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Hi all, After a long time of meaning to post but never executing, I thought I'd just start a new threat to document my adventures in heels. Nothing complicated, so dont expect wonders, but just sharing pictures and this and that. Our neighborhood is pretty progressive, and over the years, they've gotten to know me in heels. This past week, we had some cooler weather at first, so my wife and I were at the local brewery in booties: That said, boot season is pretty much over in this part of Texas, and towards the middle of the week it was already sandals weather again, so we wore these beauties from Jessica Simpson. Clearly, I need to work on a better angle, but I don't like making a scene taking pictures, so under the table / bar snapshots are mostly what happens... Case in point, this was yesterday's choice.

I haven't bought any new shoes in over three months. However, I have several pair purchased in 2024 which have not made it onto this thread. Up for your consideration today are my red Genshuo pumps in fake patent leather. I also have these in beige/tan/nude, whatever you want to call that neutral color. I originally bought the beige pair to replace my Steve Madden Klory pumps, which had developed a wonky heel. Because I have several pair that are similar, I suppose ebay's algorithm pushed inexpensive pumps to my feed. I bit. Not a week later, I saw the red pair and had to have them. This shade of red is just brilliant, and that in combination with the super slim heel got to me. Speaking of which, the heel is a full 4 3/4" tall, so I can say I have 120s, though I think a true 120 would actually be more like 125 mm in my size. The heel width is quite slim at around 7.5 mm. The problem with these shoes is that they are really too small for me. I usually take a 9, but I could probably use a 9 1/2 in these. I don't think they make half sizes, but at any rate, the shoe stretcher has allowed me to wear them in reasonable comfort. I wore them to church (red for Pentecost Sunday), and had them on for about 3 hours. I could have gone longer, but that was plenty, especially considering that I'm not really ready for heels that high. I can walk, but reviewing the livestream footage, it's not especially pleasant to watch. I'm not awkward enough to be embarrassing, but not graceful enough to meet my standards. Workin' on it. One last note. These are the quietest stilettos I've ever worn or heard. They are eerily silent, even on tile floors. That just seems wrong.

My very first heel purchase,,,,,,,, and I still have them and wear them!!! Steve Madden Kyle patent leather hidden 1" platforms with 5" heel

Still no interaction between me and my high school classmate. I can't really blame him, he's got some major health issues going on right now, but it still seems strange to me that a guy I actually hung out with back in the day would boldly ask a question, and then not really react to the answer. On the other hand, the last time I actually saw the man, in my mid 20s, I was playing a gig at a bar with my band, and our drummer, 6 foot 4 and an imposing presence, had threatened to do harm to him. My last in-person mental image of him was his backside as he was running out the door. By the way, he deserved it. In other news, I'm still working overtime at the data center, and I have been getting up very early in the morning so that I can get my walks in. It's the only way. If I try to do it in the evenings, it ain't happening. I'm not good for anything after supper. I posted in the "New Shoes" thread, but I'll share some more photos of my Pentecost Sunday outfit. There's nothing really special about it, other than the red color, which is the liturgical color for that day. Now we're back to Ordinary Time until Advent, so everything will remain green for a long time. I've never felt comfortable taking pictures of myself, but I've tried some new poses that I picked up from social media. I hope I don't look like a complete idiot.

I woke up before dawn this morning, noticed some interesting blue hour conditions and decided to go out with camera and tripod. On a whim I decided to be brave and wear my midi skirt and chunky heel boots. It was four thirty and no one was around. I was setting up a shot when I heard a cheery voice behind me - a woman out walking her dogs, with a camera slung over her shoulder. A fellow photographer as it turns out. She must have noticed I was wearing a skirt - the heels were less obvious - but made no comment or gave me any strange looks. We chatted about light and photography. The conversation was as natural as if I’d been in my usual hiking boots and jeans. I went from feeling momentarily embarrassed to prolonging the conversation. It was just two photographers chatting we now follow each other on Instagram

