All Activity

I was fascinated by stilettos - aesthetically and for the allure of the forbidden, to say nothing of the intriguing physical challenge of wearing them. Just how easy or hard was it to stride briskly along a city sidewalk or waltz across a ballroom floor in lofty stilettos. The thought that I was never meant to know only heightened the appeal. And yet at the same time it was chunky heeled boots that most caught my fancy. Stilettos appealed because they were the Ultima Thule of boundary breaking, which chunky heel knee or ankle boots I could see myself aspiring to wear every day. i know what you mean about feeling funny wearing stilettos in more casual situations. They are inherently dressy. It’s one of the things I like about wearing stilettos in my home office - when you’re a freelance and work from home it’s a good idea to make at least a bit of an effort to dress as though you are going to work as a reminder to yourself that this is an office, not just your kitchen table, and a place for work. Wearing stilettos is great for that. Nobody just lounges around in stilettos! since we started doing this challenge I have really begun to feel at home in stilettos. They are starting to feel as much my natural style as chunky heel boots. I feel quite proud of my ability to get around briskly in my 10cm boots, even if I struggle with 12cm. I can admire your abilities to walk long distances @mlroseplant and @higherheels remarkable abilities to wear Hot Chicks and her even high new boots. You’ve boot been great influences and examples

@higherheels Congratulations on another accomplishment, even if it seemed a bit anticlimactic. I am curious to know whether it's just the fatigue that limits your walking distance, or are there other factors? I am pretty much resigned to waiting until Spring for me to make much progress. We just got more snow, and we're supposed to get more on Saturday--like 15 cm more. It is somewhat unusual for us to have this much snow before the middle of December. I have a feeling it's going to be a long winter! As for the rest of the discussion, I could not possibly imagine ever wearing stilettos when I first started heeling. Too girly. I had one color for shoes: Black. And they had to be very plain. I actually used to color in shiny hardware with a black marker to make them less flashy, and then I'd wear boot cut pants hemmed as close to the floor as was practical. I suppose I must have looked very strange, trying to hide my heels like that. It took a couple of years before I warmed to the idea of wearing stilettos myself, even though that was always the gold standard for heels. Today, I basically wear stilettos (though not exclusively) for dressier occasions. My wife has long given up objecting to any of my footwear, and unfortunately is long past being able to wear any of it herself, due to severe knee issues. I still feel funny wearing stilettos in more casual situations, especially with shorts. I cannot tell you why. I need to get over it.

Yes stilettos are certainly more feminine than block heels. They’re also more fun. Funnily enough it was block heeled knee and ankle boots that originally attracted me to heels - I loved the look and lines and wished it were open to me to wear them. And I would say that these 8 to 10cm block heeled boots are my most natural style in high heels. But there is something fun and racy about stilettos that appeals to me. I don’t feel threatened by their femininity, but enjoy the challenge in learning to walk well in them. I love the elegance and lines, especially at 12cm, even if I do feel that the style is outside my natural comfort zone.

Interesting, I didn't know about the differences between womens and mens shoes. Probably also depends on foot and shoe shape. Some pumps I can also put on just by stepping into them, some I have to pull back on the heel to get into. I'd also say that stilettos look more feminine than block heels in general I just came back from my first walk around the block in my new boots. They're definitely harder than the Hot Chicks for such a "long" walk. I can feel it in my calves and also on the balls of my feet. I will stick to shorter distances and indoor wearing for now. The walk around the block was about my limit, so I'll try it again when I had more practice. Still have a long way to go, but maybe I can wear them out soon again for dinner or so 🙂

Higherheels, for both those reasons. My wife does not like me wearing stilettos. She says too feminine looking but she's ok with block or stacked heels. Happy Heeling, bluejay

The last time I actually measured my feet on a Brannock device, I was a U.S. Women's size 9, and about a B 1/2 width (halfway between B and C). So most standard women's shoes fit me nicely, if slightly snugly. My work boots are technically women's (though there is no stylistic difference). For years, I thought I was 9 1/2, but that is always too big. Here's what I don't understand about pumps--how is it that some women are able to just step into them and walk normally? Getting mine on is a bit of a production, and I certainly can't flex my toes and pop my heel right out of the shoe, even wearing hosiery. If I could, they would pop right out of the shoe while I am walking, which was the whole problem in the first place.

Once I started wearing heels I too found they suited my narrow feet better than most men’s shoes. It’s rare to find men’s shoes, boots or trainers in narrow fittings whereas women’s seem to be narrow by default. When I used to do a lot of running, only ASICS and New Balance trainers worked for me. ASICS had a narrow fit and New Balance came is a wide variety of width fittings. The other brands I would step right out of. Same with hiking boots. A lot of those were too wide for me. Italian made Scarpas worked well - perhaps Italian men have narrow feet - but most others were too wide. When I finally dared to try wearing heels I was pleasantly surprised by the fit. I just wished they made more styles in bigger (length) sizes

Women's shoes are made with wider toe and narrower heel, men's are usually just straight. Wearing men's shoes was like walking around in clown shoes.

