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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.

I already did a few walks around the block in the Hot Chicks. This is the best (and hardest) training so far. Yesterday I had a funny experience. I'm doing my walks in the evening, it's mostly already dark outside and not much going on. But yesterday a neighbour was in the garden and she saw me walking by. At first she just greeted me normally, but then she had a wondering second glance and said: "Wow, they're especially high today". We then had a little conversation and it turns out she also has a pair of Louboutins, the Pigalle 100. She said she doesn't really wear them anymore, but I made her curious to get them out again 😉

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

Back wearing heels after a few years of being unable to. Life changes, and has changed quite dramatically this past few weeks. Back to a new heel journey. A heel journey that will give me confidence and comfort for the future. Getting my tendons used to wearing heels again. However, my tendons will have to stay mobile for my running. I’ll have to keep an eye out and make adjustments if/when I get any pain. Whilst not everyday I’ll wear heels, the freedom to be able to wear them out to a concert or a musical will give me much confidence. The ability to put a pair on and feel good is something I’m looking forward to. Time to go shopping for a few more pairs, get a few “cunty heels” as they are called here. Heels that make you feel “cunty” and give an attitude, a swagger, a “fuck you” to everyone who doesn’t understand or disagrees. A nice 5 inch stiletto boot for instance. This time is mine.

Oh, I think you can ABSOLUTELY assume that the quality of direct Chinese shoe imports is going to be low, because that assumption is usually correct. If it turns out to be incorrect, that's a pleasant surprise and a bonus! Here is one example of such a surprise below, and I can also catch up on church outfits at the same time, as I'm a couple of weeks behind. I had forgotten that I have actually had one good experience with stuff ordered directly from China, and that is my Onlymaker platform sandals. At least I think they're Onlymaker--the shoes themselves are unlabeled and unbranded, except for the size. The only reason I got them is because I thought they would be steep. I was promised a 15 cm heel with a 3 cm platform. Cool! 12 cm! At least they'd be good for practice. When the shoes arrived in a rather miniature shoebox, they looked pretty much like the picture, but had 3.5 cm platforms, so the total steepness is a mere 11.5 cm. I already have plenty of shoes with that gradient. Oh, well. However, despite being on the clunky looking side, I've become a little obsessed with these shoes lately, and I've worn them out several times. They are very shiny. Pictured here is from October 12th. The second photo is from last Sunday the 19th, featuring my BCBGenerations neutral colored strappy sandals. One thing about the Aiming High challenge is that these thin heeled but not quite stiletto sandals are a doddle to walk in, with their steepness being barely over 10 cm. I shall be interested to try my steeper pumps soon (up to now they have been put away for the summer), just to see if I have in fact made any progress.

I don't drive in heels for any kind of thrill. But If I am wearing an outfit that includes heels, I drive in them. It is a little different the way your feet hit the pedals, but I have no trouble doing it. And I don't feel the need to bring other flat shoes just to drive in them.

If piercing your belly button is a pain in the neck you missed the target by a bunch! 😁

Hey All, Read recently that wedge heels may come back big time in 2026. Recent sitings at fashion shows suggest this. Has always been one of my absolute favorites. Enclosed are two different looks with high wedge heels, 5.5”/16 cm or more, with a dress and skinny jeans. I’ll try to post more as I love this style and not many post about them though I do remember our favorite Iowan, Mlroseplant, talking about them. HinH

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...

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 😉

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 was at a modest family function yesterday morning - a granddaughter's third birthday party in a village hall. The guests were mostly couples in their early thirties with their children aged from 2 months to about 8 years. Of the dozen or so mums present, all were wearing trousers (except for one in leggings), and all were in nondescript flat shoes or boots. Whilst it wasn't a 'dressy' occasion in the accepted sense, it was disappointing to see that none of the women had made any real attempt to depart from very casual 'weekend' wear. And the men were but little smarter; I was almost the only one not wearing trainers.

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.