Several interesting events happen this week. On Wednesday I stopped at the Post Office on the way into work. As I past a woman getting to her door she stopped and told "I just love those boots" (Impo boots with 3.8+" skinny heels) "I wish I could walk as well as you in them." That's just normal for me. It's what happen on the way out that makes this an event. When I was about 11 meters from my car, I felt something wrong...looked down and the platform had separated from the top of the shoe. Got to my car, took off the boot and drove home. Lucky, I was only 4 miles from home. Went home and changed into my Jessica Simpson faux suede knee highs. I have since glued the shoe together. I wonder how many miles I have logged in those shoes over the last 6 + years; 50?, 100?, 200? Today, was a meetings day, again had the JS knee highs (rainy/windy day). After one meeting, a woman told me she always likes walking behind me because she likes the heels I wear. We discussed shoes for a few minutes, she and another woman were fans of JS shoes. Sheepishly she confessed that she owned over 50 heels, I told her "that's ALL, I have around 100." We laughed.

This is so true! I remember the first few times I wore heels in public. I was so focused on what people might say, or what types of looks I might get, that by the end of it, I was like “wow, no one really even looked, or seemed to care at all, one way or the other”. Psychologically, I think I prepared myself too much, for negative reactions, ridicule, or even dirty looks, and when none of that happened, I realized that the whole event really wasn’t as big of a deal to everyone else, as it may have been to me. It honestly felt like all of the mental preparation and courage I summoned leading up to my finally walking in public wearing heels, was a gigantic nothing burger! In a strange way, It was sort of a let-down, almost making me feel like all of the excitement I had been building up in my own head, along with the thought that others would be ready to laugh, ridicule, point, or whatever, gave the whole thing much more importance than it actually deserved. What I got from my first experiences wearing heels in public, is that most people either, don’t care, or are not paying attention (mainly because they are probably too wrapped up in their own routines and their own distractions). I truly believe more guys would venture out in heels, if they realized that 99.8 of the “barriers” and negative reactions they expect and prepare for, or that they imagine that actually prevents them from experiencing and exploring wearing heels in public, basically come mainly from their own thoughts, and not the public/society itself. As far as reactions go, over decades of wearing heels in public, I’ve gotten maybe three or four dirty looks, maybe double that amount of looks of confusion or “double takes” (like when someone sees something, looks away, then quickly looks back, as if to say, “did I really just see what I thought I saw?), and I should add that many of those were woman, who followed it up with a kind smile! As far as comments, I’ve gotten literally dozens, from males and females alike, mostly all positive! Definitely nothing that would have ever kept me from going back out in heels again, that’s for sure. Bottom line is that most people could care less, and the ones that may notice, are mostly kindhearted people, and not as judgmental as one may think.

Here is the outfit from 2 weeks ago, and yes it was f'ing cold !

When I repainted my first place I wore my tallest heels trim the edge where the wall and ceiling meet. A step stool might have been more comfortable, but this was more fun.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Hello! I have found and followed many pair of boots during years but this year I have found where to get them. I wanna show you those prettiest things. 😍 Just tell me if I have not correctly made this post. I wanna have all of them. I cannot resist!🥰 First boots I am trying hard to bring them back home since two months: Ann Klein Silence 10M The next one is coming towards me: Here are other boots.Putting them all here:

In a nutshell it's a high gloss coating applied to leather. There are different types like acrylic or polyurethane. It waterproofs but also reduces the natural stretch of the leather so it doesn't mold to the foot in the same way. Edit for details.

Just purchased these for an insanely low price, £1.75 brand new. Was such an amazing bargain, would have been crazy not to. Theyre the Stessy from Aldo. Im just not sure what to wear with them 🤔 🤣

There’s a men’s fashion Instagram account that keeps popping up in my feed and it’s rather interesting. Yesterday they had a post about men’s fashions becoming more feminine - specifically mentioning skinny jeans. The chap whose account it’s, and who deals in bespoke suits, was very much against this. I posted a comment saying that I thought it was time to lighten up, allow men the same degree of freedom, fun and theatricality women took for granted. I was pleasantly surprised to have 75 (and counting) likes and only one (polite) disagreement

Between 85 and 100% of what I wear comes from the woman's side, but other than my heels, I don't look feminine. Even with gel fingernails. More colors and fabrics to play with, better fit.

