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Last week, I was in The Netherlands to celebrate a milestone birthday for my wife. We went to dinner on the evening of her special day and for the occasion, she selected an intimate setting about 2kms from our residence. Given that the notoriously unpredictable Dutch weather was cooperating (No rain, non-hurricane force winds, and mild temperatures) we decided to ride our bikes to the restaurant. My outfit for the evening consisted of a pair of just delivered, custom made, black leather, high-heel knee boots from Noe, my favorite brand, which just happens to be based in The Netherlands. They feature 4.25" heel with a .5" platform and ~14" top circumference. Simply put, they are "to die for" gorgeous! Pair with a very "flirty" grey skirt and black top, it was a beautiful outfit if I do say so! If anyone has ever biked in The Netherlands, they would know that doing so can be a challenge in its own right. Doing so in heels, however, adds a new level of difficulty. Admittedly, the ride to/from dinner had to be done carefully so that I did not damage the heels if the ball of the foot area slipped off the pedals, or I had to come to a sudden stop. The sole of the boots is not rubber such as that found on a pair of trainers, so their slipping off the pedals was somewhat of a frequent occurrence. Fortunately, I made it to and from dinner with no damage to the boots. And I loved being seen wearing my new boots!

Great boots for snow removal!

And now. . . for something completely different! Yesterday it snowed. Again. It's going to be one of those winters, apparently. It's not even Christmas, and I'm already wearing of removing snow. A couple of years ago, I got these vintage boots. Cobbies is the brand name. I got them because they are shearling lined, and I wanted some "heels" to wear when it was really cold. These boots feature 2 3/8" heels, which is right at about 6 cm. In other words, FLAT. Which suits me fine for the work I'm doing. I do consider them low heels in the grand scheme of thing, but they're flats. Let's be realistic. Where things get interesting is the coefficient of friction factor. The forefeet of these boots are quite grippy, while the heels, once covered in ice, are dangerously slippery. This leads to some interesting footwork, worthy of a ballerina or Latin dancer. Walking heel to toe on smooth concrete after walking in the snow can lead to catastrophe, so it's best to do the opposite--toe first. I demonstrated this to my 16 year old. He said do what you got to do. A reheeling with Vibram would probably solve this issue.

I went to the chiropractor earlier this week wearing 4 1/2" stiletto heels, and he didn't say anything. I was kind of prepared for a discussion, but none ensued. It's not happened a lot, because I usually stop in on my way home from work, so it's a non-issue, but on several occasions when I've been in "civilian" clothing, I've changed my shoes to go up there because I didn't feel like talking about it. Maybe that has become unnecessary.

Bluejay, Looked at the link and those boots look both cumfy and sturdy. Think they would go well with jeans, skirt or a dress. Don’t have as many boots as some here but live the ones I do have. HinH

Here is a picture of me at church, wearing 11 cm heels, playing the alto horn (or tenor horn, if you are British). On Christmas Eve, no less, in blatant violation of the rule. The other flat-heeled guy playing the trumpet is my son. It wasn't my best outfit choice ever. What's up with those pants?

It's happened before when I've worn some pretty tame heels to appointments: "Ya know that those kinds of shoes are really bad for you, right?" We have never had a real conversation about it, so I decided to pull out all the stops and wear pointy stiletto pumps to my appointment, as the opportunity presented itself. Not a word, and he even has to pull on my ankles as part of the normal adjustment. I wonder if he has any other patients who wear any sort of substantial heels?

I can imagine that flat palstic pedals will be very slippery. I don't have special pedals, but they're metal and offer good grip. I use them with normal shoes for bike tours and also with heels. They're fine for both 🙂 This will sure be fun!

Yes it very much depends on your pedals! I never got into the modern trend for clipless pedals and the pedals on my bicycles are all old-school quill pedals and my feet never slip on them. But a lot if cheaper bikes and rental bikes have these flat pedals with plastic platforms that can be very slippery when wet. I rodeo e once and being used to really nice bicycle, I was appalled. i think it will be fun to put in my stilettos and ride to a place where i can practice. Come spring I hope to be doing this!

