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Wow congratulations! Mastering 13cm heels puts you in some pretty rarified company. Even among high heel aficionados very few can rock 13+cm boots or Hot Chicks! Well done!

There is a shape difference in shoes. Men's shoes are like boxes, very little difference in width between the toes and heels. Women's show have more of a pear shape, wider at the front and narrower at the heel. For me it means in men's I am a 9-9.5 EEE just to get my toes in, but then I have 1/2 inch on both sides of my heel and at the toes, 'clown shoes'. Lead to numerous ankle and knee issues (operations ad sprains). In women's I'm a regular size 10 and size 11 in some narrower heels. I can't get my feet into pumps, but that's alright, there is plenty of others I can.

Some great news here 🙂 @mlroseplant Great new heels! I'm sure you will manage them soon after a bit of practice. I'm totally with you that it's not that much about the shoe itself but the ability to walk properly. Here we all have our standards of how much skill we want to have before wearing them out. What I don't really have is that there are better and worse days, at least not for the heels up to 12 cm. Maybe that would happen if I'd take a few days or even weeks off. For the 13 cm heels however I could feel the difference when I was wearing them more or less. I wore my 13+ cm boots out 3 more times and can say that I'm finally done with practicing at home 🙂 It's really fun to wear them out and I'm glad I have some winter time left to do so. Afterwards I'm also looking forward for the Hot Chicks again, I wonder how easy they might feel then 😄

Cool!

I have oftened wondered the same thing about myself. Just wish there was some way of recording my stride in boots to get a true idea of how I look. I might be very disappointed, or perhaps I would learn how to improve...

I just don’t get as much real world practice as you and @higherheels. This past year I have been more or less stuck in this very rural - albeit very pretty - stretch of canal for various reasons and have no place to practice short of walking a mile along a towpath first, changing into my heels, practicing, then changing back and hiking home along the muddy towpath. Not impossible but the commitment in time to do all this has seen me duck out and confine my practice to home. I do plenty of standing and a reasonable amount of pacing (and much sitting at my desk) but that’s no substitute for your long walks or @higherheels visits to Christmas markets. I’m hope this year the canals will be a bit more navigable and I can get to places where practice is as easy as stepping off the boat

Oh, I don't know if you can say with conviction that you're bringing up the rear. After all, you have only my word as evidence. I say that my standards are high, but you've never actually seen me walk. I might be terrible! My main concern in real life is to avoid looking like a complete idiot. I do not feel like I succeeded in that on Sunday. Yesterday (Monday) was an incrementally better day.

I am fairly lucky when it comes to women's shoes and clothing. I'm fairly predictable. Size 9 USW shoes. Or maybe 8.5 for sandals. Size 4 bottoms, not size 6, not size 2. Which sometimes translates to size 27. . . 27? Don't ask me. My actual waist size is approximately 30". Also, it's better if whatever it is is labeled 4P (for petite), otherwise, I have to get it hemmed. We won't even get into odd-numbered juniors sizing, which you would think would fit my non-curvy body better, but it doesn't.

I suspect that women’s models may be made in narrower lasts but otherwise the size - length - would be the same, although like you I’ve notice odd conversions between UK and EU sizes

As are European sizes. Or at least they are meant to be, in both systems. Sometimes a manufacturer's idea of a woman's shoe in a given size can be different (usually smaller) from a man's shoe of the same size. Also British to Euro conversion sometimes looks wrong. For example UK9=EU43 should be valid for both men's and women's. Some makers say that for women's shoes UK8=EU43 or that UK9=EU42.

English shoe sizes are unisex.

Myself, I would like to see the whole shoe size thing change so there is no longer any "women's size/men's size" just a single sizing method that is adhered to by all manufactures. I guess it is no big deal, once you know you wear say a size 10 women's, well... you just know that is what to buy, but it seems just easier to me to have one set size for the same physical dimensions of a shoe. But it is that way with other clothes too. I bought some men's leggings and they fit me perfect, but they had a front flap I disliked, so I bought some women's since they lacked that. From the same company, same style and everything... and the same size hung off me like elephant skin. It is kind of annoying since I like them tight so they fit better under my jeans when out in the cold. In that, I just wished there was one size for clothing too, and not just shoes. But honestly, I think the dress sizes for women work pretty good, but even on that they sort of mess up because the sizes only go in even increments. I often lease my wife saying I cannot find her size... size five. That is because a size six dress hangs loosely off her, but a size four dress is too tight. But I often thought for a lot of things a sizing numbers would work much better for men's clothes then the small, medium, large, extra large sizes that are quite hit or miss.

I was look at a shoe company's 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.