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They certainly look steeper than my 12cm heels - quite a bit steeper in fact. You’ve probably got something as steep as @higherheels Hot Chicks but with absolutely none of the chic or the cachet

Being as my "training" shoes are in the shop, I was looking for alternatives, and I settled upon a pair of Bakers oxfords, model name Reissa, that I've had for a very long time. I won't say that I forgot about them, but I haven't worn them in years because I don't love the way they look, and I've always had trouble walking in them. I've always thought of them as having 13.5 cm heels with 2 cm platform, but they somehow feel steeper than those numbers would suggest. Now that I've kicked it up a notch (aiming high), I decided to put them on for a short walk. Much to my shagrin, I still have trouble walking in them, and I decided to cancel my walk, for fear of somebody seeing me struggling in these ridiculous shoes. Why are they so hard to walk in? I went back to the basement, took the shoes off, and pulled out a tape measure. Surely there had to be more to the story. There was. The platform, as you can see, is hidden, and there's no way to determine its thickness except to feel where the footbed is on the inside of the shoe, then transfer that mark to the outside. When I first measured them, I failed to do this at the heel as well, which in this case turns out to be significant. On this particular shoe, the footbed maintains its thickness all the way up to the top of the heel. In fact, the wearer's heel rests a good 1/2 inch higher than the point where the top of the shoe's heel is attached on the outside. Effectively, the shoe's steepness slightly exceeds 13 cm. That accounts for a good deal. No wonder.

I don't feel like stilettos are any harder to walk in than other heels. The only thing that makes them harder is that out in the real world, you have to be more careful where you step.

Yesterday, I went to my nail salon to get a new mani for Halloween. I got my regular clear/pink gel on my fingers with some nail art on my little pinkies. On my left pinkie I got a black base, with an orange jack-o-lantern . On my right pinkie, orange base with a white ghost on it. A great job again by my manicist. Incidentally, I was wearing a black skort, orange tee with a jack-o-lantern print, orange fleece too. Also, I was wearing black fishnet hose with my orange patent knee boots. This made for some nice compliments from other customers in the salon, including my manicist. Happy Heeling, bluejay

Well today, I came into possession of a pair of Missy Rockz Army Rockz 8.5cm. They are beautiful, stunning and comfortable to wear. My first stiletto heel too. Even though they are only 8.5cm. They give great energy to heel wearing. They fit tight, took a chance on the sizing. Indoor use at first.

Come to think of it, pretty much any tree can shed hazards to platforms. I just happened to walk through some freshly downed acorns the other day.

Yes - autocorrect again

I think you mean 'conkers' (hoarse chessnut 🤥).

Wow, that's an insane skill!

Conner’s in Britain wouldn’t be any fun either

That goes ditto for eucalyptus trees and their pods. Live with with both.

I have a pair of "goth" style knee-high boots with 3" platforms and 5" heel. They are very comfortable and seem very easy to wear but even a small irregularity in the ground, such as an acorn, can be treacherous. I don't often wear them but they are great for Halloween parties. And the price was right - I got them for free.

I can imagine!

Before I get to the winner, I should go through a few honorable mentions, and maybe some up-and-comers. One pair that deserves a mention is my Prada wooden mules. I call them my "rain shoes" because of the big 4 cm platform--they keep my feet out of the puddles. I must have walked on enough rainy days that somehow I've accumulated 62 miles on them (100 km). Although they truly work for their intended purpose--they do, in fact, keep my feet out of the puddles--the drawback is that they are susceptible to the usual platform weakness. Every imperfection in the pavement, every small, hard object that you might step on, such as a pebble or twig, causes an amplified lateral reaction compared to a single sole shoe that threatens the integrity of your ankles. It might also cause you to look foolish in front of others.

PSA to those who live near oak trees and who are at a latitude where it is now autumn: Platform heels and acorns do not mix well.

Sounds like a sensible move. I’m still keeping to my warmer heavy suede OTK boots with the 8cm heels until I can get the heating sorted on the boat! I’m reluctant to start burning coal and dealing with the sooty mess it entails and my central heating system is not working. So lower block heels it is for the time being

I finally bit the bullet and took the ugly shoes in to be reheeled. Yes, it will cost me about the same as what I paid for the shoes, but I do think they make good training shoes. I also took in three other pairs to be refreshed in the heel department. Two pair are pumps that I basically haven't worn since last spring, but had enough "incidental" mileage on them that I didn't think they would make it through the winter, or at least not in presentable condition. In the meantime, I'll have to practice on something a little lower, or risk my one pair of stilettos that is in that height range.

Yes, I think you’ve found yet another practical use for high heels! As “back row” shoes in the choir! And nice to be finding acceptance and receiving compliments

This week was a bit of a change from the normal for a Sunday morning. Once a year, we move our entire church service to the local college chapel and have a combined service with the students and faculty for their Homecoming weekend. Among other things that are different, I don't have to play for the service, but I do have to sing with the choir, which is a combined choir of the college choir and my church choir. When I showed up in my gold Nine West Wilia3 mules, I immediately got some compliments from the college kids, and also from the college choir director, who was singing in the tenor section with me (our church choir director was leading the whole group). He said, "Those are some great back row shoes!" I had never thought of it that way, but it's true. At 5'5", or 165 cm, I need the extra height to be able to see over the taller sopranos. The tall ones always wind up standing right in front of me. That's just how it works. I was very surprised at how many people commented on my shoes in the course of two hours or so. I would say that it's because I'm presenting myself to a new set of people, but that's not completely true. We do this every year. The student body completely changes every four years I realize, but the adults more or less remain the same. Anyway, it was a pretty good Sunday.

Back wearing heels after a few years of being unable to. Life changes, and has changed quite dramatically this past few weeks. Back to a new heel journey. A heel journey that will give me confidence and comfort for the future. Getting my tendons used to wearing heels again. However, my tendons will have to stay mobile for my running. I’ll have to keep an eye out and make adjustments if/when I get any pain. Whilst not everyday I’ll wear heels, the freedom to be able to wear them out to a concert or a musical will give me much confidence. The ability to put a pair on and feel good is something I’m looking forward to. Time to go shopping for a few more pairs, get a few “cunty heels” as they are called here. Heels that make you feel “cunty” and give an attitude, a swagger, a “fuck you” to everyone who doesn’t understand or disagrees. A nice 5 inch stiletto boot for instance. This time is mine.

One mile is quite a bit, congratulations! I don't really like the look of them, but don't find them ugly either. For sure they're OK as training heels.

Good time for wide flare longer pants.

Dainty, those are not. I agree, you have to look at them as training heels. I’m guessing they would be good for that. With those you could practice at the 12cm height but still have a sort of off-road heel that could possibly manage cobbles or a rough towpath

Several months ago, I bought these rather clunky shoes for a mere 18 USD. The price point was the motivator, but the real reason I bought them is because they are steep. They are very nearly the equivalent of 12 cm on size 38. I am not sure just exactly how ugly they are, but they are serving the purpose. After walking a mile in these babies, I can really feel it! In real life, they are not the greatest. I have to wear bandaids with these shoes, or they eat holes in the tops of my feet. The liner is deteriorating, so when I take them off, my feet come out all blackened. I need to get them reheeled, but I'm reluctant to spend money on them. I guess I need to look at them as a tool, rather than something I actually find attractive. The silver part is actually kind of cool, but that's about it. Sundays are often my best training days, because I can often spend the entire day in heels. I did not wear these the entire day, by the way, only for a one mile walk. The rest of the day I spent in 10 cm.

Clearly they need to get hold of some good Dutch city bicycles which have chain guards and step-through frames!