Ah, now I see what you mean. Yes, that seems possible. But even with the most slippery soles I never had that issue. Sure also depends on the pedals you have. Right, cycling to such places is a good idea!

It’s unlikely, but if the ball of your foot slid outwardly on the pedals and you were wearing stilettos your heel could hit the front mech on the downstroke. Unlikely, but I think it’s possible. in any event it’s perfectly possible to cycle in heels, and something I am considering so I can get to places to practice in my 12cm stilettos

Cycling in heels is really no big deal, you're overthinking it 😉 As Shyheels said, the heel doesn't even touch the pedal, so it doesn't matter what type of heel you wear. Only platforms change the feeling of the pedals, but with low platforms this also doesn't change that much for me. I also never had a heel stuck in the front shifting mechanism and can't imagine how that could possibly happen.

There’s no way your heel should get stuck on the pedals. Your heel doesn’t touch the pedal, no matter what kind if footwear you’re wearing. It’s just the ball if your foot on the pedal. Dismounting might feel strange in heels, but that’s all. The biggest problem woukd be the risk of scuffing your nice heels on the chain if you don’t have a chain guard, or getting a long stiletto heel stuck in the front shifting mechanism. If you were careful and pedalling at a measured pace there should be no problem

I’ve never done it, never intend to do it and don’t even own a car but it seems like driving in heels is a topic of interest so I decided I’d start a thread. i wouldn’t mind trying cycling in heels though. I’ve seen it done quite stylishly by women in London and on the Continent.

Absolutely! It would be very inconvenient to change shoes everytime when getting in and out of the car.

HiH, I'm going to wear those boots with a a grey sweater dress and black tights. Happy Heeling, bluejay

Is anyone interested in a "Best Dressed" contest for 2026? If so, respond and I will be happy to organize it all! I'm in with an intent to give others (i.e. @CAT) a run for his stilettos! The photo is a picture of some new pumps from this past summer.

I had never really considered buying investment houses and actually living in them. That would certainly be a good way for us to get rid of a lot of junk (all three of us tend toward being hoarders). But that's not how I roll. I'm going to die in this house. I like it here. Speaking of free lunches, I'm scheduled to get one tomorrow at work. With any luck, I'll get laid off the next day. With less luck, I won't get laid off the next day. Either way is fine.

Just noticed this thread. I look at driving in heels as another daily task to master if one is to really enjoy them. Have driven thousands of miles across more than 20 states in heels over the last 30 years. Wedges are my favorites overall but have driven in both boots to different venues and both wedges and stilettos to weddings and parties. It is important to adjust the seat and know when to use cruise control. HinH

I just got these new big block heel boots in a burgundy color . The heel measures 4-3/4" with a i" platform. In my size 11 it's a very steep heel as Mirose would put it. Haven't got to wear them out yet, just too much snow here. Third snowstorm here in the last 5 days but warmer temps are on the way for Thursday. Going to get to 50 degrees F Wow!. I added a link to my new boots.https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D7GXMPYJ?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1&psc=1 Happy Heeling, bluejay

Wish I would have purchased a pair before they sold out. I am a size 11.5 and they sold quickly. Great Boots and Great Look!

My parents bought a condo for my grandmother and aunt in Newtown in the late 70's, sold it 2010's. I bought my current house in 2014 and it has more than tripled in value. When I put a new house on this lot it will then quadruple in value. That's my 2026 plan.

I took a bus to a nearby town today to do some shopping. I had thought about bringing my practice heels and practicing but I knew I was going to be doing a lot of walking and carrying a rucksack full of shopping so I went in my chunky heeled knee boots. As you say, both for men and women trainers seem to be de rigueur these days That said, winter - boot season - is the time of year when you will see the most heels. As I was liked around the town I did see a number of women in heeled knee boots. The men, with the exception of me, were universally in ratty trainers. Although I wasn’t practicing in my 12cm stilettos, it was nice to walk about the town in my chunky heels - it’s all good grist for the mill!

