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I wanted to chime in here on a few points. First, Go-go boots. I have never been a fan of them as they are so much associated with a specific time period - the 60s. The have seemingly survived for many decades afterwards for reasons I am not sure I could determine or understand. Not that I am complaining or the like, but to me, they are very much part of the "younger crowd" from a by-gone era. Go-go boots, like any object, have their place in history and breaking that association may be very hard to do regardless of how styles and attitudes change. I conducted a quick search for modern go-go boots and regardless with what they were pared, trying to see them in the context of contemporary fashion is hard to do. This is not to say that they cannot or should not worn with current fashion, but, more so, doing so may take supreme styling ability. I would suspect that some of those who wear go-go boots now do so with an appreciation of the time when they were in their heyday. Again, speaking only for myself, they are not for me as they truly define an era where fashion trends and styling were very different. I think the pumps in question are the Nine West Etta, of which I have pair in black, and they are rather comfortable. The heel on these, as seen in the photo, has little, if any, curve to it when compared to the shoe next to it. In a practical sense, the Etta pumps are really no different that any other stiletto pump I have worn. I would tend to believe that the setting of the heel bit back is more of a structural concern than a walking issue. Although I love the lines of the "classically" angle heel, I am also a fan of the modern straight down heel as it is beautiful update to a classic. This is not to suggest that all different takes on the heel are of the same beauty. I am not a fan of the cone shape or others similar styles, particularly those that are highly embellished, are triangular, or are an upside down cone. @higherheels I have to most politely disagree with you about the block heels. I prefer block heels to stilettos as the former offer greater stability and for me, comfort when walking. Stilettos have a time and place to be worn but given the choice, I would go with a block over a stiletto. Likewise, block heels offer much less of a possibility of getting caught in a crack or pavement irregularity than a block heels. As previously noted, I do not care for many styles of block heel but believe that, for the most part, they are more practical than a stiletto. I would say that about 90% of my heels are of a block heel style.

Here is a type of heel I can't stand. You see it alot on Steve Madden shoes. They look oddly out of place. And I don't like shape either. They remind me of that springy door stop you find on the wall.

These are smoking hot heels….. You look great in them…. Would have loved to see you walk in them!!

I love it! People dress their infants up al the time in outfits, especially "mommy $ me". You just took it to another (artistic) level. These should be prized photos in her baby book.

I think that were a kind of special group - in terms of interest, passion and knowledge when it comes to heels. We’re far more likely to notice nuance and subtle differences than the average heel wearer

People should really mind their own business.

Apparently nobody here likes the modern block heel, I wonder who does. Maybe the ones who usually don't like heels? 😀 @mlroseplant I didn't even realize that all/most of the well known Louboutin models have a setback heel until you mentioned it! I think all styles have their own beauty, but my favorite is the one with a little curve. In regards to walking I also can't feel a difference. Maybe in a direct comparison of two identical models with a different heel.

@CrushedVamp I can totally imagine the people's reactions. Sure it's not common for a baby to wear heels, but as you say they were just for fun and she couldn't walk anyway. There are so many other things that parents put on their babys just for their own fun and why not, as long as it doesn't hurt the baby it's fine in my opinion.

Ok, let's talk about more pleasant things, then. I ran across a picture I took over four years ago depicting a "setback" heel vs. one that curves to the front somewhat. Shown in the front of this photo is a true setback heel, which comes straight down to the floor from the back of the shoe. At the back of the photo is a curved, traditional shaped heel. I don't know if it has a special name. This is the style that I believe @luvmaryjanez likes the most. In the middle of the photo is something in between, which is what 90% of the stilettos I own are. Some say that setback heel is simply there to make the heel appear taller than it actually is, and I suppose it's true. Our favorite Christian Louboutin certainly took advantage of this illusion, to his great success. CL makes very few shoes where the heel doesn't come straight down from the back of the shoe, and most makers have followed suit. I prefer a little curvature, but do not necessarily prefer the 1960s style of more extreme curvature. Steve Madden lets you have it either way. My favorite Daisie pumps have a slight curve to the heel, whereas the Vala model has a straight, setback heel. Otherwise, the two models are identical. There are those who claim that the setback heel is much harder to walk in, and that you should always choose a heel that comes down more toward the center of your heel. I have personally never found this to be a factor at all, but then again, I've never had a lower heeled shoe with a setback heel. Perhaps it really does make a difference in the 2-3" range, but once you get above 4" I cannot tell the difference, other than looks. I will say it is somewhat easier to accidentally catch your heel walking down the stairs in setback heels, particularly if the stairs have those plastic edge protectors on them. Those are the worst!

