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Out and about today in Edinburgh and while strolling through the art collection on display in the Throne Room at Holyrood House I took a good look at the grand portrait of Charles II in all his 17th century splendour - which included ankle boots with what appear to be 10cm heels. A reminder of the days when high heels were a specifically masculine fashion

As a creative I detest AI and boycott it scrupulously - on more grounds than I can count.

I went and remeasured, and they're actually about 11.1 cm, and that's actual measurement in a size 39 equivalent, but now that I'm looking at them, they do not appear as steep as one might think, yet the tape measure says what it says. I have another similar pair from the same brand (Steve Madden) that measures 11.7 cm up the back of the heel, and yet this pair appears much steeper for some reason. When I get time, I'll have to snap some pictures so we can all geek out trying to figure out the differing high heel curved profiles. Got to run!

I did not go purposefully seeking AI, but I was sending somebody a DM with a picture of me in shorts and heels (I don't have time right now to look it up), and after I sent it, the phone suggested some AI alterations. There were categories like "Classic," "Futuristic," "Cartoon," and so forth. In over 50% of the cases, it lengthened my shorts to suburban dad length, and gave me ugly shoes, though it didn't always put me in 100% flat shoes. However, it did give me my hair back in all cases!

I was thinking of your Hot Chicks and guessing they were roughly the same price as my custom OTK boots. It’s nice to have something special like that. Definitely worth the effort of learning to walk well in them! I hope that is going well

Wow, that's a lot but totally understandable for custom shoes. I am blessed with feet in a size where everything is widely available, so no need for custom made ones. But still my most expensive ones (the Hot Chick 130) cost as much as your custom made ones, but somehow they're also worth it. Even more if i will wear them out more in the future 🙂

Yes they are expensive. Depending on the style - they do quite a range of boots, from fashion to country boot to vintage styles for the classic car/motorcycle/aviation enthusiasts - the prices range from about €650 to €1200. Mine are at the lower end. Most custom makers - and there aren’t many these days - charge a lot more. These are all hand made in France and are fully custom, even the soles. Mine fit perfectly, the nubuck suede is thick and luxurious and they’ll last forever. So it seemed a good investment. My other two stilettos are not custom though. The OTK ones are special

May I ask which prices we are talking about when it comes to custom made boots? Very cool thing, but pretty expensive I guess?

There are many version of Artificial Intelligence begining to appear on cell phones. They can basically do just about anything for you now. For those with an Andriod phone, Gemini is the new thing. There is even commercials for it now. In the latest commercial, a girl snaps a photo of her outfit. Then she asks gemini, "what makeup look would go good with this outfit?" And Gemini responds, "A cat eye would work well", or something to that effect. So I started thinking about how it could work with heels? I have not used it for an actual outfit I have worn out yet. But I did test it out. And based on the results I think it could be very useful for us. It's like having your own personal stylist in your pocket. I tried it 2 different ways. First I tried it with a picture of me wearing just a normal pair of white jeans and a black t-shirt. I asked Gemini, "What kind of heels should I wear with this outfit?". I was suprised how good the results were. And how many different choices it gave me. Then I tried it the opposite way. I gave it a picture of a pair of Fushia snakeskin textured heels, instead of just a plain old black pair. I tried to make it difficult for Gemini, but to no avail. I asked Gemini, "What oufit would go well with these heels?". It knew the colour and that the shoes were snakeskin textured, to boot! And again, it returned plenty of outfit options. All different styles and colours. Everthing from a black dress, to a pair of dark skinny jeans with a neutral coloured top. It made a believer out of me, and I'm sold! Can't wait to try it out and get suggestions on an actual outfit that I will wear out. And it will also be useful out shopping. Imaging taking a picture of a pair of heels, or a piece of clothing you are thinking of buying, and instantly getting feedback and outfit suggestions. It will be like having your own personal shopper in your pocket. Has anyone else tried it yet? If you haven't, I suggest you do. Here are some screenshots of my attempt with the fushia heels.

Blue is my favorite colour @mlroseplant You nailed it!

Yes it is very difficult to find nice fashion heels in my size. It can be done but you have to be committed enough to spend. I’d always wanted to try wearing heels and when I finally summoned the nerve to do it, I decided to do it well and buy some really nice ones. Jean Gaborit is fully custom and make gorgeous boots in just about any size. And so my collection of heels is quite small but very nice.

Mirose, you criticized me for matching my heels to my top color. That's just what you did on Sunday. Happy Heeling, bluejay

That's a big size, I can imagine that it's hard to find heels in this size, but nice you were able to find some.

Thank you! I’m quite pleased at feeling more at home in them. i wear a 45 or 46 so it is not always easy for me to find nice heels. I have no interest at all in fetishy ones which are what you usually find in larger sizes. I bought a couple pair of knee boots from Italian heels - very classic style - and a pair of really lovely custom OTK boots from Jean Gaborit in a very nice black suede. They are my favourite pair by far - and the 9cm heels are really easy and stable to walk around in. They were expensive but I absolutely love them.

I never really felt like any of my heels were the wrong angle, but I also don't always look at which height they're labeled at and then measure them. Which shoe size do you have, Shyheels? That's a great progress! I don't feel any progress so far. Wore them twice last week at home.

My 12cm heels are very definitely the proper angle for 12cm stilettos - they were made for the right proportions for my size. Even just wearing them as a potter around and sit and write I am starting to feel more at ease in them. They are becoming more familiar which is a help. I just need to put in the distances and practice. And probably with an 11cm first!

@mlroseplant To me they also look more like 10 cm. I think you might have to go more into like a 13,5 cm in actual heel height to have the same angle as a 12 cm heel. Apparently I'm a bit below the standard size of 38 with my size 37 and I can confirm that when I measured heel heights they were mostly a bit below the advertised height, which makes sense to keep the same angle. The italian heels chart is great!

Italian Heels has a chart on their website that gives the actual measured height for each size and style. Handy

You are sooo right, actual heel height varies so much from the advertised heel height. I wish there was some sort of standard for measuing "actual heel height"

I’ve also never tried a style like that - I’ve always worn boots. Some attempting 12cm in sandals seems like a great way to turn an ankle!

I would not gave guessed those were 11.5cm. At this angle I would have guessed they were 10cm. My 12cm heels look much more than 0.5cm higher. Then again, my 10 and 12cm stilettos are both scaled up for the larger size that I wear. The standard for the style is a 10 or 12cm heel based on a size 38 shoe - the actual measured heel height is scaled up (or down) as you move away in size from the standard 38. This keeps the lines and proportions consistent for that particular style throughout the size range. If the maker of your shoe does not do that it would explain why your 11.5cm heels look lower. My collection is much smaller than yours - I have two pair of stiletto knee boots (10 and 12cm) and one pair of suede OTK boots with 9 cm heels

Well said indeed. Love those boots and those camo pumps are a powerful statement indeed. Same here, my boots are always the intended focal point

Well, I think you look great in them, legs do not appear too short. Great outfit indeed, I am envious. I would think these heels must be tricky to walk in because of a lack of side support. Admittedly, I have never tried a style like this, so have no basis to "guess"

They look like the perfect height to me... Tall enough to look great while still being able to walk well in them and enjoy wearing them

I have a whole lot of just shy of 12 cm heels, but very few actual truly 12 cm heels. Here is one pair that measures in at 11.5 cm (or 4 1/2"). Now that we have the challenge going, why do these look slightly stumpy to me? Wish they had another 1-2 cm on the heel.