@higherheels, do you find with your Hot Chicks that you need to warm up extensively before actually walking anywhere? I find that with my higher heels that I have to sort of pace around the house or the garage for about 10 minutes before my ankles limber up enough to take on the real world. I failed to do any of this preliminary warmup (preflight? 😆) the other day when I tried out the Bakers oxfords. I think I might give it another go this weekend.

Being as my "training" shoes are in the shop, I was looking for alternatives, and I settled upon a pair of Bakers oxfords, model name Reissa, that I've had for a very long time. I won't say that I forgot about them, but I haven't worn them in years because I don't love the way they look, and I've always had trouble walking in them. I've always thought of them as having 13.5 cm heels with 2 cm platform, but they somehow feel steeper than those numbers would suggest. Now that I've kicked it up a notch (aiming high), I decided to put them on for a short walk. Much to my shagrin, I still have trouble walking in them, and I decided to cancel my walk, for fear of somebody seeing me struggling in these ridiculous shoes. Why are they so hard to walk in? I went back to the basement, took the shoes off, and pulled out a tape measure. Surely there had to be more to the story. There was. The platform, as you can see, is hidden, and there's no way to determine its thickness except to feel where the footbed is on the inside of the shoe, then transfer that mark to the outside. When I first measured them, I failed to do this at the heel as well, which in this case turns out to be significant. On this particular shoe, the footbed maintains its thickness all the way up to the top of the heel. In fact, the wearer's heel rests a good 1/2 inch higher than the point where the top of the shoe's heel is attached on the outside. Effectively, the shoe's steepness slightly exceeds 13 cm. That accounts for a good deal. No wonder.

Well today, I came into possession of a pair of Missy Rockz Army Rockz 8.5cm. They are beautiful, stunning and comfortable to wear. My first stiletto heel too. Even though they are only 8.5cm. They give great energy to heel wearing. They fit tight, took a chance on the sizing. Indoor use at first.

PSA to those who live near oak trees and who are at a latitude where it is now autumn: Platform heels and acorns do not mix well.

This week was a bit of a change from the normal for a Sunday morning. Once a year, we move our entire church service to the local college chapel and have a combined service with the students and faculty for their Homecoming weekend. Among other things that are different, I don't have to play for the service, but I do have to sing with the choir, which is a combined choir of the college choir and my church choir. When I showed up in my gold Nine West Wilia3 mules, I immediately got some compliments from the college kids, and also from the college choir director, who was singing in the tenor section with me (our church choir director was leading the whole group). He said, "Those are some great back row shoes!" I had never thought of it that way, but it's true. At 5'5", or 165 cm, I need the extra height to be able to see over the taller sopranos. The tall ones always wind up standing right in front of me. That's just how it works. I was very surprised at how many people commented on my shoes in the course of two hours or so. I would say that it's because I'm presenting myself to a new set of people, but that's not completely true. We do this every year. The student body completely changes every four years I realize, but the adults more or less remain the same. Anyway, it was a pretty good Sunday.

Nobody ever judges those contests. They just peter out without a winner

CAT, your outfits never disappoint! That electric blue dress matches some platform sandals I got last year from funkypair. I think that blue could be visible at 200 yards away. If you did enter the best dressed contest next year it would be hard to beat. I’m willing though to compete for sassiest heels though. HinH

It is true, sometimes we do not know the secret influence we have on others. There is a woman who goes to our church who has a greater than the usual interest in my shoes. I have mentioned her elsewhere. Last Sunday was her birthday, so I wanted to catch her after church to wish her a good one. She was talking to several other women when I approached her, so I just yelled out, "Happy Birthday!" as I passed by. Before I got three steps past, she interrupted her conversation with the ladies to tell me that some guy last week asked her if she knew that there was a man who walks around this town in high heels. Evidently, to his great surprise, she answered, "Oh yes, that's my friend." I kind of wanted to know more, but I also didn't want to interrupt whatever conversation was going on already. I do not know if the comment was meant to be derisive, curious, or complimentary. In any case, I guess I at least have the potential to inspire.

