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Hi! Haven't been here in ages. Been busy, and in general been pushing myself to wear heels more and more, but a lot of anxiety has gone away and have been enjoying a lot of my outings. My outings tend to be about once a week, sometimes more, sometimes less. Usually to a nearby caffee shop, restaurant, or mall. I try to wear heels whenever I possibly can, but family cannot know, so it takes planning. A few years ago I tried mini-skirts, and now have quite the collection of minis and (ladies)kilts, all of which I love. But it was minis only. One or the other, either a mini, or heels, not comfortable with both. Recently though, for whatever reason, I bought a maxi skirt, down to my ankles, a nice flowy-one, nothing tight. Went outside in it and just loved how the wind picked it up and fluttered it around my legs, and I didn't worry about it blowing up and showing something I didn't want shown. And it was cool, meaning in the hot weather! That outing, in a maxi flowy skirt made me realize I have been missing out and given the length, I would actually be comfortable wearing these with heels! So I did. The day in question, I ended up wearing an ankle-length maxi skirt, black, with some buttons on it. I also wore a 4" pair of leather pumps (oh so comfortable!) and a nice white t-shirt. It looked good! I loved it! So, I enter the mall, not anxious but a bit reserved as this is new territory for me. Went to a store, browsed around looking at skirts, trying on a few things. It was fun. Then I decided to go the other end of the mall, grab a coffee and do some work. As I'm walking along, I notice a loud group of teenage girls in a store, and as I walk beyond them, one yells out "Love the heels, girl!". I didn't know what to make of the "girl" part (as I have stubble on my face, and am clearly a guy). Smiled at them and kept walking, walked right into a washroom (nature called). Did my thing, and as I am starting to exit, I see the same teenage girl pop her head in (into the male washroom!), and go away giggling. Her friends were yelling at her that it's the male washroom. I didn't feel comfortable, so stalled a bit, and then exited, hearing that they went into the female washroom. Then I made my way to my destination, (on purpose) walking by some security guards, just in case. Did not feel comfortable at all, and was questioning my choices. It has never actually happened to me, and I have worn heels to these types of places now countless of times. So am somewhat at this point. I bought coffee, sat down in the food-court, pulled my laptop and went to work for an hour or so. People came and went, I'm pretty sure some people looked, intensely, but whatever. After I was done, I started to head back through the mall to my car, and popped into a store that I frequent, because I love the stuff they have (sort of gothy, a bit on the fringe of fashion). Was checking the sales, specifically hoping a skirt I have been eyeing has gone on sale (unfortunately not), when one of the sales-ladies walks up to me and starts talking: Her: "Excuse me, but every time you come into the store..." Me thinking: oh oh, what did I do to deserve scolding? Her: "the sales-people are always very curious what sort of heels you're wearing, and checking them out." Instead of talking about with the other sales-people, she told me. "You always seem to be gliding around the store in heels" I thanked her, took that as a massive compliment, especially while wearing a maxi skirt and heels for the first time. Before I could follow up, she was interrupted by another customer, and went away. I browsed around a bit more, and had to leave. So... Good and bad experience. I'll chalk up the bad experience to teenagers trying to show off to one another and sometimes behaving shamefully especially when in a group. On the other hand, seems like people do notice, and remember... Thanks for reading!

...and yet I know several. Particularly in the world of photography, where women come in 12cm heels. I'm not saying they wear them every day, but they've bought them and take advantage of a special occasion (photo shoot) to put them on. The same goes for weddings, where some guests wear them.

Hmmm, quite the controversy here. I'm not afraid to admit that I appreciate most of the occasional compliments I might recieve. I enjoy wearing my boots publicly, feel good about how they feel and how they look on me. Recieving an occasional compliment encourages me and helps build confidence. Sometimes I wonder if I am the only one that thinks I look good. And no, never really wear my 5" booties to Lowes or Home Depot, usually block heeled or cowgirl boots. Like MLP says, I don't think that kid was trying to be mean with his question, just a bit too honest. At least he had the courage to actually engage and ask you, which I can appreciate.

I know what you mean. I always find it somewhat amusing, yet vaguely disturbing, when I read articles denouncing heels, or where some intrepid male journalist has spent a day in heels and is writing an expose, and where women - who don’t seem to wear heels themselves - offer up such quotes as “now you see what we put up with for you”. But none of the women I know who wear actually wear and love heels wear them to impress or attract men - far from it. They wear them for the aesthetics and their own emotional satisfaction. Same as I would, and do. And yes, 12cm stilettos are indeed elegant but very, very few people can master the art of walking elegantly in them. I’ve yet to see any of that height being worn out and about. Four inches or 10cm seems to be the practical maximum.

