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Releasing pictures of my church OOTW for August 17. I chose to be blue, with my Steve Madden single band ankle strap sandals. Which feel really weird to me. And by weird, I mean they feel weird when I walk in them by their design. I don't know why this should be so, but it's probably because I have so few ankle strap shoes. I tend to stay away from them since my legs are so short, and I've heard that I should stick to mules to have a visually uninterrupted leg. I don't know if I believe that or not, but it's how I justify having so many mules. With the pants I chose, you can't really see the ankle straps anyway, so what's the difference?

In my usual walk routine, I have short days and long days. Yesterday was a short day, meaning my walk was but a single mile (1.6 km). I chose to wear "real" high heels, just to up my game a little bit. Not all the way up to 12 cm, but close. Maybe 10.5 or 11, once you discount a little bit for my size 40. There is a big difference between that and my typical 8 to 10 cm walking shoes. If I ever get to the point where the high ones feel completely natural to walk in, that will be something. They weren't bad at all, I just never felt super at ease with them. The entire mile felt like, "Yes, you are wearing high heels."

Very well. I did not get a photo taken of my church Outfit Of The Week, but I did manage to fall asleep in the afternoon, so that I was forced to go out to dinner, being as I woke up too late to begin cooking supper. It was nice enough weather to eat outside, and I was forced to look at our reflection in the storefront windows the whole time. It's all I got. Oh, by the way, somebody I know walked past and said, "Beautiful shoes, as always!" I didn't get turned around in time to see who it was. That sort of comment drives my wife crazy, though she keeps it well hid these days.

I haven't posted here in a good while, so I figured an update was in order. I'm still getting out. I just don't feel the need to post every single outing these days. Unless something newsworthy happens, which isn't often, I just go about my day. I am still buying shoes also. So i figured it was time to do another inventory check. It would also give me a chance to go through and pair down my collection by selling shoes that no longer fit or that I'm not too fond of anymore. And donate shoes that are a little worse for wear and not worth selling. I also wanted to see how close I was on how many pairs I actually had. I was guesstimating that between shoes and boots. I probably had around 100 pairs. A bit of my collection is stored in their original boxes. But the majority of my collection is stored in cardboard boxes and tubs. I would love to have proper shelves to display them or a closet of some kind, but that is just not possible. Between boxes and tubs, I currently have about 7 of them. And now the fun begins. It was fun going through everything and trying stuff on. I even discovered stuff I never new I had. And stuff that has never seen the outside world. Because alot of my shoes are a little too fancy to wear out doing everday task and errands. They need a special occasion to wear them. When it was all said and done, I ended up with about a dozen pairs that would be sold or donated. And my guesstimate was actually pretty close. I came in just a shade under the century mark, including the get rid of pile. So here is the numbers of where my collection stands after pairing it down. Shoes 57 pairs Knee boots or higher 5 pairs ankle boots or shoes 14 pairs Wedges 4 pairs Flats 2 pairs For a total of 82 pairs

Yes walking 200m gracefully in Hot Chicks is quite an accomplishment. I cannot imagine achieving that myself - I shall be delighted to walk gracefully in my 12cm stiletto boots. Speaking of which I had an amusing episode this morning, when I got up and put in my stiletto boots to start my workday. I get up very early - typically 4am - since that is my most creative time. I’d left my stiletto boots by my kitchen table, ready to put on in the morning. Now, I have three pair of stiletto boots - one is quite a luxurious OTK pair in black Nubuck suede with 9cm heels. The other two are the same style in Italian Heels, their Tina model. One is in black leather with 10cm heels, the other is in very dark brown leather in 12cm heels. I thought I had put in my 12cm ones this morning and was happily congratulating myself in a major breakthrough. To be sure I was only traipsing around my boat, but doing it was an ease I’d never imagined myself managing in 12cm stilettos. I was really quite chuffed - bring on the Hot Chicks! I did a lot of extra walking around, just to enjoy this breakthrough all the more. Had I been moored ina more heel friendly location I’d have gone for a celebratory stroll. Alas, I discovered I had mixed up my boots and was wearing my 10cm stilettos, not the 12s. Back to beginners again ….