Part of it is, I've been working more than I would like, but I still somehow manage to have time to come on here and comment. The other part of it is, like @Cali says, I just haven't really seen anything like I like. Specifically, the stuff I like is not high enough. I see plenty of stuff that looks cool. I see some stuff that looks absolutely beautiful. The problem is, it seems to be all mid-heels (or what is a mid-heel to me). I'm not going to buy yet another pair of shoes anymore unless the heels are 4 1/2"+ (11 cm). There isn't that much out there in that category that is not hundreds of dollars.

I used to go through ebay and Poshmark on a daily basis, looking for the next big thing. I realized this morning that it has been a long, long time since I've bought any new shoes. I looked it up, and it's been over six months. I have several items that I'm watching, but I do not feel the desire that I used to. I suppose that's a good thing in many ways, but it does mark a severe shift in buying habits. It also doesn't hurt that I've had zero shoe failures so far this year, which is nothing short of amazing.

I only get regular polish on my toes, but I see some women that get gel on they toes. Maybe if you going on a tropical vacation with lots of walking in sand. You could start slow with a tint instead of pure color. Or you could go all out with glow-in-the-dark polish for Halloween.

I’m obviously gonna encourage you to at least give color a try. If it’s not your cup of tea, it’s simple enough to undo. And a tip - even wearing openly in the summer, I don’t get gel or acrylic on my toes, and the color holds up nicely through my nominal one month pedi cycles.

I started pedicures about 20 years ago. My wrist/hand was in and out of cast for 6 months followed by surgery. I was complaining to a cosmetologist that I couldn't cut my toe nails and she suggest I get a pedicure. The first year I only got clear., then tints. I started colors around 2011, first simple. Now almost anything but pink or red. Since I am diabetic, foot care is important. My fingernails started in 2015 when my thumb nail started to split from the tip to the bed. Tried everything, but nothing worked. Finally someone suggest getting it covered with acrylic and they put a layer of gel over that. A year later I tried to see what would happen if I stopped doing the acrylic nail. It split in 3 days...back to acrylic. Then another nail had issues, so it got acrylic too. But my hand looked funny with two differently shaped nails. .... Anyway I get a complete set of acrylics every month and a pedi at the same time. The place I go to has only three independent nail techs. They each have their on set of clients and they can't take any new clients. I have interactions with the other customers. A few of the women customers sent their husbands in. Most don't get color. My fingernails have had almost very type of technique, chrome, metalic/magnetica - fish eyes, to plain color, to ombres, to art... My tech love do my nails because I allow her to be more creative. The place was once called Nails to Envy As far as complements, many women have told me my nails are fantastic, they wish theirs were so nice. I get complement from men as well, and I said before I here the "I wish I could do it too".

