radiodave

Welcome! Trying them on in the store is no big deal, there are threads discussing that topic and for the most part, there's nothing to worry about. Sounds like your wife is supportive, but don't push too hard to wear them outside. My wife isn't keen on it either, but has hinted that it could happen, preferably when we're on vacation where the odds of running into someone we know are slim.

Cool! Sounds like a fun time. Vegas is one of the few places where you see women wearing shoes that in other places you would only see in a strip club. Any pics?

I like the look and feel of shaved legs, but had better results with waxing. I used a DIY kit that wasn't much more than sticky tape, but it worked. The trouble I had with shaving was it grows back quickly, and when it got to a certain length it would snag on my pants when I moved and irritate like heck. Frequent shaving also made things irritated too, but after waxing once it didn't irritate when it grew back. I'd consider doing it again when shorts season comes back.

Welcome! I was a lurker for a while too, but lots of friendly folks here.

Welcome!

Cool! Sounds like you had a great time, and nice shoes!

Probably the only remotely negative experience was trying on a pair of boots in Macy's (Kaufmann's back then), and when I asked if they had my size, the sales lady looked at them, then looked at me with a look like "you aren't really going to try those on, are you?", so I looked back with a look like "yeah I'm going to try them on, and what of it?". Nobody else gave any notice when I tried them on, and when I got back to the counter the same lady asked if they fit OK. I'd say that's the only exception though, and all other times, the sales folk (men and women) are fine with it. Usually they smile, make sure they fit well, and seem just as helpful as if I was in the men's department buying a pair of loafers. Occasionally they bring out a pair and there's a brief confusion because they think "she" will be trying them on, but I say straight up that they are for me, and they are just fine with that. Some even make positive comments and seem intrigued by a guy buying "women's" shoes. As for other shoppers, a few may have glanced, but nobody seems to give it much thought.

Well said, JNR. Any relationship involves compromises, but success of one is how many compromises each are willing to make. Fingers crossed that Blackslide will find a medium that he and his wife will be happy with. I've been married for 6 months, and my wife is fine with wearing heels around the house. She's more concerned about wearing them outside, but more my sake than hers. She's said that if I want to wear them out, she'll go along with it, if I'm confident that I won't let other folks' negative reactions bring me down. She thinks it's cool that I'm showing my own style, and has even commented that they look good on me. She doesn't wear heels often herself, and admits I actually walk better in them than she does. If she has one gripe, it's probably that I have too many! She sometimes rolls her eyes and laughs when I go looking at shoes. We did discuss the notion that deep down I might not be happy with who I am (perhaps echoing Blackslide's wife's concerns about a sex change), but assured her I have no desire to be anything but a guy who happens to like women's shoes. I don't even like the idea of crossdressing to look like a woman, either. Worst case is I might be like Manolo Blahnik, who supposedly wears the shoes he designs. Somehow I don't think he secretly wants to be Manuela Blahnik, but I'll bet he's a guy who thinks that a guy can (and should) wear whatever he wants to wear. I'd bet that folks see him as a guy wearing some shoes that women would kill for, and not as a guy trying to be a woman.

I went with "maybe". I've seen some pretty hideous toenails and feet on guys, but I think if they at least trimmed them and kept them neat that would be fine. Last summer I gave myself a French pedicure and really liked the look of it. I've also used a couple shades of red that I like, but haven't really been adventurous enough to show it off yet.

Well said, Johnie. CassieJ, you are right. Women can wear whatever they like, have a much wider range of things to wear, and quite frankly, make men's things look rather boring. It's a free country, but while women wear men's things with nary a batted eye, the converse doesn't always hold true. But it's getting better. I've figured out it depends a lot on how you present yourself. If you're sheepish about it, folks will give you grief, but if you act confident and act like it's no big deal, they probably won't bug you. Most folks wouldn't care either way, and if they do stare, who cares? I know I'd probably look if I saw a guy wearing heels, but I'd probably offer a compliment since I wear them myself! Nothing wrong with a guy wearing heels. Maybe some of us are tired of the ho-hum, seen-one-you've-seen-them-all shoes that guys have. What's important is you wear something that YOU want to wear, and who cares if someone else thinks it looks strange?

I paint my toenails occasionally, wear a pair of women's capri pants around the house, and my wife lets me wear her skirts. I have several toe rings, but I see other guys wearing them too, so maybe those aren't so "female" after all. Must be, since the receipt from the store I usually get toe rings says "unisex" for the item description. I'd like to try a strapless dress someday, but since guys lack certain anatomical features it might not stay up very well. The wife found a pattern to make such a dress for herself, but agreed we could try making one for me.

