a compelling reason to do so. I don't always wear high heels in the sense of our definition, but it's always in the back of my mind that I would love to be able to wear the highest heels well, and that definitely requires practice, preferably daily practice. In my case, the limitation doesn't really involve pain or lack of endurance, it is lack of ankle flexibility. Therefore, I do not have the effortless walk that is required to really pull of 12+ cm shoes.

I might have taken @mlroseplant out of context too, at least in terms of motivation. I know he tracks his kilometers walking in heels and it is only natural when you do that, to want to increase the number. In that context, when looking at choosing between flats and high heels, it is only natural to see wearing flats as a missed opportunity to increase your overall kilometers in high heels per year. For others... like my wife... shoes are part of the outfit, and having the ability to make it formal, or informal, is part of the fun. I side with her in some sense on that because as a traditional man that dresses as such, as we talked about on another part of this forum about jazzing up the male wardrobe, I am a bit jealous of her because I think my choices of fashion and footwear are a little lackluster.

First - has anyone seemed to notice that the pop-up adds, as well as those coming up from the bottom of the screen, have increased and make writing more difficult and annoying? Anyways... Recently, I have been battling a slight cold that, at the end of the work day, has left me feeling drained of energy and wanting to do no more than spend the evening sitting in front of the television (nothing serious - I'm fine). So, I have (including New Year's Eve) been binge watching my favorite childhood television show, Emergency! For UK/EU members, this was (most likely) the first American drama series that revolved around a medical/fire-rescue environment and aired from 1972 to 1977. While watching the old episodes, I made some observations about the state of fashion and how certain items worn then are still being worn today, even if slightly different. First, with respect to the men's fashion du jour, all I can say is YIKES! It was bad and there is little redemption to it. With respect to the women's fashion, however, one can clearly see how certain trends worn during the time period of the show can be and are actually still worn today. In one episode, a woman was wearing an outfit that consisted of a maroon top, khaki colored wide-leg pants/trousers, and a brownish colored jacket (I do not recall the footwear beyond them being a pair of matching pumps). It was an outfit that if worn today, it would have no obvious signs that it was actually worn in the mid-70's. A later episode featured the beautiful Mariette Hartley wearing a brown striped, matching top/cardigan sweater combo, with black, wide-leg (non bell-bottom) pants/trousers and simple black flats (or low heeled pumps). Again, an outfit that could not be easily dated if viewed without any reference to the time period in which it was actually worn. The most recent episode I watched featured a young woman wearing a pair of double strapped, black patient Mary Janes, with a blue, just above the knee, slightly pleated skirt. What was most interesting about her shoes was that I have a contemporary pair that is very similar to that episode which first aired in 1975. The photo I have attached is of my pair of double strapped Mary Janes and if the heel on those were about 1/2 the height they are, one would essentially have the same shoe as seen on the TV show. Not to get off topic, but I recently wore my Mary Janes to the office with a pair of black, subtle patterned tights and a just above the knee black skirt. One of my female colleagues commented about the cuteness of the shoes and I replied that they, as well as the outfit, definitely had a 1960s mod flavor to it. Turns out, my description was rather accurate. So, I guess the two points I am trying to make here is that, first, timeless will always be timeless; certain styles will always outlive trends and fads. Second, what may separate time periods (in a fashion sense) from one another may be no more than putting a new twist on an old idea/item. Sure, the show features are many examples of mostly individual late teens/early 20s) dressing as if they were living in Haight-Ashbury and older people dressing is styles that made the 70's an awful time for fashion (just a note - wearing non-matching stripes and patterns as part of the same outfit is often a fashion disaster). There are examples, however, of the fact that, as just noted, simple pieces can be timeless. It is very much this approach has governed and influence my approach to my clothing choices. I say this with a serious degree of cynicism but I rather see clothing styles focus more on timeless pieces rather than new styles being introduced with every season. I guess if such were the case, then there is little money to be made in the fashion industry.