Let me get this straight: Heels "help you stride through the world," but at the same time "the risk of falling is not far away." And 12 cm? Never actually seen them in real life (I mean, besides me). Even on social media, there are precious few who can actually walk well in them. Many try, few succeed. At the moment, I include myself in the many. I hate to beat up on the new guy, but I going to--most of the above post, while admittedly rather charming, is nonsense. In my personal experience, there are very few women who wear (or used to wear) heels as a way to attract attention. Not zero, but approaching zero. I personally wear them because I like them, nothing more, nothing less. I can remember a conversation I had with a young college boy, who was with his girlfriend at the time. The kid stopped me on the street and earnestly asked about my footwear. He wasn't being mean, I believe he was genuinely curious. At one point he asked me, "Do you wear heels to get attention?" I replied, perhaps somewhat rudely, "No. Actually, I rather wish people would leave me the hell alone." Even then, he didn't get the hint. I have no idea what the girl was thinking, she didn't say a word the whole time. If I wanted attention, I don't think I'd want it from a socially awkward kid.

Sorry, but you are projecting to much here. I don't wear heels to attract attention. I do get attention simply because I wear fabulous heels and boots all the time. But I get so much hip pain relief that I will wear them for the rest of my life. I was at a conference and walked in to a breakout session. A woman sitting in the back told me I walked like a man in my heels. So after putting some materials down in a chair, I walked back to where the two women were sitting and ask "Do you want me to walk this way?" and I walked back to my seat while over rotating my hips. "Damn" was their only comment.

Hello everyone, Here's the 3rd reason to wear high heels : a way of attracting attention Arching your feet makes you sway your buttocks back and your chest forward, all seductive arguments in your favor. The perceived length of your legs increases, helping you to stride through the world. Good men have always wanted to protect women. When they're balancing on 12cm of finesse, the risk of falling is not far away. This vulnerability is terribly attractive to protective men. Seduction isn't just about love, it's everywhere: at a job interview, when choosing a film at the cinema, when making a choice with friends, etc. So put more chances on your side by wearing pumps. Attracting someone to you means doing it discreetly but surely. Set your sights on success by choosing your pumps carefully and walking with the perfect gait. "High heels are the ultimate woman's accessory. They always have been. They're a highly evocative symbol of femininity, and they sweep most men off their feet. " - Dita Von Teese "To feel like a woman, wear heels, to feel like a goddess, wear 12 cm. " - Christian Louboutin

Yes it would be nice to have more threads on fashion, topical news, etc I guess that’s up to all of us. Build it and they will come ,,, hopefully

I wouldn't mind that either, but I'm trying to figure out how that might happen, given the current state of things. Just glancing at the last few subjects in the "Guys" and "Everybody" topics, what are the main subjects? "I am afraid to wear heels in public," "I gained the courage to wear heels in public," "I gained more courage to wear these outrageous heels in public," "I actually got compliments on my shoes and outfit by the general public." There is definitely some amount of material that women might be interested in, but it seems that largely we just talk about being accepted, and there is nothing wrong with that. How can we make ourselves more attractive to women? HA! Story of my life.

We are delighted to have been able to fulfill your wishes. Looking forward to starting the next project.

Something I'd really like to change if possible...

But at least the colours are nicer. It’s not so bad with running shorts and tops - those they make in larger sizes

I understand your pain, but alas, I cannot feel your pain, being a reliable UK 7, sometimes even a 6.5. I haven't looked into trainers for quite a while, but last time I looked, they were pretty much huge and ugly, even the women's.

Yes HHP is unique, I think. Very much a fashion oriented site about high heels, but with mainly male members

Yes, I'm aware of this site's male clientele, but I haven't found an identical blog with a female clientele. And your opinion is just as important.

I too avoid the self check out aisles - I don’t see why I should be the store’s unpaid cashier and wish to make my own protest against this march towards a soulless world we we interact only with machines and people are dine out of jobs. As well, I dislike these self check outs for the reasons you name - their tedious inefficiency and time wasting hassles.

I hate the self check out also, and would prefer to bag my own items. But, there are usually so few regular checkout lines available, you have no choice. Sick and tired of the register not taking off discounts until after you have totalled up the sale. So infuriating to hear the crap about "you didn;t put the scanned item on the table". This is a real pain when it comes to lightweight items such as greeting cards. On the plus side, I got a nice compliment about my boots the other day from a helper at the self check out in Home Depot.

