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No point in ruining nice heels in mud and puddles. That’s pretty much all I have when I step off my boat - a rough and muddy towpath for a good mile into town. It does cut down on heel wearing… Your story about the spilled beer reminded me of some advice John Wayne once gave an up and coming actor: never wear suede shoes. His reason - and it sounds like it came from experience - was that when your famous and you go into a men’s room, someone is going to recognise you when your standing beside them at the urinal, and turn suddenly in their excitement, forgetting where they are, and exclaim “my gosh you’re John Wayne!” And pee all over your shoes

Here’s a view of me in wedges with cuffed skinny jeans a look perhaps some of us have tried. It’s the no hiding style. These have a 5.7”/15.5 cm heel. Here’s me in short shorts with my Soda wedges which I got on clearance at Shoe Carnival some 12 years ago. They have been very durable and have a full 6”/15 cm heel. Here’s a third view of wedges and a dress. I like the look even it’s not for most of you. If we are to wear alternative footwear we should have fun with it.

They should be if they’re following company policy and socially Quebec is the most liberal area of Canada. The positive is you should be most welcome and Quebeckers are the longest-lived and the happiest of provinces. The negative is they have the least disposable income and general taxation is onerous. Your individual experience has most to do with the quality of employee you first meet. Remember the first rule of retail: move the merchandise. That’s most effective when positive employees meet positive customers. HinH

Well I finally got back into my 12cm heels - oh dear, it’s back to beginners. I was very glad neither of you guys were there to see me. In my defence, my boat has a slight list and so the floor slants sidewise - not a lot but enough so you can notice it, especially when you are trying to walk gracefully in lofty stilettos. it really is tough trying to learn the art of walking in 12cm heels when you live in a narrowboat out in the countryside and the muddy towpath is just not a viable walking option for heels - or nice shoes or boots in general.

There was a young lady in church who wore 8 cm black pumps yesterday, with slim, near-stiletto heels. She was one of several new members of our church who were welcomed in. I did mention to her that I was glad to see someone else wearing heels besides me. She reacted in a friendly manner, but in a rather noncommittal way. In other words, it was not a conversation starter.

Couple of days ago, I had to go to Home Depot to get a tube of concrete adhesive. I decided that I would wear my Buffalo Bills sweatshirt dress by Erin Rogers. It was a bit cold outside so I added a royal blue puffer vest. With that I wore my white knee boots with a 4" stacked heel and carried my Buffalo Bills cross body bag. As I approached the entrance, a woman on her way out said to me " I love those boots you're wearing". I replied so do I, thank-you for your compliment. Another great comment for a guy in heels! Happy Heeling, bluejay

Well done! I’m curious to hear what they’re like. As I say, they look really nice! And, yes, a challenge!

I agree on that 🙂 I keep thinking about the height on my boots candidate, could you guys give me your opinion? I don't believe the advertised heights and rather go by the visual appearance. I'd guess them to about 13,5 cm. What are your guesses? They might be tolerable, but also might be a bit too far away from the Hot Chicks, I'm really unsure...

Ok, here it goes again, after years and years of failed attempts and different partners. Lol. My current wife would not be very happy with me wearing high heels so it has been on the back burner. The last attempt when I got a new job it was snowing almost daily. So new job and new attempt. I should be traveling to Montreal in the following weeks for a couple of weeks for training. So my mind immediately started wandering towards shoeeeees, lol. And planning on trying personally before purchasing. I found Aldo and Steve Madden, and I will also try other stores and malls. First check them them out and go with my gut feeling to try and buy. I am scouting ahead on Google maps possible stores to check out and maybe try on. My must have parameters would be: 1. Must be an stilleto heel, the thinner the better 2. 3.5" to 4" heel 3. Closed shoe (one step at a time sandals not brave enough yet) Then colorwise most likely black, patent or leather, but open to other low key not flashy colors, although I loooove pinks, florals, pastels, the "girlier" colors if you will, but once again not brave enough yet, probably later on. Shoe style I am thinking a classic pointy toe pump, could be d'orsay style or with an ankle strap or slings, whichever looks and most importantly feels best when trying on. It seems snow is on the forecast then maybe some ankle booties, and I know stilletos would be ill advised but that is fave, there are very few block and wedge styles I like, but we will see once I get there, and hopefully finally I can fulfill this fantasy. Just as a comment I am so loving the new Larina ballerina pumps from Steve Madden , https://www.stevemadden.com/products/larina-black-satin I can just picture these in black with a dark suit, would look amazing. As usual any comments, tips words of encouragement are highly appreciated.