Thank you! I felt pretty chuffed! And yes, 10cm is like a magic border! 8cm chunky heels are fun but proper high heels start at 10cm - and (for me) the perfect aesthetic is 12cm stiletto boots

Deep freeze along the canal - the frozen lumpy towpaths not at all inviting for anyone in heels, but a good day to be puttering about inside, putting extra lumps of coal on the fire and click-click-clicking about the galley making coffee and a hot breakfast! So the year seems off to a good start

Just finished watching the Rose Parade on TV (only saw two in-person) and watch several women in heels, some high. Wonder how will they look at the end of the 5.5 mile (8.85 km) parade?

@mlroseplant Thanks for the compliment! Indeed, the boots are fabulous and for the most part, rather comfortable in both wearing and walking. I was recently doing some "experimenting" with different looks with these boots and realized that they can be "dressed up," as seen in the photo, or "dressed down" with a pair of skinny jeans. The "issue" I face is that I have very little real life reference as to the current state of contemporary fashion. As I have noted, probably ad nauseum, my employer has no dress code of which to speak other than "jeans are permissible." Beyond that, just about "anything goes" provided that one could make a case that the item covering one's body is somehow clothing. The only mandate that has been expressed is that when I or some of my colleagues are out in the field for a meeting, we present ourselves in a professional capacity. For some (mostly my male counterparts) it means simply changing from a t-shirt to a polo style shirt and that is as far as it goes. Likewise, with the exception of the "Goth Chic," I could count the number of times I have seen any woman in my building wearing a skirt on two fingers, and I have never observed a man wearing a necktie or so much as a dress shirt. This, sadly, pertains to all individuals within my building across all five floors of it. Thus, trying to determine what is/is not appropriate office fashion is really left to my own discretion. So, with no real point of reference as to what others are wearing, I tend to lean towards conservative pieces so as to be safe. Some time ago, I purchased a pair of black, flat heeled riding boots that, for me, were more embellished than I would normally wear (with exactly what, however, is hard to describe - see the photo). Perhaps interesting to some degree, I am much more comfortable wearing these that a pair of towering heels. I guess that I am stuck on the notion that the taller the heel, the closer it is to being unacceptable for office attire. With respect to the second point, I find it to be interesting that above 4," each measurable increment (e.g. 1/2," 1/4," etc.) truly make a difference in how easy it may be to walk in whatever heels are being worn. Thinking about the boots that are the topic of this point, I recall that the first time I wore them they felt incredibly tall and perhaps, even "too tall" for me at the time. Without a doubt, I needed to practice walking in them prior to first wearing them out. Now, however, they are very manageable but probably at the maximum limit of what I realistic can wear. Sure, I can walk in 5" heels, but not for very long or very far. At 5," however, I can feel that my stride is much shorter and my cadence feels choppy as if I am taking half-steps. I just do not feel that I have the grace in 5" heels that is needed to make them a normal item to wear as much as I would love to do so.

First, Happy new year to all 🙂 Haha I had to laugh so hard on this, but it's true! Everytime I think that I almost live in heels, you guys come along and prove me wrong 😀 Whenever I have some manual work to do, I'm always in sneakers. Impressive that you wear heels for that! For me the only thing that makes me feel a bit awkward about it is that I'm only out for practice, and not going anywhere. It's a different feeling than if I'm actually doing something or going somewhere. Other than that, I have the impression that people don't really care. I mean, some people seem to generally have a look as soon as they hear or see heels, no matter how high or low. But wether it's a 11, 12 or 13 cm heel all seems to be in the "insanely high" category and draw the same attention. @Shyheels and @mlroseplant you have some great New Year's resolutions already! I'll take it a bit easier without a strict time/distance plan, but I'll definitely proceed with wearing out my 13+ cm boots and the Hot Chicks regularly. Despite the predictable standing time I chose my 13+ cm boots for New Year's Eve, so I already started high into 2026 🙂

