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So, last week my wife and I spent a few days in France (5 full days in Tours in the Loire Valley, 1.5 days in Paris) before we departed ways to return to our places of residence. I was excited to see what the pulse of fashion was in France and wondered if I would see anyone dressed (in) Houte Couture that included towering heels or other gorgeous footwear. Much to my surprise, the answer was nope, nada, zilch, zero! Although I noticed a few individuals dressed in high style but when such was observed, sadly, it was at restaurants, cafes, or the like. I expected to see a cavalcade of over-the-top fashion, but such was not the case - not even close. In fact, I can only recall two instances of observing individuals with "outrageous" style. Although I did notice quite a few women wearing heels, for the most part, casual comfort was the norm. It was interesting to observe that even though there was a casual vibe about the aforementioned named places, most "everyone" seemed "put together." By this, I mean that it was evident that there was some effort in putting together an outfit and what was worn fit the individual rather well. As we did a great deal of walking or made use of public transportation during our journey (which we both enjoy) only once was I in heels (mid-heel knee boots) during our adventure. This was for a "fancy" dinner near Le Tour Eiffel and a stroll afterwards to a nearby park to catch the light show at 2200. Not all was bad/disappointing as I returned home with a long-awaited, custom pair of black, leather knee boots from Noe of Antwerp. I had ordered the boots in January and knew that I was going to have to wait for 10-11 weeks before they were shipped to me here in middle America. The problem was that shipping for such an item takes about three weeks and thus, it was quite possible they would arrive at my place when I was overseas. Given that, most of the time, I have to sign for packages that originated overseas upon delivery, it was quite possible that they would be returned to the sender if delivery could not be made within a few days after the first attempt to delivery them. That being the case, I had them rerouted to my wife in The Netherlands who brought them with her when we finally met each other at Gard du Nord. In all, I waited four months to finally put my feet in my new boots. Needless to say, the boots are beautiful beyond words and fit like a glove. I love Noe of Antwerp and in time, they will be sole supplier of heeled footwear! I wore these boots for the first time today and what bothered me the most about them was that I had to take them off at the end of my day. So worth the wait and cost to get them!

Well, I would like to think that I "finally came out OK". Unfortunately, I wasted so many of my younger years with self loathing/doubt/insecurity. One of the only advantages of advanced age is that I finally "don't give a crap" about what others think, for the most part. I think I look good in my boots, which is the most important thing....

From my perspective, you did it right. Get that stuff out of the way when it doesn't count for much. You see, I was a good kid. Not perfect, but never caused any trouble. As a result, I didn't start doing stupid stuff until I was in my 40s. Not a great way to do things.

I took the day off so I could take care of some things. While I was in the grocery store, I saw an older lady (by older, I mean at least as old as me) wearing OTK snakeskin boots with 3 1/2" block heels and a demin miniskirt. I have no idea who she is, but I have this feeling I've seen her before. I was in no mood for unnecessary interaction on that occasion, so I passed up the opportunity to learn more, despite the fact that I was wearing heels myself.

Good for you! Yes, I remember hearing a few school age girls giggling while riding the escalator behind me as well. I try to remember that most negative reactions come from guys who are secretly frustrated, fearful of exploring a hidden fascination with heels. I had to remember the old saying "never let them see you sweat" in order to get through some unpleasant encounters. I just try to remember all the positive comments I have received over the years, oftentimes from guys.

Does this mean we are officially in a recession?

I have been seeing more and more heels at work. Mostly 3+inch block heels, but heels none the less.

Wearing a slight heel actually made standing for long periods more comfortable for me, especially during mic practice when I had to stay fixed in one spot. My weight would distribute better, and I didn’t get that annoying calf fatigue as quickly. Never thought about how the foot angle changes movement on something like drum pedals though — really makes sense. On a different note, I’ve been into styling more with classic pieces lately, especially for work events. I’ve been looking at Hermès pre-loved bags as an option since they mix well with both casual and formal outfits. Found some helpful info on them here: https://coach-bags.co.uk/8-best-new-hermes-handbags-for-2025-reviewed/ – good if you're curious about timeless accessories.

It has been a long while since I've shared any outfits, and today is barely an exception. One of my friends sent me a screenshot of the church livestream, and I thought, "At least my posture is fairly decent." The photo is of course, super low-res, but then again, the livestream sound, to my ear, is super low-fi to match the picture.

The French have plenty of style whether they are wearing heels or not! Id never heard of Noe of Antwerp. That looks like a very nice pair of boots! I love block heeled boots especially with rounded/almond toes.

Sounds like an interesting person! I like her sense of style

You and me both!

Yes, I'm sure immature teen age boys will always be an issue. What an awful age... Wish I could repeat my teenage years, and do it right...

It's funny how everybody's experience is a little different. I have never had any trouble with teenaged girls, at least in this decade. It's the boys who tend to make rude comments, often behind my back, evidently. The girls all coo over my shoes.

Nice!!!

Several (4) more tall stilettos at a meeting today, one with spikes. Only 30 people at the meeting. Been seeing at least 2 tall stilettos every day this week.

Glad all is well at your end! Very quiet too at mine. Just moving along the canal

Well folks, it has been an exhausting month, but a good one. I haven't had a whole lot to say, and it seems that neither has anyone else. I haven't even bought any shoes in over two months! On the other hand, I have been walking a lot. I hope all are well.