I lived in a very down at heel inner city neighbourhood called Newtown in Sydney many years ago when I was at university. At the time you could get one of the dilapidated old townhouses there for about 60k. I was much too smart to waste my money there … Today they are well into seven figures

I have always worn shorts in the summer, as did my father before me. However, neither of my two sons ever wore shorts after the age of about 10, and they don't show any sign of ever changing. Oddly enough, both of them have legs that are like tree trunks, and yet they have different mothers. They certainly didn't get that from me! I also know plenty of women who never wear shorts or an above the knee skirt. I don't want to say I never do it, but it is easier to wear my beloved wooden heeled sandals with shorts rather than stilettos. Probably absolutely no one outside a certain group thinks about it this way, but to me chunky wooden heeled sandals with shorts is far less radical looking than stilettos with shorts. There is probably almost no one in the general populace who makes such a distinction. @higherheels I always thought the only proper footwear with a Dirndlkleid is none at all, meiner Meinung nach. Certainly much better than sneakers.

I do not know how we got here, but since we are here, that math really isn't mathing. Even assuming that you could actually deduct everything you put into your house, it's not like it's free money. It just means you don't have to pay income taxes on that money. I know people do it, but every time I've looked into buying a house to flip, the numbers just weren't there. It's one of those deals where if I actually lived there, yeah, it would be worth it, but as a means of making money on the side, it's a lot of work for very little gain. Plus, I don't have that kind of energy anymore. Having said that, I wish I could have predicted the insane increase in the price of houses in the last few years. I probably could have made some money off of that.

Because how much money you put into the house is immaterial because it can be wholly deducted off your taxes. It is however, a good way to show how much work had to go into a property. It is not perfect I realize, as it is possible to put in $50,000 worth of electrical work and be something no one would ever notice, but as a rule $50,000 generally shows a fair amount of work went into a property. $10,000... not so much. It is why I used the amounts to show how much work went into the place. But the actually amount spent has no basis on the profit of a house. It can be completed deducted off your income taxes.

Like @mlroseplant, when I started to wear women's shoes in (aka stopped wearing men's shoes), I hide them under longer pants. And those were at most 6.4 cm heels. Then when I had to raise my heel 4 inches I hide them at first. But it was a hot summer, over 100 F (38 C) daily, so I wore shorts and exposed my heels and got thicker skin. Now I wear my tall boots on the outside; yesterday I had my Jessica Simpson black knee highs on and got "that's a fierce fashion statement" from a waiter when I went to the restroom. I have about a dozen stilettos but I have to consider the surfaces I will be walking on. As a result there are only a few days I can wear stilettos. The places I go to now are NOT stiletto friendly, so I rarely wear them. But I will wear my suede JS knee high stilettos with short shorts in the summer. Now "that's a fierce fashion statement."😁

Yes I think so too. Only in one video posted here about the Hot Chicks, I think the reviewer said that she already walked a mile in them? I can't imagine how much you must practice in them to achieve this. They probably must be your everyday shoes then 😀 Thank you for your kind words, they really made me feel better about my accomplishment 🙂

I don’t think anybody would be walking long distances in Hit Chicks or your new boots. They are strictly for going out when you walk only limited distances - and the fact that you can do that is really admirable. Hardly anybody can from what I understand, even people who consider themselves adept at high heels. So you can take a lot of satisfaction in your accomplishment.

I can understand your issues with stilettos as men, being too girly and so. For me as a girl, this was exactly what got me into them. Only later I started to like block heels too. Although stilettos are more dressy than block heels, I don't feel wrong also using them for more casual occasions. Only for walking on soft or very uneven ground like grass I find them unappropriate. Indeed, I was a bit disappointed yesterday. Fatigue and the pressure on the balls of my feet are my limiting factors. I'm sure I could also walk 300 meters in them, but that would just be painful. After my walk yesterday It was not painful, only uncomfortable. I'm over the days of going over my limits and putting up with pain and rather have a good time and take it slower. I'm also not planning on wearing these boots or the Hot Chicks for extended walks. But being able to wear them for a few hundred meters comfortably would be a very nice achievement and open many opportunities for me to wear them 🙂

