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Like @mlroseplant, when I started to wear women's shoes in (aka stopped wearing men's shoes), I hide them under longer pants. And those were at most 6.4 cm heels. Then when I had to raise my heel 4 inches I hide them at first. But it was a hot summer, over 100 F (38 C) daily, so I wore shorts and exposed my heels and got thicker skin. Now I wear my tall boots on the outside; yesterday I had my Jessica Simpson black knee highs on and got "that's a fierce fashion statement" from a waiter when I went to the restroom. I have about a dozen stilettos but I have to consider the surfaces I will be walking on. As a result there are only a few days I can wear stilettos. The places I go to now are NOT stiletto friendly, so I rarely wear them. But I will wear my suede JS knee high stilettos with short shorts in the summer. Now "that's a fierce fashion statement."😁

Yes I think so too. Only in one video posted here about the Hot Chicks, I think the reviewer said that she already walked a mile in them? I can't imagine how much you must practice in them to achieve this. They probably must be your everyday shoes then 😀 Thank you for your kind words, they really made me feel better about my accomplishment 🙂

I don’t think anybody would be walking long distances in Hit Chicks or your new boots. They are strictly for going out when you walk only limited distances - and the fact that you can do that is really admirable. Hardly anybody can from what I understand, even people who consider themselves adept at high heels. So you can take a lot of satisfaction in your accomplishment.

I can understand your issues with stilettos as men, being too girly and so. For me as a girl, this was exactly what got me into them. Only later I started to like block heels too. Although stilettos are more dressy than block heels, I don't feel wrong also using them for more casual occasions. Only for walking on soft or very uneven ground like grass I find them unappropriate. Indeed, I was a bit disappointed yesterday. Fatigue and the pressure on the balls of my feet are my limiting factors. I'm sure I could also walk 300 meters in them, but that would just be painful. After my walk yesterday It was not painful, only uncomfortable. I'm over the days of going over my limits and putting up with pain and rather have a good time and take it slower. I'm also not planning on wearing these boots or the Hot Chicks for extended walks. But being able to wear them for a few hundred meters comfortably would be a very nice achievement and open many opportunities for me to wear them 🙂

I was fascinated by stilettos - aesthetically and for the allure of the forbidden, to say nothing of the intriguing physical challenge of wearing them. Just how easy or hard was it to stride briskly along a city sidewalk or waltz across a ballroom floor in lofty stilettos. The thought that I was never meant to know only heightened the appeal. And yet at the same time it was chunky heeled boots that most caught my fancy. Stilettos appealed because they were the Ultima Thule of boundary breaking, which chunky heel knee or ankle boots I could see myself aspiring to wear every day. i know what you mean about feeling funny wearing stilettos in more casual situations. They are inherently dressy. It’s one of the things I like about wearing stilettos in my home office - when you’re a freelance and work from home it’s a good idea to make at least a bit of an effort to dress as though you are going to work as a reminder to yourself that this is an office, not just your kitchen table, and a place for work. Wearing stilettos is great for that. Nobody just lounges around in stilettos! since we started doing this challenge I have really begun to feel at home in stilettos. They are starting to feel as much my natural style as chunky heel boots. I feel quite proud of my ability to get around briskly in my 10cm boots, even if I struggle with 12cm. I can admire your abilities to walk long distances @mlroseplant and @higherheels remarkable abilities to wear Hot Chicks and her even high new boots. You’ve boot been great influences and examples

@higherheels Congratulations on another accomplishment, even if it seemed a bit anticlimactic. I am curious to know whether it's just the fatigue that limits your walking distance, or are there other factors? I am pretty much resigned to waiting until Spring for me to make much progress. We just got more snow, and we're supposed to get more on Saturday--like 15 cm more. It is somewhat unusual for us to have this much snow before the middle of December. I have a feeling it's going to be a long winter! As for the rest of the discussion, I could not possibly imagine ever wearing stilettos when I first started heeling. Too girly. I had one color for shoes: Black. And they had to be very plain. I actually used to color in shiny hardware with a black marker to make them less flashy, and then I'd wear boot cut pants hemmed as close to the floor as was practical. I suppose I must have looked very strange, trying to hide my heels like that. It took a couple of years before I warmed to the idea of wearing stilettos myself, even though that was always the gold standard for heels. Today, I basically wear stilettos (though not exclusively) for dressier occasions. My wife has long given up objecting to any of my footwear, and unfortunately is long past being able to wear any of it herself, due to severe knee issues. I still feel funny wearing stilettos in more casual situations, especially with shorts. I cannot tell you why. I need to get over it.