What pair of heels I choose to wear on any given day entirely depends how I feel when I roll out of bed in the morning and what fits as my feet tend to swell a bit while sleeping. Christmas Eve was a "normal" work day for me and when I was deciding what to wear that morning, I felt a strong desire to do "something adventurous" as part of my outfit. I anticipated that the office would be fairly empty for obvious reasons and thus, I decided that the choice of footwear was going to be a "killer" pair of 5" (~12.5cm) beige, block heeled knee boots. I had purchased the boots during the time when I erroneously believed that the higher the heel, the better. It should be noted that the opportune word here is "killer" as that was what they almost did to me! I put together my outfit and following the "normal" morning selfies to document such, I headed out to my car. As I stepped out of my place, I could feel the stress on my knees and ankles from the tall heel but I brushed it off thinking, "I'll be fine as I will not be doing much walking." The walk to my car was a slow one as the heel height very much restricted the length of my stride. I encountered a neighbor along the way and we briefly chatted about "having" to work on Christmas Eve. Admittedly, however, the brief meeting was intoxicating because of the fact that I was wearing a pair of such tall heels out in public and the person who noticing me doing so really did not care about it. This was that which I always wanted to happen. I made my way to my office and took the long and slow walk across the parking lot to the main entrance. Again, I could feel the stress on my knees and ankles, and realized that such tall heels need a slower cadence. The morning when well but at lunch, I decided to head out for a short errand. The first store at which I stopped did not have that for wish I was looking, so I moved on to a second store. As I walked through the aisles of my second stop looking for an item (and noticed some "old-timer" taking a photo of me!) I was in heaven but the discomfort was starting to build. Rather than walk around the store aimlessly as I would normally do so that all of the other shoppers could see me in heels, I found what I needed and headed back to my car. Although I have a habit of parking my vehicle at the rear of any parking lot for many reasons, that day I was regretting doing so as the walk back to my car was rather tough. I made my way back to my office and desk certainly feeling the stress on both knees and ankles. The remainder of the workday was marked by limited walking and by the time I was ready to head home (and after taking two pain relief capsules) my knees and ankles were not "so bad" but now, my mid/lower back was feeling it. At that point, all I wanted to do was get home but I remembered I had a minor error to run while en route. Following such, and a wonderfully given and received compliment from the cashier on my outfit, I arrived home and the boots immediately were removed from my feet. Seemingly, every part of my lower body, as well as mid-back ached from the heels and my back continued to ache for the remainder of the evening. Sadly, I had to promise myself that 4"/10cm is the limit of heel height from this point in time onwards - I just do not think I can handle a heel much taller than that. What is interesting about all of this is that on the previous day, I had a visit with my nurse practitioner and brought forth the issue of joint health and preservation, knees and ankles in particular. I had mentioned that I had been frequently wearing up to 10cm heels, without any problems, and was concerned about the stress that doing so may place on my hip, knee, and ankle joints . The nurse practitioner took a look at my heels, and after expressing her opinion about how ridiculously cute my heels were and that I was so well dressed that day, noted that the best course of action is to maintain a healthy lifestyle and weight, so as not to place extra stress on the joints. So, as much as I may want to continue to wear 5"+ heels, that most likely will not happen any more or only for very special occasions. I am not sure what I am going to do with the boots...they are size 42 if anyone wants them. Here is the outfit I wore on Christmas Eve and that to visit my nurse practitioner.

Yes @higherheels has been a real inspiration, not only wearing 12cm as a matter of course but taking on the challenge of wearing Hot Chicks and her even higher boots out and about. It’s nice having that sort of example and inspiration - as well as your high mileage efforts. i am going to do exactly what you describe - set a number of minutes or metres each day and work up. I’ve already noticed how the challenge has dramatically improved my abilities in my 10cm boots. I’m looking forward to the new years challenge!