I think most scale their heel heights, but I can't tell for sure because I'm close to the standard size anyway. Last week I wore my Hot Chicks twice at home, and yesterday took the chance to wear them out. At home I didn't really feel any difference yet, but yesterday was kind of an success. They felt a little more comfortable and it also was the longest distance I ever walked in them. At the end they got really uncomfortable, but I'm glad I wore them out once again and very motivated to do it again soon 🙂

It has been a whole year! It doesn't seem like it's been a whole year. I need to go through my collection as well, and see what I really have. It seems like I have been culling a lot lately and not buying new, which is probably a good thing.

I always have color on my toes and fingers. My toes are always in red except for October when they get colored hot pink for Breast Cancer Awareness month, while my fingers are always in pink/clear gel with the little pinkies in a color or design particular to the time of the year. Right now my left pinkie is in silver sparkle and my right pinkie is in gold sparkle. Got compliments this morning on both my mani and pedi both at church and my usual Sunday morning shopping. BTW closed toe red pumps at church, open toe double band, red sandals for my shopping trip. I also was wearing white capris with a red, white and blue top for the Labor Day holiday. I got compliments on my ensemble too!!!! Happy Heeling, bluejay

I can't cut my own toenails or do other similar things due to how my thumb is held in place and the removed bones in my hand. So pedicures is the way to go. After a decade + of pedicures, I now enjoy my painted toes. Decades ago, I damaged the root bed of several fingernails, some split all the way to the root bed while other delaminate, split horizontally. They require acrylic to hold them together. Acrylic then needs to be covered with gel. So why not get color. This month they have a cat's eye look.

Holy Cow!! I was so off the mark on my response to this or I have changed so much to render what I wrote meaningless! I wrote that: 1) I was not into open toe sandals; 2) I was not into painting my toe nails, and; 3) I was wearing pointed toe heels. So, just today, I was wearing a pair of open-toe espadrilles sandals but my toe nails were not polished (which I having been doing during the summer to wear with open-toe sandals) and I have started moving away from pointed to heels/points as they usually have a narrower toe-box. Thus, in order to compensate for such, I will usually get a 1/2 to full size large and if needed, attach heel backers. I have also started to pass on very cute pointed toe heels knowing that no matter what size I may purchase, the shoe/boot simply will not ever properly fit my foot/feet. Shoe - LC by Lauren Conrad.

Half a mile, I just looked that up, that's 800 meters. I'd be way out of rhythm in my Hot Chicks after 800 m 😂 On the weekend it was more like 200 m one way and that was enough. Yes, it's way more difficult wearing them outside when you got to get somewhere, but also way more exciting. And it's a good feeling when you know that you you can handle a bit of walking without becoming too uncomfortable. So I actually can use them for a few opportunities. Of course I'll keep you updated!

All hands meeting today. After the meeting I was walking to a breakout session and a friend (unofficial high heel club member) was stopped by two woman and was talking about how she can walk in heels (4 inch stilettos today). As we walked pass the group, my friend pointed out my 4 inch heels and my fingernails and toenails to the two women she was talking to. She also has exquisite nails. This "club member" is the same one that organized the tour in the post above.

https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/hiking-and-backpacking/erin-ton-colorado-fourteeners-high-heels I’m particularly impressed she is in sandals. Mink has created custom heels for her and I guess they hold up to the job!

People get "use to" you looking a certain way. I get questioned at times why I'm not in heels on those rare instance when I'm not in heels. People notice.

Seems like a very nice encounter - the casualness of it is what is most pleasing.

I had an interesting encounter today. Now let me start by saying I was not on a planned outing today. And I was not dressed in any form of female attire, including heels. Today, we had some unseasonably warm weather for September. So I was dressed in shorts, T-shirt, and sandals, very casual. I was out just running a few errands and hitting some of my favorite stores for some window shopping. I was at one of my usual thrift stores that I hit. And that's where the encounter happened. I usually don't have much luck there. But today, I actually found something worth purchasing. As the lady was ringing up my purchase, she said, "i'm surprised you actually found something today. Usually, you come in here, and you don't buy anything." Then she said, "And I barely recognized you today. You're usually in tight jeans and heels. You're dressed so casual today." I told her the weather was really nice today. And she said, "Yeah, we need to enjoy it while we can." Then I finished paying for my purchase and left. Now I have seen her in the store before, and she may have even rang me up a time or two. But as far as I can remember, this is the first time we have had any meaningful interaction. So as much as we say on here that most people don't seem to care or take notice of us. In some cases, I guess the opposite is true. Food for thought.

