Bubba136

 Not to reopen the subject noted here, but I had an interesting experience yesterday afternoon that reminded me of the this thread.  On my way home from church I stopped at a drug store to pick up some vitamin supplements.  Their was a fashionably dressed beautiful young woman looking at some over the counter medicine in the same isle.  I couldn’t help noticing her outfit because she was better dressed than any other woman I had seen all morning.  I took notice of her shoes that she was wearing.  Much to my surprise, she was wearing pare of black leather pumps with 4 1/2” wedge heels.  While they looked presentable, they had that “often” worn look. But what really peaked my interest, besides the fact that I had an identical pair in my closet at home that I wear quite frequently, was I noticed that the shoes leaned in the same manner described in this thread.  In fact the angle they leaned was so acute that the heel caps were worn to a point that caused the shoes on both feet to lean outwards to a degree that they looked uncomfortable.  That being said, what is even more curious to me is why she wore that particular pair of shoes when she was so beautifully dressed.  In my opinion, they spoiled her overall appearance.  

Interestingly enough, I was clearly able to read the article on my I pad.  While I found it interesting, the physical effects of my wearing high heels had on my body nearly ever  provoked my curiosity to a point where I was willing to spend a lot of time seeking an explanation.  My interest has always been in the feeling that I got when wearing girls shoes, heels in particular. That is not saying that I ignored any information I ran across outlining the physical problems that excessive wearing them might generate.  I was also disappointed that the study group was so small.  Had it been larger and conducted over a longer period, the conclusions presented, while most probably being the same, might carry more significance.

I agree with Shyheels.  They are great looking and acceptable for wearing in public by a man.

1 hour ago, mlroseplant said:

The latest up for display are some shoes that I ordered right before I left the country for a couple of weeks. They came in the mail while I was gone. I would not have normally done that, but these red Steve Madden Ronni pumps came up in my Poshmark feed, and I really couldn't pass them up. I don't have any red pumps, and for a mere $18, I thought maybe it was time to try. I have this exact model in beige/nude, so I knew what I was getting. Or so I thought.

These roundish-toed single-sole pumps have 4 1/4" stiletto heels, and they are noticeably thicker heels, at 3/8", than most Steve Madden stiletto heeled models, such as the Daisie. They are pretty comfortable for what they are. I wore them about 3 hours yesterday at church. Now for the bad part--they were advertised as being size 9, what actually came was size 9 1/2. I thought it would be ok, but after about 20 minutes, it was obvious that they are too big. They might work well as-is worn barefoot, but with stockings they are clearly too big for me. Both heels were slipping with every step. Luckily, they are of such a design that this is merely an irritant, and not a showstopping embarrassment. If my pants had been a couple of inches shorter, that could have been a bad look, but I don't think anybody noticed. In fact, I got zero comments, which surprised me a bit given their bold color.

After getting home from church, I fiddled around with various inserts and techniques. I think they'll be ok in the end, but I sure wish stupid seller had gotten her ad correct. I would never have bought these if I had known they were 9 1/2. Still, I'm not giving up on them yet. I really like the color and style, and it's not like I paid $100 for them.

I had a pair that looked like those when I was 15.  Wore them out and it was a sad day when I parted with them.  I currently have a pair of Nine West red stiletto pumps with 4 1/2” heels that I wore to a restaurant yesterday.  

I guess we’re kind of fortunate because we have actual eye ln sightings from around the world on the fashion health of high heels popularity.  It appears from these reports that the trend is about the same in all quadrants. While women are still wearing heels their popularity is declining.  I sincerely hope that manufacturers will still offer us a good choice of styles to purchase when our need arises.  

One of my earliest clients, a talented auto mechanic, passed away unexpectedly last week.  At the funeral last Wednesday there were only two or three women other than those in the family who were dressed up for the occasion.  Other than two female family members, none of the other women were wearing heels.  Several women were wearing ankle boots with low heels and several others were wearing casual clothing with crocs.  It seems like dressing up for any occasion is out of fashion these days.  It’s very disappointing to those of us that appreciate viewing well dressed beautiful women.

I was thinking more or less about position of the ankles shown in the pictures rather then the affect that any uneven or damaged surface might cause. I have also noticed that the natural construction of the human leg causes the feet to cup slightly from the inside towards the outside of each other, tilting slightly towards the center to a point where when the heel is placed on the ground, the ankle is bent slightly towards the outside creating an impression that the heel is more to the inside than in the center of the foot.  It appears that the higher the heel, the more noticeable the illusion.

I just celebrated my 68th birthday. I have been wearing high heels for more than 50 years.  I have never experienced any problem like what is shown here.  For the life of me, I don’t understand how anyone could function wearing shoes that fit as shown. Besides being unsightly and most uncomfortable, they could be considered downright awkward and dangerous.  Needless to say, if I had that problem, I wouldn’t ever wear heels.

The only way you can consider those shoes as “men’s” shoes is to say that they are mine and I am a man.  I know because I’ve done that.