I hear ya for sure. But, I have found/noticed that a mix of subtle "feminine gear" along with decent "masculine gear" can be a great look indeed. Just a guy, happy to be a guy, wearing a touch of "feminine gear". I find this to be a very confident/powerful look indeed. Needless to say, many guys have nice long/lean/toned builds and look great in even more feminine gear, not a look I can pull off for sure... I recently bought a few pairs of women's nike leggings/work out gear pants from a thrift store, just to get a better idea of what size would work for me, and just how I would look. I enjoy wearing them, but afraid to see an actual picture of me...Afraid I might be "overstepping", writing checks my old dad bod just cant cash!

After four days in a row of practice, I believe I am back to normal. The super cold weather has left us, at least for now, and I can stand to walk outside again. It may be that I will feel like taking some pictures again soon. It's kind of too bad I missed the last couple of weeks. I wore knee high boots to church two weeks in a row!

I realize that I do not need to share the excruciating details of my everyday life on this forum, but I had an encounter this evening that made me wonder if, while out in a pair of heels, we do not notice others who may notice us? A bit of a backfill is needed. My employer mandates that all employees have to exhausted certain types of Acquired Benefit Time (i.e. personal days and/or vacation days) by the end of the calendar year or lose it. As Christmas and New Year's Day fall on Wednesdays this year, about 99% of the staff take extra days off throughout December. I am, unfortunately, that one percent that still has to make my way into the office. As we approached the end of 2024, my bosses began sending emails to their staff indicating on what days they would/would not be in the office over the last two weeks of December. Given that I was the only poor soul who was not taking any time off over the holidays, I decided to make the most of all others being away by designating the last two weeks of the year as "High-high heel days." I decided that I was going to wear those 4+" heels into the office with some outfit that, until very recently, I would never have otherwise considered doing so. I very much wanted to make sure that I was comfortable doing so now so that I could do so again in the future. This past Tuesday, for example, I wore an exquisite knee-length leather skirt with my 4.5" Jessica Simpson - Tulip (model) boots. Today I wore a delicious animal print, just above the knee skirt with 4" wedge boots and a black turtleneck. As a whole, the ensemble was quite haute couture if I do say so myself. After the end of the workday, I headed over to the local wine bar in town as the place has a Friday after work special. After sharing a drink with a friend and colleague from another department that is the monstrosity of my employer, I decided to engage in my favorite, least desirable activity - weekly grocery shopping. FWIW, my colleague raved about my outfit and I told that if she continued, she was going to make me blush, which was not that hard as I was already wearing a nice rose colored blush! As I made my way into the hair care products aisle, I encountered two younger aged women, who I would place in their early 20s. I took notice of one of them because she was wearing very casual, just over-the-knee, 2.5" block, black microfiber heel boots, with distressed jeans. I grabbed some hair conditioner and made my way to the end of the aisle where I encountered the two women. The woman wearing the boots then says to me words along the line of "I love your outfit - you look fabulous!!" "Oh, thank you ever so kindly!!" was my response, which is my standard response and I truly do mean it. The same woman told me that she loved the skirt and I find that making small talk when given a compliment has been received is a means by which to show sincere appreciation of such. I told the women that, in fact, I found it at the local second-hand store, and was amazed to find an item so cute and in my size. Seeing that it fit me so well, I "had" to buy it for the few dollars marked on the price tag. The woman continued to compliment my outfit and then told me that as soon as she noticed me turning into the aisle, she was "checkin' me out." I told her that I honestly did not notice her doing so and again, thanked them both for their kind and encouraging words before heading to the next aisle. In all, I would estimate that I was in the presence of the woman for ~15-20 seconds before she made any compliment to me. Needless to say, it is encounters such as this that I truly enjoy and reinforce my confidence. The fact that I did not notice the woman looking at my outfit made me wonder if, after a certain point of routinely being out in heels, do we drop our guard and not even realize it? Do/can "we" become so confident that over time, we no longer notice who notices us? I suppose one could argue that it is a defence mechanism for any of us to focus on what we are doing when out and about in a pair of heels so that we do not notice others reaction to our presence, if they actually should have one. There have been may posts on this forum regarding whether or not others actually notice "US" when were are out and about while wearing heels. I would venture a guess that the consensus is that no, many others do not notice us when we are wearing our heels and if they do, they care little about such. So, I have to ask if we become like "them" and after a while, take no notice of those who notice us? I can certainly say that I have reached the point where when I am out in heels, I do not notice what anyone's reactions may be as doing what I need to get done is the focus. Thus, if someone should notice me, my reaction is..."And?" The wedges were supremely comfortable but as I had been in them for 12 hours when I finally got home, although my feet and calves were not screaming "uncle" they were tired. I think @Tech will be awarding me "Best Dressed of 2024" any day now!