I've been practicing out in the garage with my 11.5 cm stiletto mules. It sounds strange, but it's the only place I've got where I can walk more than 6 steps in a row, so I can try to perfect my walk the best I can before I take it to the streets.

I’m off to lead another tour, my 12cm stiletto boots packed in my suitcase for after hours practice. I’ve been very slack the past few days, sticking to my 8cm chunky heeled ankle boots. I’ll see how much I’ve regressed when I try them on in my hotel this evening.

I have reached the "mile"stone last week of having walked 2,500 documented miles (around 4,000 km) in heels. To be clear, it's taken me over 12 years to do it, but needless to say, I've worn out and broken a lot of shoes in that time. Sometime within this month I will break some records concerning shoe durability. I may make it a special new topic to announce such, as no one seems to respond to this thread anymore. It may be getting a little bit long in the tooth.

Indeed not boring at all! So much more fun than flats - and quite liberating to step outside the pigeonholes. it always strikes me as funny to think that if we were to read in National Geographic about a tribe of South Sea islanders who’d developed all these complex and contradictory taboos about a style feature on their footwear, we’d smile and find it quaint but amongst ourselves we take it so incredibly seriously, as though it were a natural law, something encoded in our chromosomes: women wear high heels, men do not.

Absolutely true. And heels don't get boring, even after decades. As it can be seen very well with our spontaneous height challenge 😉

I smile to think of the three of us, all very different, living in three different countries and on different continents, doing much the same things … I agree - 7cms is a minimum

I'm very sorry to report that I've been going the wrong way lately. That is, I wore shoes pretty much all of our Labor Day weekend which I don't even consider to be high heels. My excuse is that I spent nearly the whole holiday under the weather. I felt absolutely terrible for most of three days. Speaking of weather, it couldn't have been more pleasant the entire weekend, and I did take the opportunity to get out of bed and get a couple of snaps (and yes, I don't pretend that they're anything better than that). Shoes are a mere 8 cm (on the scooter), and effective 9 cm (on the deck). I sometimes wonder why I don't wear mid heels more often, but I usually come to my senses after a week or so.

Wow - that’s quite a week! I smiled at your experience with low seats in high heels. I had the same but sitting on a low settee in my 12cm heels and spent the whole time trying to figure out how to sit and where to place my heels so I didn’t look like a seated preying mantis with my knees jutting up under my chin. And then how to get up again! Without calling to mind something struggling out of a wallow. I can’t imagine doing that in 13cm Hot Chicks! Standing in a queue in 13cm heels would be a serious challenge too! Definitely an earned rest this week! But well done!!!!

On saturday I took the chance again to wear them out. Not the most appropriate occasion, but I have to ignore that if I want to use them more often 😀 We went out for dinner and to the cinema afterwards. I can tell you that cinema in 13 cm heels isn't the best idea. First we were waiting in the line for a while, and then the comfy cinema seats aren't that comfy anymore if you combine them with Hot Chicks. The steep angle of the shoes doesn't go well with the low seats. All in all I overdone it a bit last week. I wore them twice at home and then out on saturday, with all that standing and sitting in the cinema it was a bit too much. The balls of my feet and my calves are still sore, but hey that's part of the progress. Nevertheless I'll (literally) step down a bit this week 😉

Thanks!! They are just a bit large (sz 10 vs 9.5 which is "normal" for me) so I had a cobbler shorten the rear straps just a bit and they are now very comfortable. I agree that wedges, especially those with a platform, can be a bit much. These, however, seem to have the right balance of wedge and platform. I did receive the nicest compliment from a co-worker on them when I wore them. As we are heading into the autumn, however, I am not sure that I will get to wear them again before open-toe season comes to an end.

I know of that shop, this was sky-scrapers.co.uk, and my last order was 2016.