My thoughts, @Shyheels Perhaps it would be good to set defined goals, such as "we're going to wear our 12 cm (which I don't technically own, by the way) three times a week for x minutes, or y meters. Something like that. Maybe you will have the opportunity to move your boat to a better spot for getting off of it without safety concerns or ruining nice shoe concerns. But, if you're already having to carry your art supplies to someplace, why not a different pair of boots? As for me, I need to get over feeling a little self conscious about "walking over my head." @higherheels evidently does not have a problem walking around her neighborhood in insanely high heels, so perhaps it's time to take a page out of that book. Happy New Year everyone!

New Years Eve and one of my great resolutions for 2026 is to master the art of walking gracefully in 12cm stiletto boots - ideally to take a stroll around a city in them, call in at a cafe and enjoy coffee and cake in my 12cm heels. My other ambition for the year is to take up sketching and watercolours - something I’ve been wanting to do for ages. That too will require practice. Maybe I can somehow combine these two ambitions, wear my heels when I go out with sketchbook and pens …

I spent yesterday afternoon working on an outboard project, wearing my 4" nine west booties. These booties are very easy to walk in and look great. But, will have to admit it, sore feet after standing around at the work bench for three hours...

YIPES! You gambled on playing with fire for sure

I’m a boots, jeans and jumper guy and will remain so. It’s nice that the English climate accommodates me so well although even when I lived in Australia it was still boots and jeans as a rule. It’s more fun still when the boots have a 10cm - and more exciting still, a 12cm heel!

I don't remember foot changes with pregnancy with my wife, but I have heard of it happening. Interesting that they never returned to pre-pregnancy size though. I remember getting into trouble during that time period with her weight. I teased her and called her "whale belly" because she was into workouts and fitness when she got pregnant. I asked the OBGYN at the time how much weight a woman should gain during pregnancy, and he said between 15-25 pounds. I thought my wife looked huge, so I asked her how much she had gained and he said, "15 pounds". That was when I knew I was in trouble! 🙂 But I also teased her about the baby-weight not coming off after the baby. She wanted to prove me wrong so bad that after giving birth it was 22 days before she lost her baby weight. She had to modify her exercise routine, so she did not cause damage to parts of her that had passed a baby, but I thought 22 days to pre-pregnancy weight was pretty darn good.

Even though this is supposed to be a thread about durable heels, it seems like a good place to put shoe failures as well. I just had Shoe Failure No. 4 in 2025 last night. I really thought I was going to make it with just 3 failures this year. My BCBGeneration Queenie wedges yielded up the ghost. Funny thing is, I never really wore them all that seriously. They were pretty much just house shoes. I'm sure I wore them to the grocery store or other errands quite a few times, but I do not have any record of them having been part of my walking routine. I do not know whether I will attempt to replace them, since I have other mid heeled wedges that are less clunky looking.

I think regularly wearing heels is simply a great idea all around

Incredible to see that hhplace and some of it's members exists for so long! I was still a child at that time and the Internet wasn't even really a thing for me until the early 2000s. However I do remember that when first looking for information about high heels I found hhplace 🙂

I was back a member in the late 1990's... but then left for many years. Not upset at anything or anyone, just lost interest. I recently came back but had forgotten my username and password so I started all over. I am not sure that counts anyway. But I do remember the early years!

Same for me. I wore my 13 cm boots at home a few times, but only out once. There was a lot going on before Christmas, so I didn't have quite the time to practice a lot. Naturally there were also many partys and events where I wore some 12 cm boots, so I'm not totally out of routine 🙂

It has still not been a great month for practicing in super tall heels. Part of the reason is the weather, but part of it is that I'm taking a bit of a break from walking in heels just for the sake of walking in them. I've had the last four days off due to the Christmas holiday, and I've actually gone out walking on three out of the four. I purposefully wore mid heels for two of those days, because I figured I would be a little out of condition, and didn't want to overdo it. Nothing bad happened, so I switched to actual high heels yesterday. I did my 2.1 mile (3.4 km) route in the equivalent adjusted steepness of 10.5 cm, and wow, the difference between 9 cm and 10 1/2 is remarkable, or so my calves thought! And it's not like I gave up wearing heels altogether, I just haven't been pounding the pavement like I usually do.