Well, I guess I feel that not as many folks notice our heels and boots are we once might have feared did notice! Again, I always notice footwear, so mistakenly made the assumption that most others do too. But, on the other hand, I feel that more folks notice than we are aware of. Most folks might notice but don't want to be rude or stare, and they are way too busy to deviate from their immediate missions while out and about. I might not notice folks checking out my boots intentionally, mainly because I want to give them the opportunity to look (hopefully admire) without "being caught looking/staring" by me. Generally, I can usually sense when someone is taking a second look though. For me, I know I am relaxed when out and about, when I almost forget I'm wearing boots.

I just returned from our spring state-wide convention in a swanky hotel in southern California. One night, last time we where down here, there was a special Bogadi park zone outside that hotel where the convention was held. And there were several cars parked in it. This Friday I saw 50 to 60 4" stilettoes, at least 30 4" block heels, many many tall wedges. Late teens to old ladies. High heels are not dead in this area. Many more high heels at the convention than in past years. More in Cali World later.

Hola Amigos! To borrow a line from my favorite columnist Jim Anchower (Author of "The Cruise" and at the time of his last article was en route to jail), "I know it's been a long time since I rapped with you..." but honestly, I have not had much to say. Recently, however, I have been experiencing an unusual phenomenon which is that although I know I am wearing heels it does not feel like it whatsoever. Given that by 9:00am on days I am at the office I have finished by third cup of coffee (reminder to self...switch to caffeinated) about an hour later, it is break time which usually necessitates a trip to the washroom. What I have noticed is that when I am wearing a pair of heels, regardless of the height of such, I do not even seem to realize that I am wearing a pair of heels. I can hear and feel the heel striking the ground followed by the footbed, but yet, it does not feel as if I am wearing heels. I suppose it might be that my stride and cadence has become so smooth from wearing heels just about every day, that this is a reflection of how it has evolved, or just my confidence in doing so. Yesterday, for example, I was wearing a pair of delightfully beautiful 4" (~10cm) Noe (Brand) ankle boots and as I was walking around my office building, one of the members of my fan base said, "I love your heels..." I had to look down at my feet to confirm I was, in fact, wearing heels. I cannot quite explain why such is the case, but in a minor and weird way, being so comfortable in heels to the point where I do not even notice such takes the enjoyment out of wearing them. Perhaps I should start wearing flats more often to appreciate wearing heels. Uh...no, that will not happen.

1995, bought a pair of heels on a whim - and never looked back. Wifey thought I was nuts. sf

Why should women only be allowed to wear anklets. I wear one often. My wife and I have matching anklets. Happy Heeling bluejay

I just completed my quick 1.5-day trip. And @pebblesf, the airline was SWA. I wore my Jessica Simpson black faux suede with block heels both ways. Stilettos would have been a nightmare of the airport floors. First with jeans and returned in dark red cords. I was one of the very few in colors other than white, black, blue, grey, and beige. Also, I had the highest heels everywhere. I saw some SWA flight attendants in short (2 inch) heels, and a Spirit FA also on short heels at the hotel I stayed at. Almost all the CLEAR and TSA agents complimented me on my knee-high boots before saying anything else. The guy at the car rental also complimented me on the ‘fierce’ boots before I got to his station. At least 20 other travelers also complimented me on the boots. Many, many double takes. Good quick trip. Another trip in a month. Again boots

I also wear my knee boots and OTK boots outside my jeans. As you say, it’s noticeable. Even so, a lot of people don’t notice. And those that do seldom give it much more than a passing glance.