We're all responsible citizens, raising the standards 😀

And I too personally raised the standard in my office - from not wearing heels to wearing heels, 8 to 12cm every day! 😊

Where's the flood? I'm also responsible for raising my work place average. 😀😀😀

Sounds really difficult for pumps. Apparently there's more than just narrow or wide feet

I have never meet a pump that fits my foot. If one exists, it is probably harder to find than a golden unicorn. I have a wide toe box and narrow heel with a very high arch. The vamp on every pump I have tried cuts into my tendons, even with padding.

They definitely look presentable! You've probably set the highest standard of any office 😀 In my office the standard is 0 cm, so I'm responsible for raising the average 😉

@mlroseplant That's the beginner's mistake I also made. Trying them on, thinking they fit perfectly, just to realize afterwards that the heel slips out of them while walking. This often happened after a while of breaking them in. I looked up the Steve Madden Daisie and Klory. They really look similar to the Louboutin Models. I think the height looks nice on them. More suitable for everyday wear than the Louboutin 120's, but not as "low" as the respective Louboutin 100 models. Oh, that's a different story. Not as fun as if you would have been captured practicing in heels. @Shyheels I think of that more as an advantage than disadvantage. My feet are also more on the narrow side and most pumps fit me well. @bluejay I'm the total opposite, almost all my pumps are stilettos 😀 Do you prefer block heels for the look or walking experience?

I like to wear pumps. They fit me fine however I do not wear any heel size over 4" and they have to be chunky or stacked heels. No stilettos at all! Happy Heeling, bluejay

I think there are heels and there are heels - yours look quite presentable. I can understand the basic idea of the rule though. In a lot of offices too 10cm would be the upper limit of what would be considered presentable in a work environment. Happily in my office I've declared 12cm to be pretty much the workplace standard!

Here is a picture of me at church, wearing 11 cm heels, playing the alto horn (or tenor horn, if you are British). On Christmas Eve, no less, in blatant violation of the rule. The other flat-heeled guy playing the trumpet is my son. It wasn't my best outfit choice ever. What's up with those pants?

I have quite narrow feet - long and narrow - and that would be my worry about trying pumps: that I would step right out of them. Especially if my feet were already steeply pitched on 12cm heels!

You're back! Awesome! Here is another pair of wedges that I really liked, from Schutz, but unfortunately they broke on their very first true outing. I forgot about that one, actually. Elsewhere, I said I've only had 2 shoe failures this year. Make that 3.

Pumps can be tricky. I thought I couldn't wear them for the longest time, because every time I tried, I'd just walk right out of them. Literally, my heel would pop right out of the shoe within a few steps. It was very frustrating. After a few years of heeling, I found that I needed to go down half a size in general. That helped a good deal. Thankfully my narrow foot can tolerate a typical pump with a pretty tight fit. Steve Madden is the brand that fits me the best for pumps. Unfortunately, modern Steve Maddens are not leather, but I do not find them objectionable nevertheless. Then again, I do not wear them all day, every day. The other unfortunate thing about Steve Madden is that they do not make a true 120 mm model. My favorite model is called Daisie, which is a pretty good imitation of a Louboutin So Kate, only without the red sole, and with a mere 110 mm effective heel height. My second favorite model is call the Klory, which is quite a bit like the Pigalle (the old Pigalle, not the new ones). Again, the effective heel height is aroun 105-110 mm, depending on which example you get. Not quite up to our standards! Alas, I gave the wrong impression about the church security cameras. There is no footage of me practicing in heels, although that would have cause the Board of Trustees far less alarm, I'm sure. My then 15 year old son got caught in there, practicing with the jazz band combo that he and his friend led. They had tacit permission to be in there, but evidently did not have the correct and official permission to be in there. Unfortunately, I was running an errand when they were escorted out, and couldn't be present to defend them.

I’ve never worn any pumps or sandals in heels, only boots. I’m curious to try them sometime

@CrushedVamp That's a funny story about your rule of height. I'm not going to church usually, but the rule makes sense to me. At least I'd feel a bit wrong going to church with 12 or 13 cm heels, or massive platforms. For sure. About 2010 I started trying lower and comfortable heels for everyday wear, and 2012 it was pretty much the same. At that time I had many lower heels with around 7 cm, they were widely available at that time.

Now that you both are waiting for me to try them for my walk, I have no more excuse 🫣 Just kidding, I'm excited too and for sure will try this week. The fit and feel in pumps sure is different to other styles. I actually like the tight fit, it gives you the feeling of "a second skin" if you know what I mean. But when it comes to walking a lot or wearing them for a very long time, other styles can feel more comfortable. It must have been fun when they watched the videos from the security cameras and seen you practicing in your heels 😀