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These ‘ASOS DESIGN heeled chelsea boots in black faux leather with chain detail’ seemed to me to provide the right balance between enjoyment and discretion and I could no longer resist them when a double discount was on offer. I usually wear a UK11 or 12 and opted for 12 (securing the last pair, it seems) to allow thicker socks if needed. First impressions were favourable – a 3 5/8” heel, a zipped shaft taller than the online advert implied, and an almond toe. The fit was good and comfortable indoors. The ‘round’ heel may not appeal to some, but it is not really noticeable. Likewise, the gilt chain detail is perhaps rather too ‘blingy’, but could be removed. The hollow plastic heels were, as expected, rather noisy – and the plastic top pieces will obviously wear and need replacement. I decided to modify them before wearing them outdoors. The top pieces (held by four pegs) were carefully prised off and fitted with discs of 1/4" composition material, glued on. (I used a hole cutter, without its centre drill, to produce discs just a tad too large, which were then reduced and smoothed on my grinding wheel before glueing.) To dampen noise, I filled the hollow heels with compacted sawdust, with pieces of crimped drinking straw inserted temporarily into the peg holes to stop sawdust entering. The top pieces were then pressed in; the fit seems firm enough not to need any adhesive. The composition layer can of course be removed when worn and replaced. Adding the extra layer to the top piece has increased the heel height to 3 7/8”. The balance of the boots has not been affected; indeed, they sit rather better with the extra height. I wore them outside briefly with thick socks and bootcut jeans and they seem comfortable enough. The pics show the boots as received, as worn with bootcut jeans, and the stages of heel modification.

I can't believe I'm posting in here yet again. The worst thing is, it won't be the last, I have a couple more pairs coming. Anyhow, these are my Steve Madden Varcityy purple suede pumps. I mentioned this elsewhere, but the camera doesn't see the color like I see it in real life. They sure look way pinker in these photos than I see them, but it doesn't much matter, I like them either way. They are exactly the same as the black and tan shoes I wore a couple of weeks ago--4 5/8" heel that is plain plastic, i.e., not suede covered. Which is just fine by me, it's more resistant to damage that way. It is very skinny, at 1/4" wide. There was some wear on the heels, as if somebody actually wore these someplace in the past. I had to shoe stretcher them a bit to get them to be more comfortable, but not much. I think I'm getting a little bit better about managing such high heels. There were times when I actually felt sort of graceful. Maybe that's a good thing, since I have another pair just like it on the way in bright blue!