So sorry to hear this, those boots are beautiful. I have the same difficulty, 4" heels no problem, 5" heels are a problem for extended wear. I finally found a pair of black nine west stiletto booties with 5" heels that were comfortable and fairly easy to walk in. I was on cloud nine until I broke one of the heels from walking so much. Needless to say, nine west discontinued this particular style, but I did manage to find another pair used. Don't give up Gige!

Same here, love wearing women's jeans, just fit better. My only complaint are the useless pockets! It is great to hear from you again here for sure! Always dreamed of owning a great pair of Western Ranch boots from years ago, should have sprung for a pair back then. I do have a few pairs of MJ boots, not overly impressed. To be fair, they were "returns", or orders that were never shipped. Love my light colored pair with the 5" heels, but they are tough to walk in for any distance, should have stuck with 4" heels. I would give MJ boots another chance though for sure. They were reasonably priced, well constructed, good leather, and looked great.

Hey hoverfly!! just logged in here today after a many years hiatus. Still wearing hhboots after all these years! Still wearing Miguel Jones boots and a few pairs of Steve Madden boots. This past week I bought myself a new pair of boots…. Nothing outrageous. Just a pair of Torrid block heel chunky lug ‘hikers’ boots. I’ve always liked chunky heels and cowboy heels all in the 3-4.5” range. I remember a few of the other guys, most with a penchant for wearing heels and other clothes deemed feminine, but who were not trying to be or look like a woman. I still only wear ‘women’s’ jeans because they fit my tall slender body type better. When Levi’s sold out over seas, I finally found Wranglers Q-baby then Shiloh and Willow in 7/8x38 inseam. Also wear 9/10x38. Good to see a few others still at it decades later! tightlevisandhighheelboots!!

I second this! It’s been great. I’ve had a pair of very elegant chocolate brown knee boots with 12cm stiletto heels that I love but never wore because my ankles would cramp up within minutes even if I just stood up in them. We’ve been encouraging each other to practice and with this in mi d I’ve been making a point of wearing my 12cm heels regularly - not for long periods but building up slowly. It’s working, not only am I (slowly!) growing used to the lofty 12cm height but practicing in them has given much greater confidence and ability in my 10cm stilettos, which I can now wear and walk about it with an ease I could not have imagined before we started this.

Or you could throw caution to the wind and join @Shyheels, @higherheels, me, et al. in our quest to manage steeper heels in everyday life. I'm sure you've seen the thread "Aiming High" in the Everybody section. We are certainly not up for injuring ourselves, but each of us thinks we can do incrementally better than what we already do. It's a lot of fun!

I will stand and lecture for 3 hours at a time. The balls of my feet will burn by the end, but I will go to reflexology and get my feet worked on every once in a while.

The muscular fatigue really came as a surprise to me. I’d expected the burning in the balls of my feet - I’d heard that was a common issue - but instead I had cramping and achy calves. Considering all the cycling I do, I couldn’t believe muscle tone was an issue when it came to wearing heels. If anyone had fir calves it was me - but wearing heels really was like taking up an entirely new sport! I’ve not yet had an occasion to stand for several hours in my 10cm so I don’t know how I’d managed but for a couple of hours I’m certainly fine. I have not tried standing for a long period in my 12cm heels - I shall start building up, see if I can manage an hour standing in them.