I don’t at all mind telling the story, in fact, I kinda enjoy doing so. As mentioned, I got started something over 10 years ago. the genesis was when I went to a podiatrist for a chronically ingrown toenail. The doc happened to be a woman (middle age, but very attractive, not that that matters.) She examined the errant digit, then told me that as a result of the “surgery”, I would loose the toenail. I said go ahead. After the procedure, she suggested that she examine the other foot, I gave her the go-ahead. She noted my Morton’s toes (2nd toe longer than the big toe, in my case more than 1/4 inch) and told me that due to that condition, I should wear sandals or open-toe shoes whenever practical. And she also told me that I should get regular pedicures, citing essentially the same condition. She noted that a nail tech could fashion an artificial nail on the injured toe, and noted that would be esthetically desirable in sandals. Then, to my GREAT surprise, she noted, and best I recall, a direct quote, “And - you can paint them. Men do that now, that’s a thing.” I can only presume she was a fan of the practice. So, I set out to start getting regular pedis, and decided to throw in manis to help protect my easily damaged fingernails, I do a lot of “manual labor” type things in my shop. I first went to several different “Asian” (no offense intended) places, but quickly discovered that I simply did not hear well enough to understand the techs, so I finally tracked down a place where the owner was a native english speaker. My first few visits were simple pedis without polish of any kind, but curiosity was lurking and on the fourth (or so) visit, I asked about men getting color. Her response was enthusiastic, “YES! Let’s do this!” In short - I was instantly hooked, and pretty much haven’t looked back. Long story a bit shorter. That tech closed her business and moved away to marry an out-of-town boyfriend. I’m now on my third tech. I’ve been seeing her since the post-Covid reawakening. She is a VERY enthusiastic supporter of men wearing color, to that point that I finally asked her if her enthusiasm was because it meant more clients, she replied very succinctly that no, not just that, she likes the look, feels that it’s an indicator of a man taking better care of himself, and also shows a willingness to set aside “men’s stereotypes”. In the time I’ve been wearing openly, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the number of women who have noted, complemented, and occasionally engaged in conversation about my colored digits. And, aside from that, I’m pretty much a nondescript ol’ fart. Humor intended on this topic. As noted, I’m an OF, and some years ago, my hair began to abandon me. I soon noted that in apparent solidarity with the hair on my head, my leg hair also started to depart. Today I’m naturally bald, and save a few stragglers, hairless on my legs. The aforementioned practice of wearing sandals, along with shorts in the warmer months, has prompted a number of folks, often women, to straightforward ask me if I shaved my legs. I always answer no, I don’t need to, and share the quip I mentioned above, most always to the other party’s amusement. As I mentioned to CrushedVamp, I’m another regular color-wearer on my toes. My nail tech has a small “salon” area with one other tech in a place also used for her other businesses (selling refurbished and repurposed furniture, and permanent cosmetics.) I have learned that I was her first male client in this location, and as mentioned, she is enthusiastic about men wearing color, and has apparently cited me as an example to help “convert” several other male basic pedi clients to wearing color. Also, during the time I’ve been seeing her, I’ve encountered a number of other woman clients, either coming or going, who have taken time to engage with me, ask questions, and 100% make supportive conversation about men wearing color on nails. (I’m so far sticking to clear gel on hands, but my tech occasionally, pleasantly, suggests that I “indulge” in color there as well.)

At the salon that I go to my nail tech tells me that she has over 20 male customers that get pedicures. Most get a clear gel but like myself there are 9 other men customers that get color on their toes, some red like me, some pink, one in purple and two in black. I remember several years ago when there was three other men that hand colored toes. We were shopping in a Walmart. One of the women with one of the men took a picture of all four of us showing off our colored pedi's. She said she was going to post it online but I never saw it. So Crushed Vamp you can wear a color on your toes. There are a lot of men doing it. Happy Heeling, bluejay

Another thing that is difficult, but not impossible to do in heels is ride a motorbike. It seems exciting at first, but as a practical matter it is somewhat less than exciting, and very possibly rather unsafe. This is one of the reasons I switched to a scooter, with automatic transmission and no foot controls. Those things were made for heels!

Bringing us gently back on point, I managed to snag a photo of my friend in her bootcut jeans while I was tearing down my musical equipment on Sunday. I'm not entirely sure what this group of women was doing, but I think they were learning American Sign Language. Anyway, I took a picture of the whole group, then cropped it to show the relevant part, and to protect the identity(ies) of those involved. My friend doesn't wear super high heels, but she does wear heels almost every Sunday, and this style, though on the casual side for me, seems to suit her.

Recently, I have set some mileage records for a couple of pairs of my shoes. I have decided to start a separate thread about this subject, and furthermore, I'm splitting up my top six mileage shoes into separate posts in the hopes that this will generate more traffic in general on the site. I'm always looking at ways to attract new members and more comments, not for my own sake, but for the good of the community. First up is my sixth place pair of shoes, mileage-wise. Bebe wooden mules, model name unknown. I would definitely place these squarely in the mid-heel category, as they sport 4 3/4" heels with a 1" platform, for a total steepness of 3 3/4", or about 9 cm. I have walked about 80 miles in these shoes, or nearly 130 km, over about two years' time. While they haven't caused me any trouble to speak of, they have become so worn and beat up looking in that time that I wouldn't actually wear them out in public. The stock top lifts (heel tips) lasted only about 15 miles, but their Vibram replacements have 65 miles on them, and while quite worn, still have a few miles left in them before needing replacement. Actually, they look pretty terrible, but since the rest of the shoe looks terrible as well, I have little incentive to replace them until they're worn to the wood. I guess you could say these are my version of trainers, not to be worn outside of exercise activities.