Yes stilettos are certainly more feminine than block heels. They’re also more fun. Funnily enough it was block heeled knee and ankle boots that originally attracted me to heels - I loved the look and lines and wished it were open to me to wear them. And I would say that these 8 to 10cm block heeled boots are my most natural style in high heels. But there is something fun and racy about stilettos that appeals to me. I don’t feel threatened by their femininity, but enjoy the challenge in learning to walk well in them. I love the elegance and lines, especially at 12cm, even if I do feel that the style is outside my natural comfort zone.

Interesting, I didn't know about the differences between womens and mens shoes. Probably also depends on foot and shoe shape. Some pumps I can also put on just by stepping into them, some I have to pull back on the heel to get into. I'd also say that stilettos look more feminine than block heels in general I just came back from my first walk around the block in my new boots. They're definitely harder than the Hot Chicks for such a "long" walk. I can feel it in my calves and also on the balls of my feet. I will stick to shorter distances and indoor wearing for now. The walk around the block was about my limit, so I'll try it again when I had more practice. Still have a long way to go, but maybe I can wear them out soon again for dinner or so 🙂

Higherheels, for both those reasons. My wife does not like me wearing stilettos. She says too feminine looking but she's ok with block or stacked heels. Happy Heeling, bluejay

The last time I actually measured my feet on a Brannock device, I was a U.S. Women's size 9, and about a B 1/2 width (halfway between B and C). So most standard women's shoes fit me nicely, if slightly snugly. My work boots are technically women's (though there is no stylistic difference). For years, I thought I was 9 1/2, but that is always too big. Here's what I don't understand about pumps--how is it that some women are able to just step into them and walk normally? Getting mine on is a bit of a production, and I certainly can't flex my toes and pop my heel right out of the shoe, even wearing hosiery. If I could, they would pop right out of the shoe while I am walking, which was the whole problem in the first place.

Once I started wearing heels I too found they suited my narrow feet better than most men’s shoes. It’s rare to find men’s shoes, boots or trainers in narrow fittings whereas women’s seem to be narrow by default. When I used to do a lot of running, only ASICS and New Balance trainers worked for me. ASICS had a narrow fit and New Balance came is a wide variety of width fittings. The other brands I would step right out of. Same with hiking boots. A lot of those were too wide for me. Italian made Scarpas worked well - perhaps Italian men have narrow feet - but most others were too wide. When I finally dared to try wearing heels I was pleasantly surprised by the fit. I just wished they made more styles in bigger (length) sizes

Women's shoes are made with wider toe and narrower heel, men's are usually just straight. Wearing men's shoes was like walking around in clown shoes.

We're all responsible citizens, raising the standards 😀

And I too personally raised the standard in my office - from not wearing heels to wearing heels, 8 to 12cm every day! 😊

Where's the flood? I'm also responsible for raising my work place average. 😀😀😀

Sounds really difficult for pumps. Apparently there's more than just narrow or wide feet

I have never meet a pump that fits my foot. If one exists, it is probably harder to find than a golden unicorn. I have a wide toe box and narrow heel with a very high arch. The vamp on every pump I have tried cuts into my tendons, even with padding.

They definitely look presentable! You've probably set the highest standard of any office 😀 In my office the standard is 0 cm, so I'm responsible for raising the average 😉

@mlroseplant That's the beginner's mistake I also made. Trying them on, thinking they fit perfectly, just to realize afterwards that the heel slips out of them while walking. This often happened after a while of breaking them in. I looked up the Steve Madden Daisie and Klory. They really look similar to the Louboutin Models. I think the height looks nice on them. More suitable for everyday wear than the Louboutin 120's, but not as "low" as the respective Louboutin 100 models. Oh, that's a different story. Not as fun as if you would have been captured practicing in heels. @Shyheels I think of that more as an advantage than disadvantage. My feet are also more on the narrow side and most pumps fit me well. @bluejay I'm the total opposite, almost all my pumps are stilettos 😀 Do you prefer block heels for the look or walking experience?

I like to wear pumps. They fit me fine however I do not wear any heel size over 4" and they have to be chunky or stacked heels. No stilettos at all! Happy Heeling, bluejay

I think there are heels and there are heels - yours look quite presentable. I can understand the basic idea of the rule though. In a lot of offices too 10cm would be the upper limit of what would be considered presentable in a work environment. Happily in my office I've declared 12cm to be pretty much the workplace standard!

Here is a picture of me at church, wearing 11 cm heels, playing the alto horn (or tenor horn, if you are British). On Christmas Eve, no less, in blatant violation of the rule. The other flat-heeled guy playing the trumpet is my son. It wasn't my best outfit choice ever. What's up with those pants?

I have quite narrow feet - long and narrow - and that would be my worry about trying pumps: that I would step right out of them. Especially if my feet were already steeply pitched on 12cm heels!

You're back! Awesome! Here is another pair of wedges that I really liked, from Schutz, but unfortunately they broke on their very first true outing. I forgot about that one, actually. Elsewhere, I said I've only had 2 shoe failures this year. Make that 3.