Starting later with wearing heels and skipping the youth's foolishness has it's upsides as I can read from you both. Otherwise, muscular fatigue wasn't really a topic for me, maybe that's an upside for adapting quicker at a younger age. Standing for a long time in heels really is the worst, it still gets me until today. In 10 cm heels I can stand for a few hours with a little bit of movement in between, but in 12 or 13 cm heels that's a different story... Merry christmas to everyone 🙂

I've had shoes that gave me blisters, but that is not what sticks out in my mind as a beginning heeler. Mind you, I was a beginning heeler at age 45, not age 14. I wish I could have worn heels at age 14, but that's another subject for another time. My first journey in heels definitely resulted in muscular fatigue that I had not anticipated, but it was relatively mild, like having overdone it at the gym or something. It is this trip to the shopping mall that keeps coming back in my stories. I doubt I had blisters, because I was wearing boots with actual socks. I do not remember muscular fatigue in the calves or ankles. What I do remember is having to unexpectedly stand in line for about an hour at a mobile phone store. That damn near killed me. The pain in the balls of my feet was close to more than I could bear, and I tend to tolerate pain pretty well. I cannot explain how a person sort of gets used to standing in 10 cm heels, but that is what has always killed me. Walking 3 km in 10 cm heels? No problem! Standing still in 10 cm heels for an hour? Impossible! Well, it isn't today, but I've no idea how I got here. It must have been all of those farmer's markets I did with my wife over the years. I suppose that was my training ground for standing in heels. As an aside, Merry Christmas to those who celebrate! And for those who don't celebrate, I don't have to go back to work until Monday! Naturally, it's unpaid, but it's a much needed several days off from a place where I don't get to wear heels.

I almost forgot about muscle pain/soreness as a factor. For me it was mostly pain in the balls of the feet and blisters everywhere which caused me the most troubles. I also think it's better to start low and slowly get into higher ones. But as I did it the other way around, I can say that it also works to start high and therefor limit the walking time (which I unfortunately didn't!). It's just not the most comfortable way. The good thing is, when I then started looking for well made and well fitting heels, everything with up to a 10 cm heel was immediately comfortable for everyday wear.

In early November I flew in a pair of faux leather pants and knee high JS 4 inch boots. Only one at the airport in leather pants and one of the very few in heels. Be aware @Shyheels if you wear this look, you WILL be noticed. So dress smartly.

In Germany they're worn quite frequently, also by me. But only by women, men here only wear them for riding a motorcycle as you say 😉 What a pity. Nowadays I also immediately have a look if I hear a pair of heels somewhere. It became a rare occasion.

It is so frustrating to have a quick glimpse at what may be a great pair of heels/boots, only to have the person take off in the other direction, or have the heels covered by long flared pants. I have been known to covertly follow someone to get a better look, but very carefully, never want to seem creepy or rude.

I'm trying to think if I've ever seen somebody around here wearing leather pants who wasn't riding a motorcycle. Skirts, yes, but I can't recall having seen somebody in pants outside of PPE. I'll be on the lookout. Speaking of looking out, I was at the grocery store yesterday (in heels, of course), and I spied a woman at some distance walking away from me. Soon I noticed heels sticking out of the hem of her pants. She had long hair, and was wearing a camel colored wool coat. At that moment, one of the clerks stepped out of the checkstand area and said, "I can help you over here, sir." I couldn't really say to hold on for a minute, I need to check out this woman's shoes first, could I? So I will never have any context for the heels. Ten years ago, I wouldn't have cared, but now I kind of want to know why someone besides me would wear heels to the grocery store.

Like @mlroseplant, when I started to wear women's shoes in (aka stopped wearing men's shoes), I hide them under longer pants. And those were at most 6.4 cm heels. Then when I had to raise my heel 4 inches I hide them at first. But it was a hot summer, over 100 F (38 C) daily, so I wore shorts and exposed my heels and got thicker skin. Now I wear my tall boots on the outside; yesterday I had my Jessica Simpson black knee highs on and got "that's a fierce fashion statement" from a waiter when I went to the restroom. I have about a dozen stilettos but I have to consider the surfaces I will be walking on. As a result there are only a few days I can wear stilettos. The places I go to now are NOT stiletto friendly, so I rarely wear them. But I will wear my suede JS knee high stilettos with short shorts in the summer. Now "that's a fierce fashion statement."😁

l am loving these Fernando Berlin boots.