I’ve seen the videos, read the articles and had advice from female friends who are extremely skilled in walking in heels and all of this is great, in the abstract, but nothing replaces the actual doing - practice, practice and practice.

Do members on here feel as if watching "how to walk in high heels' videos on Youtube helps? The reason I ask is, my wife will people-watch people at weddings and confide in me that this person or that does not know how to walk in high heels. It is not done in a nefarious way, just making a point. I have watched a few videos on youtube and they have stated what my wife has made comments about over the years like taking shorter steps, stepping with toe or heel down first when walking on certain surfaces, etc. So I know they and she seem to be lockstep on their pointers, if you will forgive the bad pun?

So true. I have made the effort recently to go to the park and practice on a paved and gently undulating footpath and straightaway noticed the difference! As you say 100 metres might as well be 1000. I did a couple hundred metres, I would guess, and very much needed a break. It was fun though. I need to go back.

Oh, yes! I've said for years that I don't care how many floors you've swept, don't care how many loads of laundry you've done, once you step out on to the street it's a whole different world, and suddenly, 100 meters might as well be 1,000. But, these difficulties are not impossible to overcome.

Yes. That’s what concerns me as I practice indoors with my 12cm boots. I love the idea of wearing them out to a cafe for coffee but have to find a way to get real world walking in before I even think about that. On the bright side, I continue to improve. I especially love cooking in heels.

Many decades ago my daughter painted my toes red when my foot/angle was in a cast. Haven't worn red since. @CrushedVamp the doctors and the staff have seen hundreds of men in colored toes, it nothing new. I have had colored toes for 2 decades now, it's no big deal. Call your wife's bluff.

The runner up for the most miles on a single pair of high heels is my Nine West Sizzle oxfords. These have the distinction of being the only non-mule in the bunch, and also the only closed toe shoe in the high mileage bunch. Sporting a 4 3/4"(12 cm) heel with a 3/4"(2 cm) platform, they are a full 4 inch (10 cm) heel, and is among the oldest pairs of heels in my collection. Or was among the oldest. I wore them from January of 2013 until January of 2024 when one of the heels suddenly decided that after 11 years and 196.1 miles (316 km), enough was enough, and promptly snapped in half, a mile and a half from home. This was the first of three similar failures I was to have with Nine West shoes of this vintage and heel style. There is a reinforcing metal rod or tube inside the heel, but it only goes about two thirds of the way up, for some reason. Where it ends is where the plastic heel snaps in two, suddenly and cleanly. And naturally, just after I'd paid to have them resoled. I have been unable to find replacements for these in any color, and I believe they were made in 5 or 6 different colors.

At No. 3 we have. . . BCBGirls Bonny beaded wooden mules. . . Wait, didn't I just list that two posts ago? Yes, I did, but this is pair No. 4. The above was pair No. 2. Pair No. 4 has somehow managed to survive and squeak by pair No. 2 at 117.3 miles (189 km). I honestly didn't think they would make it, because pair No. 4 has had what I perceive to be weak shanks from Day 1. The heels on this particular example of the breed have always been more flexible than what I would like. I would never have guessed that they would last longer than pair No. 2. However, since 2022 when pair No. 2 yielded up the ghost, I have changed my walk significantly, and I do believe I am much easier on heels than I used to be. But wait, there's more! In the very last miles, right before I was to surpass my previous Bonny record, I tripped on an uneven part of the pavement, and both shoes went flying. Somehow, I managed to stay upright, but I lost both shoes rather violently. I thought to myself, "Well, that's the end of those, and right before I broke the record, too!" Amazingly, there was no damage to either the shoes or to me. I do not know if anybody actually saw this happen, so it may be that my pride managed to escape damage as well. A word about mules in general, as @higherheels alluded to elsewhere. To me, there are two broad categories, and I'm not talking about open toe vs. closed toe, stiletto vs. block heel. I'm talking about flappy vs. non-flappy, categories that I am claiming creation of, because I've never heard anybody else refer to them that way before. To me, it's THE most important distinction. The Bonnys are flappy mules and have but a fairly thin leather band across the toes, which means that with every step, the insole of the shoe comes away from the bottom of the back half of your foot (similar to the much-hated flip-flop), then returns with a flapping sound. We'll save sound preferences and dislikes for another time, that being an intrinsic part of the flappy mule experience. Non-flappy mules typically come up much higher on the instep, and in this way, full contact between the bottom of your foot and the insole of the shoe is maintained at all times. Non-flappy mules have a sound that is indistinguishable from any other high heel with the same heel type. Despite being flappy mules, and being very easy to kick off (and put back on) at will, they are very good walking shoes. Don't ask me to explain it, but among four pairs so far, I've got 350 miles of walking experience, and I still enjoy them for that purpose. They've even been to Chicago on vacation! Stay tuned for the runner-up spot, and the winner, coming to a forum near you.