I realize that folks "notice" when I wear stiletto boots/booties, can almost feel the gaze/stare behind me. But that's OK, hoping they are intrigued. Getting on/off an elevator is another place where I realize my boots will be noticed... Often wish I had a way to hear what was said after I got off the elevator, or perhaps better off not knowing. Oh well.. I can truly count the actual negative responses on one hand... Like "shyheels" says, you just have to "own it", be confident, never let em see you sweat....

I did actually wear stilettos in public just yesterday, to my kid's jazz band concert. And even then, I seem to have attracted very little notice, despite there being hundreds of people there. And yet, at the same time, I was a unicorn. I was not the only one I saw who was wearing heels, but I was the only one in high stilettos. It hasn't always been this way. I've certainly been challenged and even heckled in the past.

Today I wore my Nine West suede knee highs boots with pointy toes to work. One of the administrators ask me about how to buy boots. She has seen some 'but they were expensive". Yeah good suede boots cost money. This is the third time she has ask about shopping, I think she wants to go shoe (boot) shopping with me....LOL

Someone ripped me a new one on reddit for my reply to a guy's question about wearing his leggings in public for the first time. I responded that he might consider wearing a pair of gym/cycling shorts over the leggings in an effort to help get over feeling self concious about it. I also mentioned that leggings on a guy can be quite revealing, perhaps not appropriate for all occasions or audiences. Someone wrote back saying my advice was the worst ever, and that the world should "get over" the fear of seeing the human form because it is completely natural.... Well, I didn't really respond back but disagree for sure. Like I say, leggings can be pretty darn revealing on guys, no secrets for sure. The rest of the world might not be interested in knowing quite that much about this man's physique and endowment. Just the same way I would prefer not to watch a woman breast feed, especially when she refuses to cover up. I'm not really interested in accidentally walking into a stall while someone is relieving themselves. All of these are natural acts indeed, but not ones most of us are interested in witnessing. I guess sometimes we/guys need to consider the audience. Leggings at the gym, great. Leggings while jogging or biking, great again. But perhaps leggings might not be the best choice for going to the food store, or other places with alot of kids, family type restaurants, etc. Needless to say, I think guys can look great in leggings, but not all of us can "pull off the look successfully".

When I think of feminising the male wardrobe I think more of borrowing from the women’s aisle than achieving a feminine look myself - in much the same way women will happily borrow whatever they please from the men’s aisle and then work with it to achieve the (still feminine)look they are after rather than trying to dress like a man. i like adding what are perceived to be feminine boots to my style, but I’ve no interest in looking feminine overall.

Today I stopped by a DSW store to see if my order was in. It was, but the Journey booties didn't fit. The bad news is that this DSW only has about 20% of floor space for heels, 10% men's dress and the rest sneakers (runners for you Brits). Very, very sad. So far this year I've only not worn knee highs boots to work once. I get lots of compliments on the my boots from both men and women. Random scooter shoot outs - "love those boots" or "great outfit". LOL Today when I picked up my food at a multi-restaurant eatery, the order taker told me nice boots.

That's taking hi-viz to a new level!

