Shyheels

Yes, I’m looking forward to it! Yes, you’d be surprised and probably amused by our “German” Christmas markets. There was a story about them in the Guardian a few days ago. Apparently the one in Birmingham is the closest to a genuine German Christmas market. The descriptions of yours sounded wonderful - and a lovely evening to go around in stiletto boots.

Yes. They imitate German Christmas markets here - badly! I would have liked to have worn my stilettos to the town fete but the walk along the towpath is just too rough. I am thinking of packing my 12cm boots in a knapsack and walking into town, and changing there. Or maybe taking the bus and the train and trying my stilettos at the imitation Christmas market in Leeds

Your Christmas markets in Germany sound lovely - and from all I’ve heard they really are, too. We have imitations of them here in Britain but they are not very nice - expensive, very fake and shoddy. I'm impressed with your going out to a market in 11cm boots for three hours. That’s great. We did have the town Christmas tree lighting event here where I am moored, and with the towpath frozen - instead of muddy - I wore some nice suede OTK boots with 8cm heels. It was about a 5km walk there and back plus standing around - nothing I fancied attempting in stilettos. It was a nice evening. Friendly little town. I think I was probably the only one in heels

Same here. I wear knee boots and invariably have to remove them.

Yes. Make sure they fit well and are well made.

If you’ve never work heels I’d try chunky 3 to 3.5” to start, than then maybe four inch (10cm) stilettos. Take your time. There’s no rush

If you’ve never worn heels before you’re going to need to buy at least one other pair and probably two - a lower heights to get you familiar with the feel of wearing heels. And even then it will take time, patience and perseverance. Five inch heels - or 12cm - is a challenging height even for experienced high heel wearers with years of experience. There is no easy way

Very nice looking! I can imagine they would have been loud. And definitely nothing to wear in the snow!

Indeed! Nice to hear heels are still being worn somewhere. Not so much in rural Lancashire although I was surprised the other day when I walked into town to see a woman walking her dog and wearing some very nice black leather knee boots with 3.5” chunky heels. Definitely the highest heels I’ve seen worn in town in the year or so I’ve been up this way

Indeed - we’ll need to be otherwise @higherheels will be leaving us in the dust in her 13cm Hot Chicks! 😊

Congratulations on your 60 mile month! And nice to see that you wear boots! 😊 Ive been stressed and under the gun trying to finish a feature that has turned into a nightmare by a new young and less than gifted editor with adolescent tabloid instincts and who simply doesn’t grasp the story. I’ve retreated to the safe stable height of my 10cm stiletto boots as I write

I’ve been a writer and photographer for some fairly well known magazines - the guy they send to the really weird and offbeat places, not the guy they have covering business or politics!

Yes the Hot Chicks are very chic! I would love to try a pair out of curiosity’s sake, but they don’t come in my size and even if they did it’s too expensive for idle curiosity! I'm glad to hear that even you give thought to a day in 12cm heels - i feel a bit better about my own struggles with them! I’ve a pair of very nice suede Jean Gaborit OTK boots with 9cm slender - not quite stiletto - heels that would be great for Christmas markets. Warm and with slightly thicker 9cm heels perfect for a long day. I need to find some Christmas markets to wear them too!

Yes, I’d agree with your definition. I don’t think there is an official definition, but the huge platforms and absurdly long heels (although not when you deduct the platform height) just scream “stripper” to me. aesthetically I always thought that 12cm stilettos are the ideal - they project just the right sort of stilettos imperiousness without going over the top. To me that always seemed the limit. I must say though your Hot Chicks and the new boots you’ve bought have shown me that heels of 13cm and even slightly higher can look really smart. it would be fun to go out to the Christmas markets in 12cm heels. I can see where your new boots could be a bit too much of a challenge for that just yet, but that fact that you feel nearly ready to try them in a real world setting is hugely impressive. I’m wearing 10 or 12cm stilettos all day, every day in my home office, and have really grown used to the idea of high heels being the norm. This challenge has been so beneficial

I must say, practicing in higher heels really does improve one’s ease and ability in lower heights. I’ve been really surprised how much easier I find walking in my 10cm boots now that I’m putting in time in my 12cm ones.