Always had an attraction to high heels as long as I could remember. In school I'd always lust after the nice shoes the girls wore and wondered what it must be like to wear them. Even my sister had some strappy sandals that I often admired. It seemed unfair that women had nice shoes that looked attractive, they obviously had some interest in wearing, and made the "boys" shoes look so boring. It wasn't until I met my wife a few years ago that I got to explore them. I told her I thought high heels were sexy, and wondered what it must be like to wear them. So, she bought a pair for me and is cool with me wearing them around the house. I've bought a few pairs in the stores, and realized that nobody seems to give much notice to a guy trying on heels in the stores. I haven't worn them in public, but maybe someday. She admits that while she might not have been gung ho on the idea of guys wearing heels when she was younger, she's accepted it and has no problem with me wearing them. I have a lean frame, narrow feet, and even she admits that they look good on me. The farthest I've pushed the envelope in public was when we were on vacation, and I wore a pair of flat dress sandals (not from the men's department) with some dress pants out to dinner. Nobody seemed to think much of it, and my wife thought it was a good look. I shaved my lower legs and feet, trimmed my toenails, wore a toe ring, and thought it was a good look even if some others may have thought it was unusual or (gasp) "girly". As it turned out, nobody said anything, a couple folks glanced but didn't give me looks like "OMG, what are wearing?", and I focused more on enjoying our dinner.

And overhanging toes on sandals.

I second that. Only thing worse is open-toe sandals worn with reinforced toe nylons. Yech! That should be outlawed!

In agreement here, if you're walking out of pumps, then they are too big. However, if smaller sized ones are pinching your toes badly, then maybe you need wider widths. The only issue I've run into with pumps is that my 4th toes seem a little long, so sometimes they catch on the edge of the pointy toes as I put them on, making them crooked. My feet are very narrow, so most women's shoes have just the right width. Once I get the toe straight they don't pinch at all.

Cool! Nice shoes!

Very nice! Congrats on your find!

Those shoes do look quite nice. However, I noticed on your flickr.com page that you have a pair of ballet heels. I think the ballet heels look even better. The mary janes are a pretty shoes for being out and about. The ballet heels are beautiful ones for fun at home and especially in the bedroom.

Yes, the ballet heels are pretty extreme, but they are entertaining in more than one way...

Thanks all for the comments!

Since the wife got a new pair of shoes (see here, I figured she wouldn't mind if I got a pair myself. The funny thing is, when I tried them on in the store, absolutely NOBODY gave it a second thought, even the lady browsing through with her daughter. I got home, and just started imagining...

Maybe it's time to "test the waters" in the real world.

What do you think of this?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8124288@N06/1218128206/

Check out my other pictures of me wearing the same outfit with different shoes.

I've just got this urge to wear that outfit to the mall Saturday, and if I'm feeling really gutsy, maybe even walk into Macy's and try on a pair of these:

Trouble is, the price tag on those is a little more shocking than a guy in heels, I think.

Comments? I'm not too worried about the length of time or the walking, they are very easy to wear.

To each his own, I guess. I think the strap was what I found attractive, and the toe cleavage isn't so noticeable when I'm standing. Maybe Pumps is right though, if I was to "test the waters" for myself, these might be ones to start with.

Yesterday my wife and I went looking for shoes. I had some heels in mind from Payless, and since they were having the "buy one, get one half off" promotion she figured I could get a pair too. I had my eye on these:

Granted, they are pretty flat, but I liked the look of them. My wife didn't find anything that tickled her fancy, and since she often has trouble wearing shoes with any kind of pointed toe, I didn't push the ones that I liked.

We went over to the Shoe Carnival next door, and she surprised me by picking out a pair of black patent mary janes with a 4" stiletto and open toe on them. She asked if I liked them (heck yeah!), and we were both surprised that they didn't squeeze her feet despite her wearing tube socks to try them on (couldn't find the disposable foot socks around). Very nice! The irony is normally I'm the one picking out the high heels for myself, and she's picking out the sensible ones. Here are her new ones:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8124288@N06/1172314278/

Been wearing my new ones today since it's a rainy day out.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8124288@N06/1171202799/

Strappy sandals for me, too. Something about how they are worn and how they show off the toes looks very flattering, especially if they are worn with bare feet. Always nice seeing women wearing them in the warmer months.

Usually a U.S. women's 9, but sometimes 8 1/2. I have narrow feet and sometimes women's actually fit better than the equivalent men's size because they are too wide.

I browse the shelves, find something I like, ask for my size, try them on, pay, and leave. I've had very positive experiences, and some sales folks will comment on how they look or asking to make sure they fit well.

Congrats! Sounds like your S/O is very supportive of it, and hope things continue to go well for you.

Thought I'd resurrect this. If you could wear whatever you liked without anybody giving you grief for it, what shoes would you wear? What would you wear them with?

I imagine going to a play or symphony with a nice dress shirt, black dress slacks, and a black pair of these:

http://www.zappos.com/n/p/p/7254900.html

Or maybe a pair of black open-toed pumps, maybe like these:

http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/20093336/c/72.html

On a warm, sunny day, maybe a white linen skirt, polo shirt, and a pair of these:

http://couture.zappos.com/n/p/dp/6929316/c/50856.html