I love sweater dresses as a whole. My favorite dress of my wife's is one. You would have to know us, but we banter back and forth a lot and often make these silly bets. Well, we were at the local mall and eating at the food court and beside us was a small woman's boutique. Way up high they had this sweater and so it began. I said it was a sweaterdress, and the wife said it was way too short to be a dress and was just a long sweater. So after eating we asked the clerk and sure enough I was right, it was a sweaterdress. A good clerk, her next words were, "would you like to buy it?" Sure enough, one in her size went home with us. I actually see it in several pictures now. We buy and sell a lot of property and on one such purchase, we are pictured with her wearing it. She likes it because she can tame its truncated hemline with leggings for a demure look, or go sassy and leave it short pairing it with pantyhose/tights.

Good luck to you, I have many pairs of Steve Madden, from traditional looking pumps to platform sandals. I have found them to be pretty good for what they are. Like every other affordable shoe manufacturer, they've gotten away from using leather like they used to. At least their synthetic pumps, of which I have quite a few, are actually decent.

I think you might be right. I shall work on that. I really, really want to master these!

@Shyheels Which issues do you have with walking heel to toe? My new boots arrived yesterday! Already wore them a bit, so far I can say they fit perfect and look great. Walking was difficult on the first try, I could feel the extra height to the Hot Chicks. I'll definitely keep them, but it will probably take a while until I can actually wear them out. First have to wear them at home a lot to break them in and also get used to the height. My goal is still to use them as a Hot Chick replacement for winter, so I have to hurry up to be ready soon for wearing them out 🙂

I just feel really awkward in them, clomping around. Some of it is the subtle sideways tilt in the floor but a lot of it feels like simple unfamiliarity - as though I’ve never work heels.i know I’m not walking heel to toe and that’s bound to be a major impact. i will try again tomorrow and see if i can analyse my technique snd what exactly I am doing wrong, and why the hesitancy.

I would really love to be able to walk effortlessly in these. I just have to find the space and time to practice

Consider it good experience for walking on uneven and unlevel pavements! I know there are many times when I am glad nobody can see me. That's kind of why I chose the method I did--late at night or early in the morning. This against the advice of many members on here at the time.

I am really trying to get up the motivation to go out for my walk. It's the first day that it's been really cold here (below 0). The temperature wouldn't be that bad, but of course it is very windy, and it has just rained yesterday, and whatever is left over is ice, I'm sure. My deck is probably a death trap, especially in heels. I gotta go. Bye for now! Wish me luck!

Concrete adhesive and cold weather are not the best of friends, I hope your repair/project goes well. I actually have a couple of sweater dresses hanging in my closet. I've worn one of them outside exactly once. Maybe it's time to break them out again, and at least try them on!

That’s nice. I have long fancied a pair of white boots but have never summoned up the nerve to buy some

I can attest to that. Even the summer can be that way to. I was in Bath in June and it was cold, wet, and windy And then Scotland ... I was also at the Edinburgh Castle in the same trip in June and the cold-wet-wind made me think I was at the top of a double black run when its -5F (-20.5C) and howling. I was so glad I took my heavy duty ski jacket for that summer time trip. Can you return them if you don't fit or if you don't like them in reality? Then it a (as we Yanks like to say) NO Brainer.

Yes! There is quite an art to this. I think that’s one of the things I find so appealing about it. Heels not only have a mystique and are aesthetically pleasing - especially 12cm stilettos - but require skill to wear well. It makes them special. I want to acquire this skill!