That’s so cool to hear how heels helped with your drumming. I noticed something kind of similar when I used to rehearse for performances.

Still very few along the towpath, although I’m in a town now - about 15,000 population - so perhaps …

There may be something to that, and let's hope there is!

I too have read that about balance and so, yes, it would follow from there that wearing heels would have a benefit.

A practical use to high heels might just be in fighting dementia! It has been said that if you want to fight dementia to always put your socks on while standing up. The coordination that such a feat takes naturally fights off dementia as it uses so many different aspects of your brain. Well it would seem to me that if balancing to put on your socks would do that for a few minutes each day, walking in high heels would REALLY stimulate the brain and fight dementia? Thoughts?

For sure, you definitely get some extra height. I sometimes like to work standing up and if I am in high heels that can be awkward because then I’m too tall for working on the counter and it’s an awkward resch

What about changing light bulbs in your home? I have 9 foot ceilings in mine, and while I can reach up and just touch the lightbulb, I have to stand on my tippy-toes to do so. With high heels on it is possible the last part of that would be negated?

It doesn't take much in this day and age for someone to ask, "Why are you so dressed up?" We have always been headed toward the sloppy, but I think the pandemic accelerated the process. A button down shirt and pants that are not jeans will do the trick. The bar is pretty low. Of course, because I habitually wear heels, I'll always be singled out. I just feel like I can't wear heels, no matter how casual, and otherwise dress like I just got ripping down a plaster ceiling. So maybe the whole thing does keep me better than I really am. Pivoting back to the true original subject, I can't really come up with more things that are easier to do in heels, but I can come up with one thing that I thought should be way easier in heels, and it just isn't so. With the prevalence of online shopping, I'm sure most if not all of you have run into those plastic air pillows they often use to pack items for shipping. I think it's a great invention, WAY better than styrofoam packing peanuts, but you have to pop all of those bags in order to dispose of them in a reasonable volume of space. I figured stiletto heels would be the perfect tool for this. Uh, no. Does not work at all. If the pillows were blown up really hard, they might work, but blown up as intended, stilettos do not cover enough area to actually burst the bags. Perhaps if you put some sort of sharp object on the end of the heel it might just pierce the plastic, but then you'd lose the satisfying BAM! It's an idea that should work, but doesn't work all that well.

I think both @mlroseplant and @Shyheels bring up what probably is the most important aspect of wearing high heels, and that is, the importance and long-term positive effects of wearing high heels; its about how they make you feel. We live in such a negative downtrodden world where people dress how they feel. What so few people realize is that studies have shown numerous times that dressing up can help lift your mood and improve your self-assurance. My wife and I almost always dress well, whether going out to eat, going to church, or even to work. Surprisingly it is other women that give my wife a hard time; the hairy eyeball, snide comments said in the bathroom so she can just overhear it, and downright vile words spoken to her, all because she dresses well and takes care of herself. For me, I don't hear those same things from other men, but am sure a lot of people think we dress up so that we feel we are "better than them". We don't. We just like to dress well because of how it makes us feel about ourselves. But it is hard to quantify that. It is much easier to state that rolling dough in high heels is easier on my wife's back then to state how wearing high heels and making her feel more elegant produces a more self-esteem within her. But at times there can. Despite working as a blue collar worker in a powerplant, two days after deciding to dress well before going in and out of the plant and dressing into work clothes in the locker room, I was approached by management and asked to be the Safety Coordinator when the outgoing one retired. TWO DAYS! So if it makes you feel good, whether wearing heels is something almost nobody sees or everyone does, it is going to give you better self-esteem and that will transpire into better overall health and well-being.

In a similar vein I feel more creative in heels, my writing and editing flows better. I think because I’ve liberated myself from those restricting conformist views that prevented visual self expression. As well, the pleasurable feeling of wearing heels inspires me to get up at regular intervals and walk around - instead of sitting g blued to my desk and computer. It’s a healthy side benefit

I was trying to think of anything that I can do more easily in heels besides knead bread dough, which these days I rarely do anyhow. Do I sing better in heels? I think I do, but it's probably all illusion, and there's no real way to test it. I can't think of another thing that is actually easier to do in heels. I'm trying to think through my everyday routine, and if I'm honest, there's nothing that heels don't make harder, if only incrementally. Then it hit me. It's not something one would normally think of as being a practical use, but if I didn't have heels, I probably would not exercise nearly as much as I do. Y'all know that I like to pound the pavement in heels on the regular, and I have just thought to myself that I would probably be more tempted to sit here in front of this computer and talk about heels, rather than going out and walking in them. As an ancillary to that, I no doubt take way better care of my feet and ankles than I would if I didn't wear heels.

I can clean the top of my refrigerator and reach the items in the back of my tallest shelf in my kitchen.

My wife like to cook and when we redesigned our kitchen she wanted to put in a place to roll her dough that was a little lower than the rest of the counters so that she could get on top of it and really push down. It was a want and not a need and there really was no way to incorporate it into the kitchen. Instead, he keeps a pair of four inch heels in the cabinet underneath, puts them on and is just enough taller to make rolling out her dough easier. Its a very simple solution...

That’s an interesting result! Who would have guessed. I find wearing 3-4” heels can ease back problems - muscle spasms etc so I knew they had their practical uses, but that’s a new one