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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.

There are a couple of different things to reply to: @Shyheels, I would like to put forth a hypothesis, and perhaps check on this myself when I get a chance. When we are saying, "fluid heel-to-toe motion" (or lack thereof), what springs to my mind from my own experience is lack of controlled heel-to-toe motion. Or not very much control, anyway. So that what you get, as best as I can put it without video or sound, is a ka-thunk, ka-thunk, ka-thunk. Does this seem familiar? I have another separate issue when I get up that steep, which I will save for later, as I have to work again this Saturday. @higherheels Thank you for the measurements on the heels. I have actually seen a tape measure put to Hot Chicks in my size 40, and they are 13,7 cm. So I guess your boots in size 40 would be something on the order of 14,6 cm, which happens to be the exact height of my Pleaser mules, which I can barely make it across the room in. If you manage to master the boots before winter's end, mad props to you! This month, incidentally, I'm going more for mileage than height, while the weather is still relatively nice. But I'm trying not to wear less than 10 cm on my walks.

Exactly! And when I do stand up the angle feels familiar. Those boots of yours will be really good practice for the Hot Chicks. Aside from looking quite smart in their own

I measured them now. The Hot Chicks have a 12,7 cm heel and the boots 13,3 cm. So if you upscale this to a standard size, they'd be probably like a 13,6 cm heel. @Shyheels I also feel that sitting helps, it's like stretching

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 🙂

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.

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

I agree, just walking around a bit inside your boat is probably not going to help much. You really need to get out where you can take a decent walk, develop a stride, and adapt to the heels. It seem like your only choice here is to place your boots in a back pack until you get somewhere that is suitable for a decent walk. The other issue is what to do with the back pack once you find a decent spot. I have wrestled with a similar dilemma with some of my more challenging boots/heel heights. Sure, I can walk around the carpeted hotel room fairly well, but hitting the open sidewalks was another story. I would quickly tire and get soar, and I'm sure all this was showing in my strides/steps, which ultimately attracted just the type of attention I did not want. One way I have realized when I am comfortable/confident with a particular pair is when I almost forget I'm wearing them while out and about. One of my biggest issues is self confidence, so once I am proficient enough to almost forget I'm wearing them, I stop "overthinking it".

What I really need is to find a place where I can go for meaningful walks in my boots. I know I could improve quickly. I’m pretty good at sports. But honestly you guys should see the towpath - chalky muddy clays, puddles, rocks etc. very frustrating.

@mlroseplant that's a good description of what I meant with fluid heel to toe motion. As I thought about it more, I think I also have this issue a little bit in my new boots. In my case while walking it feels like they flex my ankles to an angle they can hardly achieve, so the muscles have to work harder to make them achieve this angle. I had the same issue when I first started with my Hot Chicks, but it got away with practice. I'll try some additional stretching this time, maybe this helps to gain flexibility quicker and makes the start easier. Your mules in this height must be even more of a challenge! I definitely want to master my boots this winter, at least so far that I can wear them to a restaurant or so. @Shyheels You can definitely compare it to some sports. You say you're on the beginner's slope but that's always relative. Now with my new boots I also feel like on the beginner's slope again 😉

Yes that seems very familiar. I think you put it well - a lack of controlled heel to toe motion, which leads to this sense of clomping around. So much of learning to walk well in heels reminds me of learning to ski or skate, acquired skills that are deeply enviable to those who are just learning. @higherheels mentions walking easily in her 12cm heels and even going out in her Hot Chicks and it just seems like a huge hill to climb as I clomp around on the beginners slope

Doing 20k steps on a day like today would be hard work - at least if your weather was anything like what we’ve had in the Pennines today. A thoroughly miserable day with single digit temperatures, winds and cold hard rain. I wore heels today - my 12cm stilettos, sitting at my desk with a nice wood fire going! Like you, when I’ve been out and about I’ve noticed quite a strong bias towards blocky heeled boots

I can certainly feel it in my calves when I walk in my 12cm heels. Like you I’ve been wearing them mainly while sitting or puttering about making lunch. I have found that even just wearing them while seated at my desk is helpful in getting myself used to the height and assertive angle of wearing 12cm stilettos

I hope so. My clog situation this year is kind of strange. Due to some shoe failures that occurred last winter, every clog I have left save two pairs is effectively a 4 1/4 inch heel, which is pretty steep for things like snow and ice. It's not really the height that bothers me so much, it's the general fit. It seems like my toes don't automatic slide in to the correct position or something. It's very strange that I can't really explain it well. Perhaps you are right, and they just need some (re) break-in time. After all, I did ride them hard and put them up wet, and they have remained on the shelf for the last 7-8 months.

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 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!

Thanks @mlroseplant for your detailed analysis! The Hot Chicks also make make about a 90 degree angle of the foot, that's a good indicator. I also recognized the sligthly bent knee on the photos. I'm sure that I'd be able to straighten my knees in them, only walking flawlessly might be a different thing... Regarding the calves, I apparently have a very standard size, because I almost always had a good fit in any pair of boots. @Shyheels 12 cm definitely is also the sweet spot for me! I'm surprised how much I like these boots the more I look at them and think about them. Probably I should just buy them and see how it goes. Maybe sleep over it another night, we'll see. That would be awesome!

They are very nice looking, which is unusual for something this steep. If the photo accurately depicts the product, they are not fetish-y looking at all. But yeah, they sure look steeper than 13 cm. The front of the model's foot is pretty much the same as 90º with the floor--that's always a good indicator that you're approaching Very Difficult Territory. The other thing that scares me a bit is that the model's knee is not 100% straight. If you do wind up getting them, I hope the shafts fit your calves similar to what the photo shows. Perhaps hat is one of the reasons why I don't care for boots all that much. I have yet to find a pair that truly fit my calves well. Evidently I have skinnier legs than the average person who wears size 40. I've often said the same thing about Hanoi winters. Theoretically, at 10 or 15 degrees, I should certainly be comfortable without a jacket. But Hanoi is so damp, even I am cold at that temperature. I don't blame people for wearing winter coats inside the house. I imagine England is the same. Someday I hope to find out for myself.

@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 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...

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