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I was look at a shoe companies website, can't remember which one, but they advertised an ankle boot as unisex. First time I've seen that.

Yes, doing this with @mlroseplant and @higherheels has really made a huge difference to me. They’ve become virtual colleagues and I think of them fondly whenever I am practicing, even if I am bringing up the rear in terms of my skill level. Their encouragement has been a great help

As with mastering any new skill practice is the best conduit to success. Success is constructed with confidence gleaned through self-esteem and positive input from those around you. That practice can take the form of walking around the house/yard then doing tasks. Drive somewhere in your heels and practice in the real world. Once you can prove to yourself that you can do it better things are inevitable. HinH

Good topic. As to go-go boots I don’t have ant but understand their allure as some retailers have tried to cater to the cd/tg crowd or just guys looking for alternatives in bigger sizes. I really enjoy knee high boots with either stiletto or chunky heels. As to recessed heels I may have a single pair of pumps. High wedge sandals or platform sandals, 5” or higher, are my favorite buys. Once in a while a killer pump with a 5 or 6” heels might make its way into my wardrobe. HinH

Might be a contest in name only since I can’t remember any winner nor how many entries there were. Believe it’s probably best intended to be a communal fashion show. Our own interpretations and style of regular people. Besides that your reputation is already solid. You’ve already won us over.

You look great in those kick ass pumps. They look to beyond my skill level for sure, so envious of your skills. D

It’s funny how you can vary day to day in walking in our challenge heels. Some days I feel like I’m really getting there, and then a couple of days later and got no obvious reason feel like a little kid borrowing his mothers high heels. Maybe not quite that bad, but a long way from graceful. I think this is where your long walks and high mileage really comes into play - or @higherheels years of experience in lofty stilettos. You guys have built up a foundation that I lack.

I finally got a chance to walk around in a photograph my new shoes from Highest Heel. The weather actually approaced 0º yesterday, so I didn't feel like I was totally freezing every time I stepped out the door. The verdict is, I think they're quite attractive, and they seem to fit well. I cannot say that with 100% confidence because I never actually left my driveway, nor do I think this will happen anytime soon. Let's put it this way: No one but the across the street neighbor can watch me walk in them just yet, I won't allow it. Over the last couple of days, I've spent several hours each day in 11 cm shoes, but these 12.5 cm are a whole different level. To be fair, I didn't feel like I had it together anyway yesterday. I was not walking well in the 11 cm, much less the higher ones. I guess it was just one of those days. I was walking just fine at the jazz festival on Saturday in the same shoe (same model, different color), and I walked just fine at the grocery store on Friday in the same exact 11 cm shoes, but I could not seem to find my feet yesterday. Here's the specs: Model name of this shoe is Hottie (I wonder if it's a nod to the Hot Chicks), they are not real leather, but appear to be of reasonable quality, with a similar look and feel to my Steve Madden patent pumps. The actual heel height measures 13.3 cm, and when I run it through my 0.94 formula, I get the 12.5 cm equivalent to size 38. These are labeled size 9 USW. The heel width is 8 mm. Pretty narrow, but not super freaky fetish narrow. Here are some photographs: 1) A closeup, 2) the shoes with an outfit, and then for comparison, 3) the 11 cm shoes I actually wore to church with the outfit. Except for the height difference, I think the shoes are almost a dead ringer for the shoes I've already got.

No, I get it! I’d be worried too about that very thing.

I had a look at Fuss-Schuhe. I liked what I saw! Thanks for the tip. When I get a bit of money together - the magazine world is not great at the moment! - I think I shall buy some boots from them

I feel quite confident - even a bit cocky! - in my 10cm heels but at 12cm, although I’m improving, I’m still tottery and looking like a beginner in heels.

I still haven't had a chance to really try out my new shoes yet--I spent a good deal of the day yesterday at a jazz band festival with my son. I did wear 11 cm for a good part of the day, and walked at least a few hundred meters, total. I don't really know what I look like in 11 cm, but it does seem to be getting easier! I don't feel clumsy, anyway.

Having reread my post, I was far from clear about my true concern, which is the shank itself--that is the weak part on these shoes. I'm not worried about breaking the actual heel. What I'm worried about is, even if I could somehow or other twist the shank back into alignment, it's never going to be trustworthy, and what I don't want is for the thing to suddenly snap in half on me. I've had that happen before, and it's at best inconvenient, and at worst could cause an injury. At this point, the matter is academic.