Yeah, I do not like that style of heels either.

Please NO!

I agree as well - nothing about them appeals to me

Yes, those are exactly what I was thinking of. That and some of the Japanese inspired stuff. No thank you.

Sometimes it is just plain all-out angst against high heels. The other day I found some high heels I made for my daughter when she was an infant. It was just a fun, silly thing to do. Her mother wears and loves high heels so I thought it would be fun to make a little pair for my infant daughter and take her to church so mother and daughter “matched”, so to speak. I was shocked at how angry people were about it, saying it was weird and just plain wrong to put high heels on an infant. This even came from some women that typically wear high heels at church. Not to mention either; this was twelve years ago when wearing heels was more accepted. The only thing I can think of is that THEY somehow correlated high-heel wearing to “relations” type of things? That makes no sense though since toddlers wear kitten heels, tights and dresses to church all the time so what is wrong with tiny heels for an infant? It was not like we were promoting bad posture: she was three months old and could not even walk! Maybe it is me? I realize I think counter to a lot of people of this world anyway. But for me and her mother, it was just a fun thing to dress our daughter in. We were both surprised at how angry people were about it though. You can be the judge though.

I think you sum things up very well, especially given that 12cm (or any other 'desirable' height) will vary with one's shoe size, as has been discussed. I would only add that some wearers will enjoy the challenge of a particular heel height because (a) it is physically demanding; and/or (b) it is 'daring' or stimulating, if a male, to wear what would normally be female footwear. All in all, it is rather like considering why people would want to climb Everest - the exact measured height of which is of little importance compared with the effort and achievement of even an incomplete ascent.

Exactly! I don’t think in terms of numbers but in the aesthetic. What I see as stylish and wearable heels are probably going to be around 10cm and what I see as imperious and elegant are probably going to be around 12cm. Specific measurements don’t come into it. I want to learn to walk gracefully in 12cm boots because they’re imperious and elegant, not because they’re 12cm

I actually like this type of stiletto heel on some models. The modern block heels that are getting thicker towards the bottom are absolutely not my thing if you're speaking about those.

@mlroseplant Sometimes it's hard to believe that what is the most normal thing for us, is something that other people don't know anything about. The one thing most people know (or think to know) about heels is: They're painful! I get looks of disbelief everytime I tell someone that they're not painful if you do some things right. Believe it or not, I'm actually also the type to who heel height (the number) doesn't matter that much 😉 For me it's just about the look and aesthetic, but over time with wearing, shopping and looking for heels you simply get an idea of the look a certain heel height has. And of course here on hhplace you need some numbers to make clear what you're speaking of as it's all about heels, but a 5 cm heel just isn't the same as a 13 cm heel 😉 @Shyheels A little bit of movement really helps. It's funny how long standing time affects us differently: I feel it in the balls of my feet. I feel it in my calves when walking in my 13+ cm boots. It's great to share the experiences with others who are just as "crazy" 😀

I like to cook too and tend to do it in my 12cm boots. I’m up and standing and moving around the galley so it feels more productive than simply pacing back and forth. Standing for an hour though, while working at my laptop, was challenging. I could really feel it in my calves. I felt like I’d been hill walking all afternoon! I think of it like taking up ice skating - new athletic challenges. As to why, well we all wear something in our feet and high heels are elegant. I love the aesthetics of a 12cm stiletto boot and would like to be able to wear them with the kind of panache one needs to carry off heels that high. It’s one thing to admire the aesthetics but if you can’t walk in them well you might as well stay in the sidelines. To walk in them well requires a lot of practice and dedication - and if you’re as lucky as we are, friends to help and encourage you along the way. I feel very fortunate to be sharing this challenge with such experienced heel wearers as you and @higherheels