My wife has larger calves and had many a pair of Duo boots, the first coming in 2012. I can attest to the fact that any pair of boots from them are very well made with high quality materials and worth the price to get them. Duo used to have great models every season from flats/low heels to 4"/10cm heels in many wonderful styles. Some time ago, however, Duo, for completely inexplicable reasons, changed their name to "Ted and Muffy" after the owners of the company (as I understand it). This, seemingly, soured with customers and led to them just about going out of business. A buyer for the company was found and changed so much, and in my opinion, not for the better, upon taking receivership of the company. The name was changed back to Duo, and styles became more basic to the point of being almost "frumpy." Likewise, taller heels were gone, and varying calf sizes for each model were reduced. Boots became the sole focus as pumps and other styles were no longer offered. Yes, all stores across the UK were closed (and I think the one in Bath was one of the larger stores) and now, they are only an online retailer. Although the product lineup for the current season has some nice styles, they are nowhere near the jaw-dropping models they once offered. I have a pair of 4"/10cm ankle boots from them, and my wife may still have a pair or two of their boots and pumps. If Duo were to return to making the boot styles they did before the whole Ted and Muffy flop, I would be more than willing to sign over every other paycheck to them for new pairs every month. Yes, wasteful but worth it regardless of the price. FWIW, a retailer that I have come to love is Noe (there should be an umlaut, my favorite diacritical mark, over that "e" but my computer does not have a number pad...) in Antwerp. I just ordered a pair of custom knee high boots from them and should have them around the start of March. I currently have four pairs of ankle boots from them, and have two pair of pumps on order. Although they are not at all a fancy design, the color selection is amazing. The price of the boots I ordered was actually slightly less than those offered at Duo. If Duo ever started making this model again, I would be the first in line to get a pair!

I did something that I rarely do yesterday. I went walking in stilettos. I am not 100% sure what possessed me to do it, but I did it, and walked just shy of 2.5 miles, or 4 km. Part of the reason is because I had not shown my Aldo ankle boots any love for a long time. In fact, according to my records, I haven't worn them in two years. That might not be quite right, but it seems accurate. Back in the day, I somehow wore these a lot, as I've evidently had them reheeled three times. They are fairly steep boots, sporting a 5" heel with a 5/8" platform. Here's what I noticed. They're fine. Perfectly stable. Other than having to pay very good attention to where I stepped due to the stiletto heels, they were just like wearing any other high heeled shoes. How I managed in them 10 years ago is another question. I must not have looked so great. I can tell you one thing for sure--ever since I got on this fascination with the SE Asian beauty pageant coaches, my heel tips have started lasting a lot longer. According to my records, I got about 7 miles out of each set of tips in the past. The current tips that are on there have got 5 miles, and I guarantee they will last a lot longer than 2 more miles.

These (from M&S) for example?

My view on fashion is convoluted because it is ironically so simple: who gives a flying flip about what gender it is supposed to be for if its what you want to wear? I wear leggings because they are warm and comfortable compared to sweatpants or long johns. And I think it is great that guys are wearing high heels because they were originally men's fashions. I don't care that women wear them now, but I would love to see it go back to where it is common place for men to also wear them. I really cannot define it, but I just like seeing outfits that are well thought out and coordinate well. I can't define it, but I know when I see it.

My podiatrist advise me to wear at least 2.5 inch heels to deal with my extreme high arches. I go to a nail salon where it is more of a coop, where each nail tech has their own clients and manicure stations, but share space and pedicure stations. Very, very hard to get in for none-regulars. And I get great leg and foot massage, too. I wear open toes throught the year. Not much this month. I too let my nail tech do dealers choice, bt many times I have a design in my head when I come in. After the pedicure I get my manicure. I have damaged figernails so I get acrylic nails with gel color. Ran errands this morning, 4 random compliments on them. Men can get colored fingernails. PS. My podriatrst loves my nail color.

I think we are all more influencers than we know, and you especially. You just have this huge love of high heels that bursts through, a true passion, so I think you influence a lot more people than you give yourself credit for. That includes a lot of people on this site. And never forget, most forums have 99 people lurking for every one that posts a reply, so you might (and others on here) have far, far, far more influence than you think. But that is what being authentic does... it shows others its fine to like whatever it is that they like!

