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I woke up before dawn this morning, noticed some interesting blue hour conditions and decided to go out with camera and tripod. On a whim I decided to be brave and wear my midi skirt and chunky heel boots. It was four thirty and no one was around. I was setting up a shot when I heard a cheery voice behind me - a woman out walking her dogs, with a camera slung over her shoulder. A fellow photographer as it turns out. She must have noticed I was wearing a skirt - the heels were less obvious - but made no comment or gave me any strange looks. We chatted about light and photography. The conversation was as natural as if I’d been in my usual hiking boots and jeans. I went from feeling momentarily embarrassed to prolonging the conversation. It was just two photographers chatting we now follow each other on Instagram

I am the same with my stilettos. I love wearing them, but worry about wear and breakage. They’ve become my office shoes. And I’m quite satisfied with that. I’m never unaware that I’m in heels when I wear them - I don’t need to be out logging my 10,000 steps a day.

Yes those are nice. I’ve seen Leviticus Boots website. More elegant than the ones in the article. I was encouraged by the tone and the hope that if tall boots in general can become accepted as men’s wear, that will open the door to a wider range of styles.

It seems that my shoe collection has gained some stability lately, as I haven't purchased any new shoes in about three months. With that stability, I realize that my whole philosophy toward shoes has changed somewhat. I used to say that if I couldn't walk two miles in reasonable comfort, I would get rid of the shoes. I gave lip service to this mantra for a number of years, but now I realize that I have to back off of it because I would estimate that I've never walked two miles in over half my current collection. Not all at once, anyway. It's not that I couldn't potentially walk two miles in any of my shoes, it's just that I don't want to. I pretty much don't walk in stilettos anymore because the heel tips wear out far too fast, it's way too easy to damage the heels putting that many miles on them in the real world, and it's not necessarily all that fun, paying hyper attention to every crack in the sidewalk. Sure, I do it occasionally just to prove I still can, but not on the regular. As a result, I have a whole bunch of dressier shoes that have never seen the two mile circuit, and probably never will. And I will not get rid of them.

Yes, an interesting, non-judgemental and literate article which could indeed promote the look. The boots themselves are not very appealing - a rather heavy 'shoe' with a wader shaft attached - but I suppose that was to get away from the look of the typical female thigh boot which some men would find off-putting. Maybe something like these would be better - sleeker but still discreet, and with potential for a higher heel if desired:

An interesting article about a Swedish actor turning up at the Cannes film festival in a pair of (low heel) thigh boot by Saint Laurent. What was interesting about the article is that the writer did not disparage the idea of men in tall boots, and indeed went into the history of boots as a masculine fashion, and threw the story forward by suggesting that maybe tall boots could be coming back into style. I certainly hope so, and found the tone of the article encouraging. The boots pictures are not to my personal taste although there is nothing outlandish about them. It would be nice if this story did indeed herald a return to tall boots for men. https://edition.cnn.com/2025/05/20/style/alexander-skarsgard-thigh-high-boots-in-cannes

They look very classy

An update on the Wilia3s: They're fine. They might even be decent walking sandals, but I know if I wear them too much for that purpose, I'll wind up damaging the gold finish, and then they won't be suitable to wear for dressier occasions. I have walked a mile in these with no issues and worn them to church. They are stiff in the way that non-leather shoes are, but not uncomfortable.

Yes, stilettos would be a real disaster there. And on a towpath too.

At least they were block heels, not stilettos.😀

I'm quite familiar with Avebury and the henge - its a beautiful walk, as is the one out to Silbury Hill but not one that would be advisable in heeled ankle boots!

I walked the Avebury Henge and Stone Circles outer henge in ankle boots back in 2019. I also had a damaged peroneal tendon at the time. It was not fun.

Definitely not!

Sometimes I wonder if I ever got the chance to wear heels to work whether I'd regret it or not. I've come to the realization that they're not practical in all situations.

Out and about - silly photographer in heels (me). I went out in the evening with my camera and, given the dry weather, and not too rough state of the towpath thought I might just risk wearing heels - in this case ankle boots with 3.5” block heels. The walking wasn’t too bad although complicated by carrying a tripod and with a heavy camera bag slug over one shoulder. The funny part came when I was changing lenses, standing in rough ground in 3.5” heels and bending over to pick out lenses from my bag, on the grass. Especially with a dodgy back. And trying to be quick with the light changing rapidly. Next time I’ll stay with my low heeled knee boots!