My observations about 'northern women' particularly relate to the Tyneside and Glasgow areas. It was certainly more obvious there that shorter (but not necessarily slimmer!) women prefer heels and that 'dressing up' was more common, and likely more traditional/expected, even for fairly routine activity such as work or shopping. The current observations of VirginHeels bear this out. Frankly, I get the distinct impression that few women in the south can be bothered to make an effort unless they are attending a really dressy event, in which case expensive designer clothes will often be present, but not necessarily an improvement on high street fashions.

Sounds like an interesting evening. I'm surprised there were some in 120mm heels - that's a very elegant, and challenging, height and not often seen, at least not worn around and about town. I suppose an event is different. As someone who is trying to master the art of walking fluidly in 120mm stilettos, I'm wondering how well the people you saw wearing them were able to walk? Straight knees? Bent? Gliding or tottering? I can definitely see why having to climb and later descend 6 flights of stairs would be a disincentive to wearing heels. Did these others go up and down all those stairs to the venue? If so they must have been very dedicated.

Well, night one was interesting. Lots of heels in the generations to millennials. Generation Z isn’t really interested. There was lots of high heeled boots and ankle boots, all in the 85-120mm range. It’s true that the appearance of the men to women is stark. One woman clearly had put at least two hours into getting ready and into 105mm sparkly pumps her man clearly had spent the grand total of 20 minutes getting ready. Probably about 20% of women were in heels in the above 85mm-120mm range. There, I’d recon was another 20% in low heels in the up to 55mm range, this includes Chelsea and Cowboy boots. There was enough in Stilettos too. Probably about half of the heeled women were in a stiletto heel. I didn’t partake last night because of many reasons, such as the car park being up on the 6th floor and only being accessible via stairs. Tonight, it’s a different story. The car park and venue are only 400m away. The only daunting thing is walking up to the counter to pay for my parking. The counter is manned. Now, do I go with a chunky heeled Onlymaker cowboy boot or my stiletto heeled Missy Rockz?

Let us know what you decide! Those are really nice

There is certainly such a divide. Women in the north of England and Scotland are often shorter, hardier and more inclined to make a statement with their appearance and demeanour (not always attractively). Altogether, those factors tend to promote high heels - and bare legs/sandals/no coat, even in cold weather. From my own observations, men in the north tend to dress in a much more casual and often sloppy manner - unless at a formal event, such as a wedding, when the waistcoats and ties - albeit typically left undone as soon as possible (ugh!) - will be seen. I suspect that this male contrast and discomfort stems from a working-class background: a miner or shipwright for example would tend to dress in rather shabby clothes but have a 'Sunday best' suit in which he was never really comfortable - and which was often in the pawnshop when not immediately needed.

@HappyinHeels the Aldo store downtown Montreal is friendly to me trying on shoes? I might be traveling there in a month or so.

I agree - about 13.5 to 14cm. They look very high and very steep. Nice looking boots though. I'm not sure I could stand upright in them!

So you both are the total opposite -mlroseplant still wearing sandals in november, Shyheels wearing boots all year, I love it! I am very boring in that matter 😉

I’m hoping the heater will be sorted this weekend. It’s not so much the temperature but the bone chilling dampness that is do unpleasant. England gets a damp cold and doubly so when you’re on the water!

@mlroseplant Yes I also think I'd be fine continuing in 12 for winter, but I'm still interested in continuing with some higher boots. I finally found a pair of boots online which might be around 13,5 cm I guess. Still thinking if I should buy them. Is there a reason why your boots are lower than your other heels? @Shyheels All just a matter of practice, and I think your skill level is very good 🙂

This Sunday it was back to our regularly scheduled program, and as usual, I picked out my outfit at the last minute based upon what was clean and what was ironed, then checking to make sure I hadn't worn the same exact thing in recent times. The only thing of note this week is that I got many comments on my shirt, and zero comments on my heels. The shirt came from Vietnam, and I have worn it occasionally for many years. One of these days, it will become unpresentable. It has already lost some of the sheen it once had, but somebody always comments on it every time I wear it. The shoes, on the other hand, have never really attracted that much attention. I mean compared to others, not on an absolute scale. They are Michael Kors, and their main claim to fame is that they are both black and tan, so theoretically they go with everything. Or, you can do what I did, and wear tan pants with a black belt. They're not quite stilettos, and they're not super high (to our eyes, anyway). Evidently, I wore them about two months ago. I did not realize this when I selected them for the morning. I'm of two minds about that--one the one hand, I hate to repeat stuff, but on the other hand, I'm always saying that there are some things in my collection that do not get enough love. I guess I can't have it both ways.

