Tacchi Alti

Bought off Ebay. I've got another couple of pairs the same - got them while still available. Not the most elegant footwear but wearable in just about any situation - I wore them on a flight to New York and walking round Manhattan last year, and we were staying with friends. You can see the contour of the built-up heel, and I've also for a half-inch lift inside.

My concealed heel boots - 4 inches inside a boot which at first glance looks 'normal' apart from being small. I'll post a pic if you like.

Bottom line - should we care what people think unless they are likely to put our life in danger? I'm actually disappointed no one has ever commented!

It's probably the cumulative effect of bad posture over the years, standing with my back arched. The heels just realign everything beautifully. Today I'm meeting up with the only person who has made any comment about my heels. Actually, not the heels but my increased height. I'll see if more is said. If he gets to know, a lot of people will know, as he's not quite the ticket and there are no secrets with him!

Ah! You posted that a few seconds before my question! They wouldn't have been noticed. I wear 4-4.5 inches all the time and even then most don't notice, and I wear sandals in the summer.

What were the shoes like? Stilettos, block heels, wedges? How high?

Yes, I think a lot of us have been there... You'll find 98% of people are so wrapped up in their own little world that they don't even notice, and the rest don't care. How long were your jeans? I wear floor-length boot-cut jeans most of the time so the heels are hidden when I'm just standing, but of course they can be seen when I'm walking or sitting. I think we tend to make a much bigger deal of it than other people simply because we are painfully aware of the heels and are probably feeling vulnerable. When I first started wearing heels in public (2 inch cowboy boots) I was sure everyone within 100 yards would see them and laugh, but that didn't happen, and it still hasn't happened, even when I've worn stilettos for shopping.

I find the high centre of gravity with platforms difficult to deal with. I have some with 3 inch platforms/7.5 inch heels and they are really easy to walk in until all of a sudden they tip sideways with no warning and for no apparent reason. It's lethal, and I'm terrified of breaking an ankle. I have some similar ones but with 2 inch platforms and have no such problem. What about you? Yours are awesome - I'd love to try them!

A few know about the pain but unless people are curious enough to ask, which has never happened yet, I don't want to volunteer the information just for the sake of it. Let them think what they like for now... However, I think if I explained to one person the word would soon be out to others who have just thought of me as a freak but who can now think of me as a freak with(out) back pain. 

Get them both! You'll regret not buying the sandals if you miss them. You could be breaking them in round the house in time for public wear in spring

Just now, Cali said:

The other place that people notice is on a staircase going up. The people behind you have a clear view of you shoes as you both go up the stairs.

Oh indeed! I've been aware many times of giving people below me a good view of my heels! Sometimes I wonder exactly what people think, but they've never said anything to me about them. Amusement, wonder, anxiety, anger, envy????

Great to hear you've been able to speak to your wife about it, and great also that she's accepted it. I got round to telling my wife about a couple of years into our marriage. She knew I had a thing for heels and got a bit annoyed when I gazed admiringly at girls in them when we were out but I had to tell her (and she took some persuading) that in fact I wasn't admiring the girl but her heels, and more than that wished it were me wearing them. When she finally got it that I was serious, there were a few tears, and the question I now know is common: "Are you gay?"

Anyway, she's tolerated them ever since, although sometimes not so much as others, and I now wear them most days. She's given up wearing heels as she had trouble with her knees, so what this means is that suddenly I'm taller then her, while previously she was slightly taller than me.

One bit of advice, although I think you know it already: take it slow with her and let her know how much you appreciate her acceptance.

I wear them for visiting my mother and mother-in-law, and have worn my boots with concealed heels for visiting both sons and respective wife/girlfriend - also my wife's sister and family. I've had no comments but  I know they've been noticed, most recently when we had a 16-year-old nephew to stay, and he definitely saw them when I knelt down to get something out of a low cupboard. He caught my wife's eye and then looked away. (She told me this afterwards.)

My mother is in a nursing home so all the staff see me in heels - so far wedge boots, concealed heels and wedge sandals.