I remember the clogs craze in the mid 70s. I was at university by then. I liked clogs and can recall wanting a pair but nothing like my desire for a pair of white go-go boots c.1970

I was inspired by your post to drag out my Elisabet Tang pumps to see if I could make them work. The answer to that question is yes, I think they will in fact be wearable with the judicious use of the shoe stretcher. However, I chose otherwise for church last Sunday. I am simply not prepared to wear 120 mm + shoes in public yet, especially when I'll be recorded. I'm getting there, but the process is slow.

What a coincidence that there are several of us here that were attracted to go-go boots initially. In my case, I caught the tail end of that particular fashion, because all my memories of such were girls in elementary school. By the time I got to junior high, it was cowgirl boots or the wooden heeled sandals that I favor to this day.

Me too. For me it would have to be white - that’s what I so vividly remember! It was the girls hair that was red. Wonder what ever became of her?

Well yes, it all began for me when I was just a kid and totally mesmerized by my sister's red go go boots! Couldn't wait to be left home alone so I could wear them. Would still like to find a pair in white or red!

I have only worn women's shoes for 14+ years and high heels for 10+. It's about fit for me. My ankle issues have disappeared since switching. I have gotten over the sound of my heels. In fact, I will sometimes walk harder to make more noise. You got to push the envelope! And I am now known statewide for my heels.

For me it was never so much the bell but the overall feminine styling. I never fancied cowboy boots, or cowgirl boots either for that matter. For me it started with go-go boots, which really don’t have much of a heel at all, and then sorta evolved. The heels became a part of it, since many feminine boot styles also have heels. In terms of personal style and preference I like block heeled boots. They feel more “me”. I’m ambivalent about stilettos. I love the lines - especially 120mm stilettos - but I’m not sure they are really me. And I’m not sure if that’s residual self consciousness or a sense that they don’t - quite - fit my style. i own two pair of Italian Heels stiletto knee boots - same style (Tina), one with 10cm heels the other with 12cm. I like them both very much and would never get rid of them. But I feel much more at ease in 7-9cm block heeled boots (ankle, knee and OTK)

For sure! For me, it was a gradual process I guess. Always loved cowboy boots, then progressed to higher heeled cowboy boots. Then I looked for higher heeled "cowgirl" boots. I'm trying to remember the first time I actually ordered boots with stiletto style heels, I think they were Pleasers. The progression to wearing high heel boots in public was a slow gradual process as well. So much regret wasting so many years of enjoyment due to self doubt, and lack of confidence...

Congratulations! I have fond recollections of the moment that I decided at long last to buy myself some high heeled boots - in the event, a pair of very nice (expensive) black suede OTK boots with four inch slender (not quite stiletto) heels. I decided to treat it as a bucket list thing and although expensive as boots go, vastly cheaper than the exotic travels that usually feature on bucket lists. That initial purchase has led to my buying several more pair, although nothing like your numbers. I love wearing them though and regret the years I needlessly went without

Usually I forget about the significance of this day until it is past, but for some reason I remembered it this year. Perhaps it is because I didn't realize what was happening at the time, and what significance it would ultimately have in my life. Thirteen years ago this evening, I stepped out for the first time in public wearing obviously elevated heels. In a way, it seems like much longer. In this regard, time has not flown by. It is difficult for me to remember a time when I didn't wear heels, even though that was more than 75% of my life. I'm trying to remember what I did wear on a daily basis. I remember at one time I went through a hiking boot phase. When I played with a country band, I wore cowboy boots pretty much everywhere for a couple of years. I must have worn tennis shoes for a good portion of my pre-heeled life. I really don't remember much about my footwear before 2012. I still keep the Söfft clogs I wore for my maiden outing, but I never wear them anymore. Even though they are leather on the outside, the non-leather liner makes my feet sweat something terrible. According to my records, I have not walked very many miles in these shoes, but I sure remember the first mile. I thought it would never end. Even after thirteen years, I will not pretend to be 100% comfortable in my skin. At times I still feel self conscious, especially when I have chosen very loud shoes without thinking about it, only to end up in a place where it's very noticeable. But still, it hasn't been a bad trip so far, and it doesn't really show any signs of ending.