At least with 12 cm boots, you won't lose too much ground over the winter. Whether I continue to progress over the winter depends entirely upon the weather and my motivation. My high heeled boots are much lower than what I would typically wear for shoes or sandals.

Was in Glasgow yesterday, the amount of heels, mostly blocky and chunky ones was pleasing. Lots of ones in the up to 50mm range, I don't class them as much. However, the ones in the 50mm to 105mm range was pleasing, about 20-30 women, one even marching past my lazy bum. I was not in heels sadly. Again most were in chunky and blocky heels, however there was about 5 women in stilettos, one in a black pair of patient pumps, the rest were in boots as it was so wet. As the weather gets colder, there is more chance of heels. I know that from previous years. Im intending to go through to Edinburgh next week sometime. Im planning to be in heels, I'm hoping to see many women in heels too. Im also looking at a pair of heels for wearing with my suit for a friends wedding in February. Im going to have to ask the bride if it be okay if I do so. Im thinking about showing to friends that I like to wear a heel when I can.

I do like wedges, with reservations. The wedge has to be on the thinner side at the heel, left to right, like these Bruno Magli wedges. I suppose a resurgence of heels of any type is welcome at this point. I'm not holding my breath.

That's a real dilemma. I also didn't find any 13 cm boots yet. 12 cm are available and I also have a few already. The next step seems to be around 14 cm+, which already is another challenge. Slightly above 13 cm would be alright for me, but I don't think I can handle 14 cm (yet). I'll see if I can find something close to 13 cm, or otherwise I'll have to stick to my 12 cm boots for winter.

Im interested as to what the limits are when it comes to heeling in public. Do you restrict yourself to a dark alleyway or dont you care? It does not matter what your heels are like or how high. It would be interesting to know what sort of places you wear them. So where do I wear my heels? Well I have been wearing them almost every day for the last 2 weeks. In this time I have been shopping in a busy supermarket (Tesco). Been to my mates gigs a few times (i'm his roadie). Went to see my father a few times. Went to my girlfriends home. Today I even ventured into a busy builders yard for the first time. I dont care where I go to be honest. I have got over the shy stage of wearing heels as daily footwear.

I wouldn't want to wear Louboutins in the snow, either! But what will you replace them with over the winter? It seems that a lot of makers do not make 13 cm--they go directly from 12 cm to 15 cm. I'm guessing if you could somehow find some 13 cm boots, that would be ideal. But who makes such a thing?

I don't normally warm up before wearing "regular" heels, but I often think that maybe I should. There comes a point, however, at which I can't walk properly. This begins to occur somewhere in the neighborhood of 12 cm. I haven't really looked in a mirror or filmed myself, but I feel 95% of it is that I can't straighten my knees all the way. Many times, 10 or 15 minutes of pacing around will correct that problem.

@mlroseplant No, I don't do any warm-up before going outside. But I put them on first before the rest of the clothes, so there's already a bit of standing in them before walking. What makes a difference is weither I been at home barefeet all day or already been out in heels all day. Even if I only wore lower heels like 8 cm all day, the transition is easier.

Agree with Mlroseplant and others. Was a frequent Aldo customer and made a friend who worked there 6 years. Around 2011 Aldo included half sizes and that brought about a closer correlation to other retailers and their sizes. Typically they would stock only to US11/EU42. Bigger sizes needed to be ordered online or in store. Lots of great styles and most made in China. Some styles have been produced in Brazil recently. My best advice is you should try on the heels you want in person to be satisfied. Buying a brand you have no experience with can prove a fool’s errand as sizing can vary by brand, style of vamp /toe box, and country of manufacture. Aldo is headquartered in Montreal and I’ve been in that store when visiting family members in Quebec. Keep searching and don’t give up. HinH