1 hour ago, mlroseplant said:

I had the weirdest shoe failure I've ever experienced in my life yesterday. As you can see below, my heel snapped clean in half while out for my Sunday morning constitutional. There was no precipitating event, no stumble, no trip, no step in a hole, it just broke suddenly. Naturally, it broke when I was every bit of a mile away from home. I came this close to calling my wife, but I chose to tiptoe all the way back home. I'm sure I looked a bit strange, as I was unable to keep a completely natural gait. Of course, the sun had risen by that time, so I was quite easy to spot from a distance. However, the broken heel only slowed me down by three minute for the last mile home. I was very surprised. It felt like it was taking forever to make it home. The GPS said otherwise.

As many of you might recall, these are my most durable shoes, and I just spent 50 bucks getting them reheeled and resoled. I believe I said it out loud, which probably jinxed it, "You watch. Now that I've had these things refurbished, they will break on me somehow." They made it 196.1 miles in total, 195 of which were quite wonderful. I shall miss them.

It,looks like a clean, even break to me.  If it were me, and I liked that pair as much as you seem to, I would probably try to repair them by drilling a hole into both pieces, inserting a metal rod into the hole and putting them together, fastening the pieces together using some super glue.  Perhaps you could get some additional use from them.  Might be worth a try.

7 hours ago, CAT said:

I have several pairs of TLSB brand!   I bought them in ebay over the years.  Some f from a seller named “Bobandangie”.  Great people!   Thee boots are def incredible.  This is a pair 

I remember seeing that pair of boots in their catalog.  If I am not mistaken, BobandAngie used to be members here but I don’t know when the last time they logged into this site.

20 hours ago, Shyheels said:

I like the elegance and lines of five-inch (12cm) stilettos but higher than that and, to me, they lose something; start looking scrunched, t0oo much about the heel itself rather than the overall visual effect the heel can produce on the rest of the boot. For me - aesthetically speaking - four to five inches is the sweet spot. 

Shortly after I began exploring high heels online, I discovered Jenny’s website where I found a picture of a black patent pump with the highest heels I ever saw.  In the picture, the heel was piercing a pool ball.  It was the most beautiful high heel shoe ever.  
 

Discussing the picture with others in the chat room, I Learned of a place called “The Little Shoe Box” in England that made shoes like those.  I found their website and catalog on line and saw that I could buy a pair of black patent pumps with 7” heels exactly like the ones in the picture.  They were expensive but my desire to have a pair overcame my hesitation to spend that much money on a pair of women’s shoes that I would never wear out.  They are handmade and the most beautiful, highest quality pair of heels I ever bought.  
 

The Little Shoe Box website went silent shortly after I purchased my shoes.  People living in London that were familiar with this place told me that they had gone out of business.  They even knew the persons name.  What a shame that his craftsmanship would no longer be available.

I agree with skyheels.  I like the boots. I have a pair of Nine West boots just like those that I have been “living in” the past few weeks. It’s hard to telll exactly what you are wearing from the picture.  I can’t really tell if the top is a long shirt or a dress.  If you don’t get the job, it will not be because of the way you are dressed.  

For years I normally wore pumps and boots with 5 inch heels.  A couple of years before my wife died I bought a couple pairs of pumps with 6 inch heels from 6inForever, which took some practice before I could wear them comfortably.  My wife thought I was crazy wanting shoes with heels that high.  While it took some practice getting used to themi, I wore them quite often to restaurants and other places where I didn’t have to stand very long.  The extra inch in height required paying more attention to foot placement while walking and walking any distance was tiring.  Shortly after buying the shoes with 6 inch heels I found a pair of black patent pumps from Little Shoe Box with 7 inch heels which I had to have.  Wearing them was a real challenge.  First of all, just putting them on required bending my foot to a  position that was almost painful.  I didn’t know that I could bend them that much.  Learning to put them on, learning to stand upright without bending my knees and learning to walk while wearing them took months.  Eventually, with a lot of practice I was able to wear them out to a restaurant.  While me and my 5” heels were normal and comfortable, wearing the higher heels was was work and I never became comfortable while wearing them.

These days, being a lot older, I seldom wear heels more than 4” high out of the house- opting for comfort more than style.  I still have my higher heels and wear my 5” heels around the house occasionally but only take the 6” and 7” heels out of the closet to reminisce about the good old days.

2 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

If it's unisex looking, I don't care whether it's labeled for men or for women, or neither. I can tell you that I haven't bought men's shoes for a decade, simply because I have a short and narrow foot. Therefore, the exact same style works better for me in USW 9B than it does in USM 7D. Technically, I'm a B-and-a-half width.

I did dig out the Eastland loafer-esque sort of casual shoes that I wore to Vietnam the last time. With a little TLC, they should be quite adequate for the job. They are technically "women's" shoes, but my wife has never mentioned anything about them, so  they must pass well. On the other hand, I bought these Nike "cheer" shoes on a whim, simply because I didn't have any decent looking sports shoes, and I thought these were kind of edgy in my own way. My wife thinks they're absolutely great! I don't think she has the foggiest clue as to what they're actually for.