My wife has refused to wear heels for many years. I told her someone in this family needs to wear heels so I guess I'll have to do it. I have bought her some lace up ankle boots. I seem to be an extremist is some ways. I either like very pretty shoes or the ortho looking shoes/boots. I have several lace up ankle boots. Only nice leather, no suede, snake, ETC. I actually believe that the go-go boots helped to take heels out of style in the later 1960s. The evolution of the low heel. It kills me to see Bewitched episodes with Elizabeth Montgomery in those low heel rounded toe shoes. In the later episodes she had nicer hair but bad fashions.

Absolutely! That will be fun for you! How nice it will be to wear them out to a stylish evening! Splurge! Treat yourself! im really excited now that ive a goal to shoot for. And thanks for the vote of confidence!!!

...but totally worth it!!!! Noe 88 Colors (out of The Netherlands) was having a stock-up sale during the month of August. Buy one pair and receive a 20% discount, two pairs and 30% discount, and three pairs for a 50% discount. Well, as I adore their styles and colors, I got a bit carried away by buying three different pairs in three separate orders. Noe footwear is not necessarily "designer" heels but they are made from genuine Italian leather. As it took about three weeks for each individual package to arrive, the wait for them to arrive was agonizing! It is said that all things come in threes or that the third time is a charm - I guess this is true! Sadly, Noe may not be able to ship to the U.S. for a while as the Dutch Post Office is no longer accepting packages for shipment to this country because of issues that have arisen from the recently impose tariffs. I cannot speak for other companies such as DHL, UPS, or FedEx, so, I guess I will just have to go there to get my next pair which will be in December!

I supposed it's like any other skilled activity--you'll have days where you think, "I think I finally know what I'm doing!" And then there will be days when you think, "I feel like I've never done this before." Not every time, but many times I feel like I don't get into a rhythm until about a half mile down the road. This does seem to be a big step because like I've said for years, one can't learn how to walk by doing dishes and sweeping the floors at home. Eventually, one has to step out in the real world of less-than-perfect walking surfaces. Please do keep us updated on your progress (and/or your setbacks).

Wow! Thats great! And very impressive - as I work at mastering my 12cm stiletto boots, the thought of adding yet another centimetre and without the ankle support offered by boots seems a really serious challenge. Well done for going for a stroll outside in them. Real world walking is also vastly more challenging than pottering around the house. I can imagine you’d be well motivated. its funny how these little successes motivate you to press on and keep trying. I am finding that with my 12cm heels. i also find that after wearing my 12cm heels for a while, my 10cm heels feel so incredibly easy.

The only two pair I got from the original TLSB was a knee high pair of ballet boots, and a pair further modified by Kayser in Australia to be hoof boots. I got both not understanding UK and US used different sizing >.< I do have some ballet boots from Ilias Little Shoe Box, and they seem great. I do need to get back into practice, so have been wearing heels to clean the house today. I think my 6" boots are also from the uk, but from a company SkyScraper heels?

Passing through Leeds train station today. Although the overwhelming majority of people are in trainers, there are a surprising number of heels being worn including stilettos. Nearly all the heels being worn are boots, and generally chunky heels There are sure a lot of ugly boot styles out there …

Another all hands meeting today. While walking to a meeting, a woman stopped me to show me her "fancy" heels. She wanted to take a picture with our heels together. Also had several conversations about heels with women between breaks.

Here is a comparison between the blue sandals I wore a few days ago, which actually measure 111 mm, and some D'Orsay pumps in the same color, which measure 117 mm. Is it just me, or does the shoe on the right appear to be significantly taller than the one on the left, even though there is only 6 mm difference (1/4")? I have no idea what they would be in USW size 7 or 8. I haven't practiced walking in either one this week. Bad for me.

That’s the one! Sitting in front of a tapestry that once belonged to Henry VIII. This image has been brightened up considerably - photoshop? The real one is much more muted. Men in those days were peacocks at court- all silks, laces, bright colours and heels. The along came the Age of Enlightenment in the early/mid 18th century and suddenly science, intellectualism, and philosophy were the fashion. Broadcloth and sensible shoes were in, heels and silk stockings were out

Actually, I was on some years ago but when i decided to get on again it would not accept my user name so I changed one letter. I could not find a way to contact a moderator to fix it. I remember the first times I saw beautiful pointed toes in 1980. Finally, we were coming out of clunky, chunky, funky, ugly. A woman comes of the escalator dressed nicely wearing brand new "real heels". I instantly asked her where she got them. I was with my first wife that day. She had air of confidence and knew she looked good. I'll say one good thing about the '80s. The standard of the world is black kidd leather pumps with points and graceful shaped heels. But, there is something so special about white pumps. They were improved in the '80s by making the soles {(or at least edges) black and black heel tips. The black makes the white stand out even better. Last year I saw two women in one day in white heels. I said to myself:"I love this country."