Those boots are hot, unfortunately, so my feet cook in them indoors. Maybe the next step (sorry) would be some closed-toe wedge mules to wear as slippers.

I have some men's shoes with 2 inch cuban heels I wear with a business suit anyway, so people are used to me in some sort of heel - I just need the progression to a higher one which will actually do something for my back pain. I know I can tell people about the back pain, and they can disbelieve it if they wish, and perhaps if that reason gets out it will spread quickly. No one's asked so far, and I don't want to be the one to raise it unless maybe I see someone gawping at my heels and therefore have the opportunity to explain them.

On 28/10/2017 at 9:31 PM, Cali said:

I have established the fact that I (medically) need to have a 3.75 to 4.25 rise between my toe bed and heel. I discovered that by accident (aka a different injury) where I HAD TO wear 4+ inch heels to allow my leg to heel. After living 11+ years in constant hip pain and having it disappear when I wore heels, I just did it. As a science professor, I explain it in five minutes on the first day of class and move on. Since I don't like pain, I decide to embrace the fact that I am going to wear high heels the rest of my life and have fun with it. Wearing boots like that and shorts is me having fun while messing with your mind. And when you wear open-toe sandals it's imperative that you keep you feet in good shape and your toes colored. So I have also establish the fact that I like nail polish, including my fingernails. I consider nail polish "changeable body art" and another way for me to express me. I strive to have the women envy my heels and nails.  And they do.  

But it's also is a curse, because, while many women may envy me, they are at the same time too closed minded to date me. It's okay for a guy to wear high heels, but not their boyfriends. A double standard I have to live with.

 

Exactly the same in my case, although not for exactly the same reason. I get lower back pain when I wear flat shoes, but heels over about 3.5 inches are a miracle cure. I like to wear four inches or more just to be 'safe'...

Funnily enough on Friday evening I had really crippling pain in my hip (possibly sciatic? I don't know), and again the next morning when I woke up, but it then all-but went away when I was in heels. In the evening I changed into slippers and the pain came back. Fortunately it had resolved itself by yesterday but it was an interesting lesson.

I'm slowly pushing the boundaries of wearing heels with family/close friends around but don't want to hurry things as I can't blame them for being like most other people! I've occasionally worn stiletto boots for shopping but not locally! I have never ever had anyone comment on my heels - reassuring but at the same time a bit disappointing...

So far it's long trousers although I'd like to wear some strappy sandals with shorts! One day, perhaps.

I'm finding more and more that I take a while to adjust at the end of the day when I take my heels off. Perhaps one day I'll have to wear heels all the time. Not sure whether I relish the thought or worry about the consequences.

Long jeans do wonders for confidence although they cover the heel only when you're standing. As you walk the hems rise and show off the heels. If you're nervous (perhaps about particular people you come in contact with) you can just move slowly and your heels remain hidden! Wedges help as there's no immediately visible high heel profile to catch people's eye. They might just notice you have a really short foot or see a narrower profile from behind, but I've never had any comments from anyone, even on a trip last week to head office.

Go for it! I wish I'd had the confidence or even access to decent heels when I was your age! In the times before the Internet we didn't even know there was anyone else out there who shared our passion. There were secretive CD clubs and contacts but nothing just to do with men in heels - that I ever found, anyway.

Plenty of ankle-stretching time to get you ready for Spring!

At a company conference I have to go down several stairs with no handrail, so I have to be extremely careful in my heels! I've noticed people in platforms and they have to be extra careful, as I've noticed the 'top'  foot tends to rock forward just before your 'bottom' foot gets to the next stair! Lethal!

21 hours ago, jeremy1986 said:

Let me guess - she wore slip slops 

Flat loafers, anyway!

I'd love to chat/meet up with another heel wearer within 50 miles or so of Brighton. I'm in heels most days.