Wow! Congratulations on a great find! I would like to get another pair of 12cm boots but am a little stuck. Italian Heels was a good bet but they seem to have gone under and anyway, like you, cost is a consideration - the magazine world is not all it could be these days. yes, I aspire to look like I belong in my 12cm stilettos, as though wearing them was second nature, but I am well short of that goal. I confess to a bit of awe at @higherheels abilities as demonstrated in how quickly she was able to move up from her “easy” 12cm heels to being able to go out confidently in 13+cm boots. I’ve got such a long way to go

Without a clearer (side) view of the sandals - which I assume to have fully open sides - it is difficult to suggest a true remedy, but if the shank is twisted, it should be possible to bend it back without stressing the heel (if that is still correctly attached to the shank). Place a piece of 2" x 1" timber about 12-15" long across the sole (probably at mid-shank) and another below, and then clamp both pieces at their ends, to make a tight 'wood/sandal sandwich'. Then apply force to one end of the sandwich whilst holding the front part of the sandal. That should allow the shank to be twisted without stressing the heel or upper. If that doesn't work, it might be possible to create a 'double sandwich' at opposite ends of the shank and twist the two pairs of timber in opposition to bend the shank back. (You might be able to get away with one timber at each end, held to the sole by a single clamp and with a little resilient packing on the other side to avoid damage.)

I do agree 100% on that point, it is really more about the attitude and carriage than it is about the shoes. Perhaps that is what makes it so intimidating for us. Almost anybody can get out there and stomp around in 12 cm heels, but to actually look like one belongs in them? Tricky business indeed. I trust that @Shyheels and I will know when we've got to the point when it's time to strut our stuff in the general public. @higherheels has a leg (or a foot) up on us, as she's already worn her 13 cm in public, just not for very long. Speaking of which, I have some exciting news. As you know, I was looking for a pair of 12 cm heels in order to meet this challenge. Actually, I have one pair, but I think they are fairly ugly. I was debating about maybe getting something from Fuss, but being unemployed at the moment, I figure now is not really the time to be spending what amounts to over 200 USD by the time you get them to my door. The Highest Heels look interesting, but they are even more expensive, and I think they're not even leather, at least not all of them. So I went on ebay and typed in "The Highest Heels." I found some black patent pumps, new in the box, for 50 bucks, delivered to my door. I believe them to be a non-current model. I had hoped that they were in fact the full 12 cm, de-rated and temperature corrected for my size 9. As it turns out, they are and then some, at 12.5 cm. And they actually fit. I have not yet really had time to mess with them yet, other than a few steps around the house, but I have a good feeling about these. I'll try to get some pictures taken in the next couple of days. I might wait a couple of days anyway, because the current temperature is -18º according to my thermometer, and by Monday it's supposed to rise above zero.

Yes, and yes, to both of you. Now you've got me curious @Puffer. Trash day isn't until Monday, so I could dig the shoes out of the bin and see if it's even possible to straighten up the heel without breaking it. However, that would be nothing more than an experiment, because after that, as @Cali says, I would never wear them out again (meaning I would never wear them again at all). They would indeed break, probably at an inconvenient time. Part of that calculus is metal fatigue, but the other part is that they are Michael Kors brand. They will break eventually anyway. I'm lucky they gave me some warning to begin with! According to my records, I have owned those sandals approximately 10 years, so they really don't owe me anything. They have been all over the country (quite literally) with me, but they were sort of a default dressy sandal for me. I have never found them to be terribly exciting. I shall report my findings, should I decide to experiment, at a later date.

Yes, you are indeed right, but it is far more than that. A person in high heels has an air of sophistication about them, and when worn well, they look confident, brazen and dominant. But look at any high school prom where the ones wearing high heels often look uncomfortable, unsteady and vulnerable, and the same pair of shoes can give an entirely different look. It is all about how well the shoes are worn and not so much about the shoes (although I do understand quality has a lot to do with high heel wearing confidence). It is why I have so much respect for everyone on here that wears high heels so often, as well as my wife who embraces them. There is a huge commitment to wearing them well. Everyone on here should take pride… in their pride… on that!

But that would put additional stress on it and it would be more prone to fail (at the most inopportunity time).

I think the thing that makes the most difference is that we all genuinely love to wear heels and want to wear them well, so we experiment with different methods of training and practicing and get the most out of them. We care. We want to do well.

Is it not possible to twist the heel/shank back into the correct alignment? You have little or nothing to lose.

Aaaaaannndd. . . we're back to -15º again. However, it looks to be actually warm starting on Sunday. Well, warm as in above zero. For whatever reason, that method never occurred to me before. It makes good sense, though. I'll have to try it again. If I bothered to warm up in the past (I usually don't have time), I'd wear slightly higher heels than what I was planning on wearing to whatever event. The problem with that method is that you've got to have a chunk of time to wear the higher heels beforehand.

The last time I wore the sandals, back in September, I remember not walking well. I figured I was just having an off day, as one will from time to time. I have no idea why I noticed the state of this heel only yesterday, but it does account for a good deal.

Yes! I’ve noticed this! I come back from a long walk into town in my mid heel boots and put in my 12cm stilettos and they feel more manageable than when I just put them in at the start of the day.

That's also a good way of practice, to get higher throughout the day 😉