I can't disagree with you about anything you've said--well, except for the part about wearing flats. Who would ever want to do that? Nevertheless, I hope you do realize that nearly 100% of your audience on this site is male.

I have definitely eased up on my shoes over the years as far as the wear. I don't necessarily break fewer shoes than I did before, but the heel tips do not wear out nearly as fast as they used to. It's not that I walk timidly, I just walk more gently, as you suggest. Specifically, I don't do a hard heel strike anymore, and a lot of that has to do with ankle flexibility that I've developed over the last decade. Nevertheless, I basically have only one pair of stilettos that I wear for occasional walking, and I have posted a picture here. They actually measure 120 mm high, but are the most walkable shoes I have at that height. I use them as practice shoes to help me walk better in my higher shoes. I also wore them to church last week in deference to Pride Month. Unfortunately, the sanctuary was decorated weirdly for vacation bible school, and nobody could see my feet. Anyhow, I got 9 miles out of the stock heel tips, and over 16 out of the replacements. I'm on 30 miles total for those shoes. To put that in perspective, that's twice the mileage I used to get out of stiletto heel tips, and I don't think the quality of the product has changed significantly in the last 10 years. My non-stiletto heel caps have experienced the same relative increase in service life. I like the self checkout at the grocery store (because I can bag my groceries my way in my own cloth bags), but I hate self checkout anyplace else. Actually, if they'd do like they do in most of Minnesota, and have a regular checkout but self-bag, I'd prefer that. On edit: It occurred to me that in small file size, it may not be obvious that my mules, though predominately black, are rainbow colored.

Yes, Italian Heels is very good. I have two pair of their Tina knee boots. Nice quality and classic styling

Hello everyone The 2nd reason to wear heels: A way of communicating without words Your mood is proportional to the height of your heels, and this height can clearly be an indicator of your glamorous side. When you wear ballet flats, you want to be comfortable; when you wear heels, you want to be feminine; when you wear high heels, you want to be very feminine, even naughty, and clearly above the rest. In the street, the click of a woman's gait announces in advance a pair of high heels worn by a woman who clearly wants to be feminine, elegant and who announces the color: I'm here, I'm feminine and I claim it without words by wearing heels because I've decided to. So, gentlemen, know how to guess your companion's state of mind just by looking at her outfit and, above all, the centimeters of heel that lift her up. Sensitive people immediately notice this accessory, and words become useless when it comes to the message conveyed by those who wear them. Communicating positively through your body language is only possible if your gait is graceful, with the right pair of shoes for the situation. "I'm an independent woman but I love the way heels make me powerful and vulnerable at the same time. " Dita Von Tees

Hello a good shop is Italianheels, only leather, customed high heels.

Had to convert the 12cm to inches so I could get a better understanding of the heel height. Somewhere around 4.75". Usually, my limit is right around 4" for reasonable comfort and good walking ability in my stiletto boots. Sure, I can "walk" in higher heels, but not very well, or for very long, without discomfort. So much depends on the design/engineering of the heel/boot/sole. I am so thrilled to have found some nine west stiletto ankle boots with heels somewhere between the 4.75-5" range that are relatively comfortable. More importantly, I can walk in them fairly confidently with minimal discomfort. Your boots look great, and I surely understand how great it feels to be able to wear/walk confidently in them! Wearing them to work on a day when you would be alone in the office was a smart plan indeed. I find that much of my "timidness" in my various stiletto booties/boots is caused by being concerned about wrecking the heels prematurely while out and about. I have spoiled a few heels on my favorite pairs which was very upsetting. So, I think I tend to "walk gently" in my boots, without even thinking about it, in an attempt to avoid ruining them. I'm thinking this works against progress in the long run though. On a positive note, was wearing my 3.5" block heeled ankle boots in Home Depot yesterday, these boots are great for everyday chores, shopping, etc. Super easy to walk in, without the worry of damaging stiletto heels. Was trying to navigate the damn self check out, god forbid you try to pay with cash! A very nice younger attendant came by to help then complimented my boots. I spent a minute or so chatting with him and thanking him for taking the time to compliment me.

Cali and I agree very strongly that there isn't a reason to wear heels that don't feel good. Having said that, I have two different types of shoes in my collection these days. I have my walking shoes, and I have my church shoes. The walking shoes basically have no time limit. The church shoes, depending on several factors, might only be good for several hours, especially the 12 cm variety. But none of them actually hurt my feet.

Thanks for the shout-out! I also find that height to be challenging, so your story and experience has inspired me to get my act together, so to speak. In a perfect world, I would wear 12 cm stilettos everywhere, but as we are well aware, it is not a perfect world.