That is all so true. I also think motivation has a lot to do with it too. My wife straight up dresses for me because she loves me and knows I like it. Since she is not dressing for others attention, I think its a look she can pull off. But people also suck. My wife and I are probably some of the most humble unassuming people in the world, but we do like to dress up and most of the time are some of the best dressed people at a venue. Not over the top bling-bling, but sharply dressed. Yet we hear snide comments a lot. Most of the time it is my wife who hears them from other women in the bathroom, or walking past just loud enough to her husband but so that we can hear, and occasion for us as a couple. I think it just becomes unusual as more and more people dress down, and in doing so they either feel guilty about how they constantly dress, or flat out make the wrong conclusions on why we do dress nice. For us, its all about this: "You feel how you are dressed". Spend a week in the wilderness bush crafting it, you are going to feel gross and yucky. But dress nicely, and you feel better about yourself.

Back on the subject of feminising the male wardrobe, I have been giving thought to my taste in boots. While I like the racy elegance of stilettos, my personal style preference is for block or chunky heel knee or ankle boots. But at the same time, I dislike cowboy boots or Chelsea boots - which also have chunky, albeit not quite as high as I like. it’s not purely a matter of height but of design and lines. It’s the fitted feminine styling and elegance - as a matter of aesthetics not because I feel feminine myself.

I do have base layer thermal tights from cycling which are proving quite handy living on the canal in winter

He was like a lawyer still arguing his case after it’s already been settled in his favour and everyone in the courtroom has gone home.

The guy looks pretty good. Edgy, but not outlandish. However. . . (long pause) . . . I do admit I had to fast forward through most of the video. That's too many pictures in a single album by about a factor of 10.

Thanks! Can't wait to go! Super excited! Thanks! Can't wait to go! It's a place that my wife and I have wanted to visit for quite some time - super excited to finally being able to do so!

I too have been thinking how nice it is to see a topic near the bottom of the board take off - and such a good topic too, so germane to the overall tenor of the site! As to feminizing the male wardrobe, I have taken a step I’d never thought I would take and have bought myself a skirt - a midi pencil skirt. Here I need to give credit to @CAT for being a positive influence with his outfits, although our tastes are very different. I’ve always liked the look of long skirts paired with tall boots and have increasingly wanted to have something other than skinny jeans with which to pair mine. And so I decided to give it a try - and also to experience the novelty of wearing a skirt, something I’d never tried. in short, I love it. In fact I’m surprised by how much I like it and even more how natural it feels wearing it. Again, it’s a longer skirt, down to my calves which is something that suits me. I’ve never been a fan of mini skirts and have no desire to wear or try one - it’s just not me, and not because I’m being self conscious. The midi pencil skirt though very much is me - surprisingly so. I feel very comfortable wearing it, physically and emotionally. And it works really well with my boots. I can definitely see myself acquiring more of these skirts. I really like them.

These days, we can easily get by with wearing colors that would have been mocked 20 years ago. I see pink shirts and even pink hard hats all over constructions sites on the regular. What has not changed, and probably will not change, is the general coverage of clothing. I'm not saying it's good or it's bad, I'm just saying that even in a modestly dressy situation, a man must be pretty much covered up except for his hands, neck, and head. The most he can get by with is a short sleeve shirt, and even that's out once you get to anything more dressy than business casual. Until and unless it becomes common and acceptable for men to wear skirts, I must keep what may be my best physical assets covered up. Even in casual situations, I still push it pretty hard with my shorts. Those are still the subject of derision every once in a while.

I wouldn't worry too much about wandering conversation. We are too few to be concerned about staying exactly on point. I can think of many examples of threads where we have sometimes strayed for several pages into such topics as electrical wiring methods or vintage outboard boat motors. And while I would not like to completely abandon the subject of walking, I find that if one creates a special thread to accommodate the conversation which has wandered away from the original subject, 99 times out of 100, the conversation dies very quickly, and usually in both threads. Therefore, I do not wish to stop the ball rolling, so to speak. Being a church musician is kind of a strange job in that you never have the time to get really good. Unlike preparing for a regular concert or recital, you've got to keep cranking out new material, week after week after week. Because of this, I sometimes have a difficult relationship with sacred music. I am familiar with about 90% of the hymns in the traditional hymnal, so if I don't have time to practice on any given week, those come last on the priority list. I know I can wing those for sure. What this means is that sometimes I find myself simply reading the words and not really thinking of it too much. It is not my preference, but it sometimes happens. I don't think it's part of the human condition to be "on" 100% of the time. There are times that we need to coast. The same goes for looking graceful and elegant. I think it's impossible to do it 100% of the time. I am made painfully aware of that on a weekly basis thanks to the church livestream. Not only do I have to play/sing five new songs every week, I have to be careful what I say in the background during the service (microphones are everywhere), and I have to be careful how I look and how I carry myself. That stuff is recorded and kept forever and ever, amen. If I have dropped my pencil and have to bend over to pick it up, a camera will see it. Potentially, the whole world will see it. This makes me think about things I never thought about before, such as how exactly am I going to bend over and pick up that pencil? How exactly am I going to walk in front of the altar to confer with my bandmates or to greet the organist? And why did I wear these stupidly high heels today? This is one of the several reasons that I have become much more interested in the mechanics of walking than I used to be.