Yeah, the "life hacks" have gotten out of hand, but it seems that we are more about clicks than substance these days. The thing is, there are so many "heel hack" videos out there, I'm just wondering who is watching them? I certainly don't see anybody attempting to wear heels much these days. I know that we are in a kind of bubble, and even amongst people who like high heels, and maybe even wear them occasionally, we are a tiny minority. This point was driven home just a few days ago when I told one of my female friends that we had a challenge in our little group to work on wearing higher heels. I told her my personal goal was 5 inch (or the scaled equivalent of 12 cm). Her first reaction was "Oh my God, why?" The only thing that made any sense to her was an analogy to dance, and the athletic challenges that go along with that. The other thing that surprised me is that nobody really thinks about heel height as specifically as we do. If it looks cute or aesthetically pleasing to them, exact heel height doesn't matter all that much. And then let's get into steepness--forget it! It took me a while to explain to my friend that I, a size 9, had to have a taller heel to maintain the same shape compared to a size 7, the standard. It is not something that had ever crossed her mind in 57 years. I didn't even dare bring up the fact that 4 inch heels don't actually make you 4 inches taller! @Shyheels Standing for a whole hour in 12 cm! That is quite an accomplishment. I'm not sure I could do it. Maybe I'll have to try. I have a whole pile of shirts to iron.

I think I know which Nine West pumps you are talking about. It wouldn't happen to be the Tatiana model, would it? The setback stiletto heel is still better than the giant, clunky block heels that seem to be in style now. Never mind one's fashion preferences, it amazes me that it once made financial sense to take your old shoes to the cobbler and have them majorly modified like that. Nowadays, we'd just throw them away and buy something new.

I definitely want to buy a pair. I've wanted go go boots since I was a child.

Shyheels, I love wearing my shinny go-go boots, i have them in a lot of colors, including black, white, red, purple, hot pink, royal blue, yellow, brown,lime green,gold, silver and light pink. I gets lots of compliments from both women and men wearing them. I wear them with tights, leggings and my skirts, dresses and skorts in the warmer weather. It's a lot of fun wearing them out and about. Happy Heeling, bluejay

Looking closer at the second method I can also see the imperfections with the measurement points. I measured (to be fair my husband did, because as mlroseplant also said it's difficult without assistance) as if I worn heels - from the sole to the end of the imaginary heel. That's the only way it makes sense to me. I too am convinced that you can increase your perfect heel height with practice. Nobody was born in heels, and some might be more familiar with heels from the beginning than others. But if I think back of my days when I started wearing heels regularly (where I actually already had experience in some higher heels, but didn't wear them all the time), I went with lower ones like 6 or 7 cm for everyday wear. Now I'm as comfortable for everyday wear in 9 or 10 cm heels. And I'm also sure that if my first heels had a 13 cm heel, I would've not been able to properly walk in them 😉 It would be interesting to see if the resting angle as measured in the formula improved with wearing heels more and higher. I think it did. @mlroseplant I understand your decision, I also don't like low stiletto heels that much, the proportions look off. All my lowest heels are block heels, a much more balanced look in my eyes. @Shyheels That's great! Standing is a hard discipline. If I practice at home it's also often while standing and cooking, there I can always feel how the kitchen is too low. @CrushedVamp I also think there's too much of these "hacks", which in my mind shouldn't be even called so. It feels like sometimes they're just made up for getting attention. I can generally see that many people need the easiest way everywhere. They're probably the target of such things. I already seen people asking AI for such simple things that any kid could answer within seconds. Maybe the fact alone that we like heels is what differs us from that. Because heels aren't the easiest way. But they're certainly more fun, and sometimes also challenging 😉

After a little thought, I think these sorts of informative signs are part of the overall larger disturbing picture of society today. Not just in the wearing of high heels, but in almost everything, and that is there is some sort of secret handshake, some sort of “hack” where all things difficult to do suddenly becomes easy if you just have the right information. These signs or “hacks” like the images I posted about determining ideal high heel height, lets a person know the easy, secret, missing information that enables people to do something hard… like wearing high heels… become suddenly easy. And it is just with high heels. Goodness knows there is a video on Youtube somewhere stating I have been hand-washing my stemware wrong for the last forty years. And wiping my own bottom, yeah there are six videos on how to do that properly. Yes... look it up. Now that is something I have been doing fine since I was a toddler, but yep... there is a video telling how we are all doing that wrong. After reflection I don't think it is not some sort of magical measurement… wait for it… it is in the practicing of wearing high heels that makes a pair of shoes more comfortable. I am not saying adding in heel cushions, or heel grips, or having larger blocky heels cannot help. Of course they can, as those are tools available, but its this overall thought that some magic physical measurement is going to lead to the Holy Grail of High Heels that is misunderstood, but also what so many people want. (Not members on here)