Coming in at No. 4 are my BCBGirls Bonny beaded wooden mules (pair No. 2). I often say that these are my favorite pair of shoes ever. I don't know in my heart of hearts if that's really true, but at least in a certain category, it is true. The downside to loving these shoes is that they're not super durable. I've owned six pairs of this exact model and color (I don't know if it came in any other color), and so far I've been through four, with two in reserve. What happens is that after about 100 miles or so, the shanks break. I managed to coax 115.6 miles (186 km) out of pair No. 2 before that happened. Ironically, I was feeling energetic one evening back in 2022, and I decided to take the Bonnys out for a 5 mile spin, which I'd never done before. The route I chose was largely on a bicycle path, so the plan was to walk 2.5 miles linearly, then simply about face, and come back home. Unfortunately, about 1.5 miles into the journey, something began to feel quite mushy and strange. Yes, the right shank had snapped in half, allowing the heel to flex radically. I had to limp home very slowly, and that was the end of Bonny No. 2. I posted about it if you want to scroll back in my "Ruminations" thread far enough. I love wooden heeled mules, and I have quite a number in my collection. Why this should be my favorite, I don't know. They aren't super tall, effective steepness being less than 4 inches (10 cm), and they tend to get worn looking fairly rapidly if you wear them like I do, but they've always had a appeal for me.

I don't suppose anybody but me keeps track of their mileage in shoes, with the possible exception of running shoes. I'm not even 100% sure how or why I thought of the idea, but it stemmed from my loops that I used to walk in regular walking shoes, and somehow evolved to high heels. This was after the super painful experience in the mall that I recounted elsewhere. Maybe I got sensible and realized I needed to build up to my goals slowly. Next up, coming in at No. 5 are shoes that are so old that not only do I not have them anymore, I don't even have any pictures of them. If I ever did, they must be on some computer with a blown-up hard drive. So I had to screenshot a picture from the internet. They are, or were, my Söfft Belicia mules. I walked 107.5 miles (173 km) in them. Most of this was in 2013 and 2014. I think I'd probably gotten rid of them not too long after that. I remember that the thin straps had gotten so stretched out after that many miles that my little toes would easily escape to the outside of straps, which is not exactly a good look. Another factor was that at 3 7/8" high with 5/8" mini platform (really just an extra thick sole), these are barely heels at all by my modern standards. 8 cm barely makes it into the mid-heel category for me. Nevertheless, they did serve their purpose of training me for higher heels. I spent many enjoyable hours tooling around the neighborhood in them. They do have a couple of distinctions--they were the first heels I ever walked a total of five 2 mile loops in, and the first heels I ever did a 5 miler in. They also have the distinction of having never been reheeled for their entire service life. I have no idea what these top lifts were made of, but they were still good when I had to throw the shoes out. Other Söfft models' heels wear out normally like everything else, maybe even a little bit faster, but these are different for some reason.

I think high heels make a poignant point by themselves, with a lady, but even more so upon a man. But that being said, I think when an outfit matches the heels not only in color, but also style, it often becomes not a match that can be easily stated, but someone just knows, together that works. Your post on 08/18 kind of proves what I am saying. You just look put together in that photo, but it is the totality of it @mlroseplant