Leaderboard

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 😉

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.

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 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...

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! 😁

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 🙂

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

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!

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.

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.

I meant to comment on this note earlier. I ran across another “statistic” on a different forum that alleges that 14 percent of men paint their nails. I presume that number represents feet and hands. I’ve made no effort to vet the information, but in conversations with my nail tech, whom I previously mentioned is a major supporter and fan of the practice, I expect that she would estimate the number to be even higher. Regards, Logjam

I’ve not bought any in ages although I have seen some I’ve fancied. Living in a boat is an excellent way to curb one’s acquisitional instincts

The problem here in the United States would be, not so much a police officer as it would be an opposing attorney. For just driving barefoot or in high heels... no, nothing would ever be said about it, or a fine levied. However, if you were to be in an auto accident and say someone was killed. If you were to be driving without shoes, or wearing high heels, there is a greater likelihood that the victim's family would use that as a determining factor at making you culpable. Especially if they had nothing else to pin their death on you for. Here we call it "leverage". The opposing attorney finds you did something outside the norm for driving, then would use that in a court of law to sway the jury. Most likely it would never get that far. It would be leverage used in mediation, but ultimately the car insurance carrier would cave and pay out the settlement.

Hmmmm. I still think the odds of anyone being taken to court for driving barefoot or in heels is vanishingly small. There would have to be some truly spectacular other factors and even then that would just be an extra charge thrown in for good measure.

The evidence offered by a police officer would be considered, with other factors, by the court. And the civil aspect is perhaps even more important in that any third party claim is very likely to involve consideration of apportionment of negligence, with a loss of control due to inappropriate footwear being a potentially key factor. It is by no means as trivial or clear-cut as you suggest. This from the AA: 'In 2010, the AA conducted a survey and found that 27% of people said their choice of shoes led to difficulty while driving. Around 5% went as far as to say their footwear caused them to drive dangerously, lose control, or even have an accident. Evidently, the kind of driving shoes you wear really does make a difference – no matter the weather or road conditions. You may be tempted during warmer months to drive without shoes. However, according to Rule 97 of the Highway Code, drivers should make sure “clothing and footwear do not prevent you using the controls in the correct manner." Failure to do so can result in fines or a penalty. Driving barefoot isn’t illegal, but it’s also not advised.'

I first ran into it when I was talking with a truck driver and he said he was pulled over by the Weigh Wagons (police for trucks) and was told to get out of the truck. He said he went scrambling for his shoes because it was against the law to drive without shoes on. It was the first I had ever heard of a law prohibiting it. Later, as I researched the validity of what he said, I realized that it was untrue, but a VERY common thought. In the United States anyway, the Supreme Court has ruled that your vehicle gives you the same rights as your home. There are a lot of rights that are bundled with that, but one surprising one is that it is perfectly legal to be naked inside your car. Yep, no joke. Castle Doctrine also applies.

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!

Yesterday evening it buggered my mind so much that I can't find good everyday occasions for the Hot Chicks, that I just put them on and went for a walk around the block. Actually this might be the best training occasion anyway, because it's simple, I can always do it, and I can vary the length. And my neighbours know me anyway so they probably won't even realize if I'm wearing 13 cm heels instead of 11 cm 😅 Usually I also always drive in my heels, but somehow I never tried in the higher ones. And I have the same issue with scuffed heels from driving, so I wouldn't want to do this to my Hot Chicks. That sounds very good 🙂 Exactly! Nobody walks like that, and I don't see any sense in that. Maybe it's a thing of the look coming from the runway...

That is a very nice feeling, indeed! Unfortunately, I don't have that feeling nearly enough. It's not that I feel clumsy or uncomfortable, but rarely do I feel like I actually know what I'm doing. I may expand upon that thought later. I will have to buck the trend here, and say that I do not find How to Walk in Heels videos to be very helpful at all. There are a significant portion of them that are just wrong, or give bad advice. Those that do give correct advice present it in such a way to be less than helpful with the motion of the walk, if that makes any sense. And whoever says you need to walk upon a straight line, or worse yet, cross your feet over each other as you take each step needs to be publicly shamed. Nobody walks that way on the street. It looks beyond absurd. I'm not saying that there aren't any good videos out there, but they are few.

Or us hockey fans where once and awhile we go to the on-ice fights and strangely a hockey game breaks out! 🙂