My latest purchase is these pumps by Shoe Republic LA. Some off-brand made-up name, I suppose. I bought them because they were advertised as having a 5 inch heel, they were 20 bucks, and I thought, "Well, let me see if I can learn to walk in them." As is so often the case, most people are not hung up on extreme accuracy with such things, and it turns out that the heels are a mere 4 3/4", making them only nominally higher than all of the Steve Madden pumps I already have of that ilk. The width of the heel is definitely on the narrow side, being slightly less than 5/16" or 8 mm. Despite my initial disappointment with the absolute height of the heel, I tried them on and walked around in them for a little while, and I think they're going to be all right. They are about the smallest, tightest shoes I'd ever want to consider actually wearing outside, but I think they will probably straighten up and fly right eventually. Once my toes uncurled inside the shoes they didn't feel too bad. The question is, where am I ever going to wear them? They are outlandish enough that I'm not really sure.

Here we are at the end of another year. I wonder what 2025 will bring? I am not one to make New Year resolutions, but I have been thinking loosely about things I would like to accomplish in the coming year. For one thing, once the weather improves, there are some repairs/improvements I need to make to my house that I've already put off at least a year longer than I should have. Another goal that I've had in the back of my mind for a while is to make a "how to walk in high heels" video. There are two main reasons why I haven't made one yet: First, it's very unclear that I currently have the production resources to make the sort of video I would like. Second, I don't think I've mastered the art to the level where I feel I could instruct others competently. Part of the problem is that, even if I am doing everything what I would call "right," I still don't like the way I look, and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it, because I am physically bowlegged. I can try to compensate for it, but the fact is, my legs will never be long and straight. My knees can be physically touching, but my calves will always have a gap between them that is disproportionate to the rest of my legs. So, the video will probably never happen. The other high heeled goal, mentioned elsewhere, is what do I make my walking goal for next year? I did 350 miles this year, and I feel pretty good about that. It may seem silly to some to make an artificial athletic goal for something that is essentially an aesthetic fashion accessory, but I can tell you that if I simply walked in athletic shoes, I wouldn't walk nearly as much. I just like walking in heels. I am hesitant to up the ante and say that I'm going to do 400 miles next year, because so much of it is dependent upon my work situation, which is far from stable at the moment. I had planned 300 miles for this year, and the only reason I was able to make it to 350 is because for a good while my work schedule allowed me to go 1 - 1.5 miles every day before work. After a while, that adds up. To finish this post, here is last Sunday's church OOTW. I decided to go with a sort of monochromatic look, as I often do. I did not wear matching shoes because I just didn't feel like it. And besides, I hadn't worn these Coach Cammy pumps in a little while, and I was not feeling energetic. The Cammys are a mere 4 inches, and they are super light. As long as I remember to put a Bandaid or some tape on my right third toe (the right shoe rubs me there for some reason), they are all day shoes without thinking about it. I got a couple of compliments about my outfit, but nobody specifically mentioned the shoes. I guess there is no real reason to, as they are styled very conservatively. Happy New Year!

My latest purchase, yesterday from DSW I got them at a great price. $18.65. There was a 50% off on all the clearance prices and I had a $10.00 reward. Happy Heeling, bluejay I've added better pic of my new booties: bluejay