I was fascinated by stilettos - aesthetically and for the allure of the forbidden, to say nothing of the intriguing physical challenge of wearing them. Just how easy or hard was it to stride briskly along a city sidewalk or waltz across a ballroom floor in lofty stilettos. The thought that I was never meant to know only heightened the appeal. And yet at the same time it was chunky heeled boots that most caught my fancy. Stilettos appealed because they were the Ultima Thule of boundary breaking, which chunky heel knee or ankle boots I could see myself aspiring to wear every day. i know what you mean about feeling funny wearing stilettos in more casual situations. They are inherently dressy. It’s one of the things I like about wearing stilettos in my home office - when you’re a freelance and work from home it’s a good idea to make at least a bit of an effort to dress as though you are going to work as a reminder to yourself that this is an office, not just your kitchen table, and a place for work. Wearing stilettos is great for that. Nobody just lounges around in stilettos! since we started doing this challenge I have really begun to feel at home in stilettos. They are starting to feel as much my natural style as chunky heel boots. I feel quite proud of my ability to get around briskly in my 10cm boots, even if I struggle with 12cm. I can admire your abilities to walk long distances @mlroseplant and @higherheels remarkable abilities to wear Hot Chicks and her even high new boots. You’ve boot been great influences and examples

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

I’ve not tried it yes but I would be interested in doing so

I drive in heels all the time. No problem with that. Since I normally do not wear stilettos but block or stacked heels, it doesn't present a problem with me. Yesterday for example I wore a pair of small 3-1/2 " block heel , loafer pumps to church, then went out in the afternoon wearing a pair of black knee boots with 3-1/2" stacked heels. a pink skort above the knee, with a black polo shirt with a pink Breast Cancer Awareness logo on it. Got a couple compliments on my ensemble while I was out doing some Sunday shopping. Happy Heeling, bluejay

Same. But in reading your comment the idea suddenly came to me that if I got my bike out of storage, I could put on my heels and pedal up the towpath to a place where I could go for a stroll and get in some real world practice. Not cycling in heels for thrills, but for a practical reason.

Cycling in heels is very comfortable because it's basically the same as cyling without heels, as only the front part of the feet touch the pedals. But the same as for driving a car: I wouldn't choose heels for the thrills, it's just more practical to keep them on. I also once had a rental which didn't feel that good in heels. But it might have also been in flats as well...

Funny, even though I have said elsewhere that I get no thrill from it, I just drove in heels yesterday--twice! I don't even really think about it, unless I have a long way to go. It did occur to me that I gained my dislike of driving in heels during the time I owned a particular car, which I no longer have. For some reason, that car had your feet at such an angle that I really did notice if I was wearing heels. With my present car, I really don't think about it much.

I have a pair of Leviticus 2.0 Lug Heel OTK boots and I love them! Sizing is true to size but perhaps just ever so slightly a bit on the large end. Interestingly, sizes are only in 1/2 sizes (e.g. 8.5, 9.5, 10.5) etc. They are very well made and very much worth the price. I, generally speaking, have thin calves and thighs, so my boots shafts are a bit on the large side. Thus, I wear them over a pair of jeans and they are fine. They interior is not at all on the cheap material side, which is great, and the foot bed is very roomy (no cramped toes!). I plan on purchasing the new Kenzie model in a bit and if they are too wide in the shaft, I'll have them reduced in size a bit by a professional leather worker in St. Louis. I would make an out reach to Kristina (the owner/designer if you are full sized (i.e. 9, 10, 11) for her recommendation as to going up or down to the next 1/2 size.

I recently had occasion to compare Home Depot and Lowes: we were looking to install a backup generator on our house and contacted both stores through their websites for a quote. Home Depot got back to me within an hour and got all the information they needed to generate the quote, we signed the contract, scheduled the installation for later that week, and the installation went without a hitch. Lowes finally contacted me about 5 weeks later...