I bought a pair of those. Great shoes. I'd advise something a bit more subtle for public wear, even if only ordinary leather rather than patent, if you can handle heels that high confidently on varying surfaces. Remember that wearing them indoors is very different from wearing them on hard and varying surfaces, with rough ground, cracks, slopes, steps, etc. I've worn stilettos a couple of times for shopping but usually stay with wedges or block heels about 4-4.5 inches, and I've never had a comment. Most people don't even notice. My wife accepts that sort of heel and I think occasionally makes me walk on difficult surfaces with her on purpose. Yesterday we went for a walk on the beach, which is a mixture of shingle and sand, with me in my 4.5 inch wedge boots. They're old ones so I didn't worry about the damage from the stones!

Nice subtle heels you can wear anywhere.

I wish... I've locked 5.5 inch stilettos on my feet and left the keys in the car and gone for a half-mile walk, but wish I could persuade my wife to do it for me! I wear heels most of the time in man mode, but more restrained wedges and block heels around 4.5 inches.

I can wear 5.5 inch stilettos for hours, doing housework etc. My toes hurt a bit if I'm standing still for long (eg washing up) but I can walk around with no problem. My lower all-day heels feel like flats until I try to run across the road and am reminded my insteps are not far from vertical, or when my wife purposely leads me over rough ground, slopes, etc.

I've tried them but have reached the conclusion the companies that sell them are fundamentally dishonest! They are selling a lie, and the ones I have dealt with seem at liberty to tell them too. About 16 years ago I bought a pair of Bertulli boots with '4 inch' heels. They were nowhere near. When I complained I was told that was an average across the sizes. As my size is average across their range, I don't think that's true.

More recently I bought a pair of shoes from Tall Men Shoes in California. I'm in the UK so wanted to make sure they were right as there was expensive carriage and import duty to pay on top of the purchase price. I asked several specific questions, as my need in any pair of high heels is a steep slope, not overall height, so I wanted to make quite sure the inside was like a normal high heel with a level sole. I need the slope, not the overall height, to help my back. When the shoes arrived they looked like orthopaedic footwear, and the footbed sloped from heel right through to the tip of the toe in almost a straight line. The company absolutely refused to pay the return carriage despite my quoting parts of our correspondence back to them. They said they would refund the purchase price if I returned them, but I simply don't trust them. With their track record they'd probably 'not receive' them. I'll try to sell them on Ebay unless anyone here wants them.

I've also contacted other companies asking the specific question, and only one bothered to reply at all. He assured me the shoes would look exactly the same as without heels, but when I asked for a picture all went quiet...

On 11 December 2015 at 1:43 AM, HappyinHeels said:

All,

Not sure I've seen a definition for super-arch so I asked my friend in Chicago who sells shoes (many fetish ones as well) about what a "super-arch" shoe might be. He said any shoe/boot where the instep ratio is at least 5:1 and certainly 6:1 or more. So, a shoe/boot with a 5" heel atop a 1" platform or a 6" heel atop a 1" platform would normally. A 6:1 ratio, for most people, essentially puts the middle part of the foot perpendicular to the ground. You'd better be sitting at a party or lying down as Newton's laws of Physics will not be kind to you. My advice: wear a lower more stable heel on the way to the party and, upon arrival, unpack the "party heels" from a handbag and then walk straight into the venue. HappyinHeels

I thought the expression super arch denoted shoes with an arch profile much more pronounced than on an ordinary arch, which in a lot of cases on a very high heel can be almost straight. They give much more support to the foot than ordinary arches but can make the actual angle of the foot more than with an equivalent height heel. The Archenemys site used to sell them and a lot of their models wear them. I think they're what Peter Chu calls special arch. http://www.orientvisual.com/shoepage.php?querytype=id&searchstring=OTB_B1

The last welcome message from you to new members was 4 October 2014. I drew my own conclusions, and I can't see any posts obviously by new members since that date, although of course I wouldn't know who they are anyway. What do you mean by throw-away mailboxes? I have a yahoo account I've used for years - it's the one I have registered with this site, and I'd have given it for registration on h4m.