In case anybody is interested, the cheerleader shoes look like they have a split sole with no shank--the idea of which kind of intrigued me when I bought them. However, this is a mere aesthetic feature--the sole is stiff all the way down the foot.

The examples shown by both Puffer and Mlroseplant successfully illustrate my point.  The loafers shown by Puffer would never be considered as men’s shoes because of the height of the heels and crinkle appearance of the leather on the pair with the lower heels.  The examples offered by Mlrose,on the other hand, while purchased from the women’s side, could also be considered as male footwear.  Thanks guys.

4 hours ago, Puffer said:

If the new footwear looks unisex and passes for men's style, why did you buy from the women's side rather than the men's equivalents?   Is it because they fit or look better, or simply because you want to wear 'women's' footwear exclusively?

It’s my desire to wear only women’s shoes.  I don’t own any men shoes.  Women’s shoe lasts fit my feet better.  Besides there are events where a man wearing high heels would be inappropriate.  And I am not a person that would want to call attention towards myself while attending such events.

Female fashions have appropriated many characteristics of men’s clothing in the past few years making it difficult to tell if that particular shirt, blue jeans or jacket is meant for male or female wear.  There is enough similarities between male and female outer clothing that blend gender styles together to a point that the individual wearing the particular garment doesn’t raise any eyebrows.

1 hour ago, mlroseplant said:

I actually wore my high heeled boots to the grocery store yesterday, knowing full well the potential to wind up on my backside once I hit the slick tile floor. Didn't happen. However, wow, am I out of practice. I felt like I should have warmed up or something before I headed out. I keep saying that I'm going to work to improve my ankle flexibility, but I never do.

As a complete aside, I wonder what shoes I will end up wearing to Vietnam? I really don't have any these days that aren't completely beat up.

I recently solved a similar problem by buying a couple of pair of low heel shoes from the women’s side that look unisex.  A pair of penny loafers and a pair of ankle boots that pass for men’s style.  Wore the boots to church last Sunday and the loafers to a funeral on Wednesday.  Only I knew they were women’s shoes.   And, there is always the buying of tennis shoes from the women’s side.  They would also be comfortable for traveling.

I joined 22 years ago on January 12, 2002.  Today is my anniversary of joining, in fact.

Watching the weather channel last night there were several on site reports about the weather in Iowa showing the snow and blowing wind.  I thought of you and that if you were wearing your heels, it would be a perfect time for boots if you had to go out of the house for anything.

Welcome to our forum.  It’s nice to welcome another female to our midst.  A femine view is always welcomed and genuinely appreciated.  Please don’t hesitate to express yourself on any subject that may be of interest here.

Based upon what our members are reportng it would seem that it is becoming more difficult to find high quality high heels at reasonable prices.  Our resident expert in all things associated with high heels, Gina, Known as the Queen of heels, has gone silent for a considerable time.  However, based upon my past private conversation and discussion of sources with her (she lives in Germany and is well connected to the better known producers throughout Europe) I would venture to say that she would recommend some of the products made in Italy, Spain and England.  She also pointed me towards several manufacturers in Germany that produced quality footwear.  She even facilitated my purchasing a couple of pairs for myself.

Be prepared to pay a premium price for a quality product.  And, I too am interested in knowing what you find.

once again, welcome.

8 hours ago, peterborough said:

Well today has been fun. Messing around with the kids at the hotel (no shoes on) stubbed my toe on door and broke it, put 4” heels on and still managed to walk 8,000 steps. 
 

i could walk easier in heels today then flats my toe is pointing  up

Broke your toe?  When you said you stubbed your toe on the door and broke it I thought you were talking about breaking the door.  ;.

6 hours ago, Shyheels said:

I don’t wear sandals but I do think it is a style that particularly suits wedges. I dislike wedge heeled boots though. To my mind the height of a boot calls for the elegance of a more sculpted heel.

 

I do have a pair of ankles b00ts but haven’t worn them since the last time we had snow. A couple of years ago.  The heels are so noisy they attract attention which I don’t particularly care about. 

7 hours ago, stevey2 said:

wedges

If it wasn’t for different tastes in fashion there wouldn’t be so many types, colors and styles for us to choose from.  I too dislike flip flops.  Shower shoes.  Wore them in my early military days.  Also put Crocks in that same category.  But I really do like wedge heel sandals.  Wear them with summer wear, shorts tea shirts and swimsuits, most days where I live.  Large style selection to wear with every occasion.  I keep about six different pairs on hand each season and usually buy two or three new pair every year. I prefer 3 1/2” to 5” cork heels.  They also look good, in my opinion, with casual trousers.  Wearing them for that casual, relaxed, not a care in the world look every retired guy displays going about their business.

Being a “much more difficult customer” than you sounds interesting.  🤔 

Interesting comment, skyheels.  For years I’ve had the practice of noticing the shoes people wear, especially women.  When encountering a person that has attracted my notice, I usually glance from head to toe at the way they are dressed.  I am quite sure that I would notice any man wearing women’s shoes, as it was in this case.