Blue is my favorite colour @mlroseplant You nailed it!

Mirose, you criticized me for matching my heels to my top color. That's just what you did on Sunday. Happy Heeling, bluejay

I never really felt like any of my heels were the wrong angle, but I also don't always look at which height they're labeled at and then measure them. Which shoe size do you have, Shyheels? That's a great progress! I don't feel any progress so far. Wore them twice last week at home.

I have a whole lot of just shy of 12 cm heels, but very few actual truly 12 cm heels. Here is one pair that measures in at 11.5 cm (or 4 1/2"). Now that we have the challenge going, why do these look slightly stumpy to me? Wish they had another 1-2 cm on the heel.

I always choose my shoes first, then choose the outfit to go along with them. Sometimes, this ends up being the opposite of what I intended. For example, I was looking through my collection yesterday morning, and I thought, "Hmm, I haven't worn my blue suede single band sandals in forever! Although I based the outfit around them, nobody said anything about my shoes. I got a number of comments on my shirt! Go figure.

Wow, that's a lot but totally understandable for custom shoes. I am blessed with feet in a size where everything is widely available, so no need for custom made ones. But still my most expensive ones (the Hot Chick 130) cost as much as your custom made ones, but somehow they're also worth it. Even more if i will wear them out more in the future 🙂

My 12cm heels are very definitely the proper angle for 12cm stilettos - they were made for the right proportions for my size. Even just wearing them as a potter around and sit and write I am starting to feel more at ease in them. They are becoming more familiar which is a help. I just need to put in the distances and practice. And probably with an 11cm first!

@mlroseplant To me they also look more like 10 cm. I think you might have to go more into like a 13,5 cm in actual heel height to have the same angle as a 12 cm heel. Apparently I'm a bit below the standard size of 38 with my size 37 and I can confirm that when I measured heel heights they were mostly a bit below the advertised height, which makes sense to keep the same angle. The italian heels chart is great!

Italian Heels has a chart on their website that gives the actual measured height for each size and style. Handy

I’ve also never tried a style like that - I’ve always worn boots. Some attempting 12cm in sandals seems like a great way to turn an ankle!

I would not gave guessed those were 11.5cm. At this angle I would have guessed they were 10cm. My 12cm heels look much more than 0.5cm higher. Then again, my 10 and 12cm stilettos are both scaled up for the larger size that I wear. The standard for the style is a 10 or 12cm heel based on a size 38 shoe - the actual measured heel height is scaled up (or down) as you move away in size from the standard 38. This keeps the lines and proportions consistent for that particular style throughout the size range. If the maker of your shoe does not do that it would explain why your 11.5cm heels look lower. My collection is much smaller than yours - I have two pair of stiletto knee boots (10 and 12cm) and one pair of suede OTK boots with 9 cm heels

Hi @Shyheels! I will admit that the simplicity of your response made me think about heels themselves being statement of self expression. I agree with this in that, yes, heels are a statement of self-expression but I also see them as being an accent to another piece of an outfit that may be an expression on its own. I would argue that it comes down to what is the focal point of the outfit that the wearer of such intends - is it the heels or is it another part of it? The photograph I have attached is an outfit I wore last November and I wanted the skirt to be the focal point as it is a statement piece on its own. In general, (and in my opinion only) bright colors and prints (especially animal prints) can be a bold statement piece where they would outshine the footwear regardless of what is worn. If I would have worn the skirt with a similar patterned pair of heels (pumps or boots) I think it would have been "too much" and the pop of the skirt would have been lost. Hence, pared with a black outfit, the skirt makes the statement. The 4"/10cm wedge boots absolutely add a superb touch of elegance to the overall feel of the outfit but they do not overshadow it. Thanks for the response! Just to briefly add to my previous response, but I am waiting for the heels pictured here to go on end of season sale and you better believe I am going to be rockin' out these bad boys as soon as I get them! Why? Because I can!