mlroseplant

I definitely have different sets of shoes for walking vs. dressing up. There is some overlap, but not a lot. I rarely wear stilettos to walk in, but sometimes I do it just for the fun of it. Here are some recent examples of dress up shoes and walking shoes. I'm sure it will be obvious which is which. Neither of these are 12 cm height difference. Still workin' on that one.

Church outfit of the week, 10 August, 2025. Miu Miu strappy sandals in nude patent. 5 1/2" heel, 1" platform. I should wear these more often. As I was saving the photos to the folder entitled "HHPlace," I realized that I wore this exact same outfit to church about 2 years ago. Shame on me! 😆

Haha, none of these shoes were meant for walking! On average, I break more shoes than most people buy in a year. However, in 2025 I don't think I've had any shoe failures so far (knock on wood). My interest in heels takes two different paths. Besides liking the way they look, I think of them as an athletic challenge, and most of my physical exercise consists of walking in heels. I have walked a documented total of about 4,000 km over the past decade in heels of at least 7 cm, and in recent years, I don't have anything lower than about 9 cm that I walk in. The 12 cm challenge proposed here will be something totally different for me, because now I will be going for sheer height/flexibility rather than endurance. And I'm not 100% sure how I'm going to accomplish that. As far as shortened tendons, I can really tell when I've slacked off on the foot exercises and calf stretches for several days. I have to be very careful of that because of the nature of my time in heels. On the other hand, I don't live full time in heels, either, because I can't. I think you'll probably be ok with just the slightest attention to stretching your achilles, because you are not in heels full time, all the time. Whoever wishes for shortened tendons (and in real life, that number has to be exceeding rare) is a complete moron.

I didn't get in any 12+ cm time yesterday, but I did get a lot of 11 cm time in. I got in 5 km of walking between rainstorms yesterday, which was accomplished in the below pictured Prada mules. They are actually 15 cm, but with a 4 cm platform. They are freshly reheeled, as well. I call them my rain shoes, because they keep my feet out of the puddles! For church, I wore my Miu Miu sandals, which are 14 cm with 3 cm platform. I spent the majority of the day in those. It is amazing how much difference an extra centimeter makes. I am fairly competent and comfortable at 11 cm, but 12 cm is really pushing it for me. @higherheels I am glad that somebody is working on learning to walk in Hot Chicks. I have never actually seen anybody walk very well in them before, even on social media. I know that in my size, which is 40, the heel height of Hot Chicks is more like 137 mm, so that is indeed an accomplishment!

I did NOT do any of that stuff yesterday. I had to work my construction job, wearing boots I don't really like. If I make any progress today, I will let you know. I do plan on getting out and pounding the pavement in more normal (11 cm) heels in between rainstorms here.

Are your skorts something that you wear to church, or are they a little too informal? I would consider wearing a regular skirt to church, but I would never wear shorts. That's a personal preference, not an expectation.

I attended a neighborhood block party a couple of days ago. Yes, one of those stereotypical American events where they block off the street for an evening and all the neighbors have a get together, usually involving lots of food. Anyway, when I was about to leave, somebody finally commented on my shoes, which were tan Alaia sandals with broad straps and 4 1/2" block heels. It turned into one of those "How in the world?" kind of things. I said that I'd been working at it for 12 years, and I almost know what I'm doing now. What I should do from now on is ask something like, "Just exactly how interested are you in the subject, because I could go on at some length telling stories and explaining my methodology." I always feel like I give very unsatisfying answers because I am quite sure nobody wants to talk about the subject for more than about 30 seconds. Here is an old and very bad quality picture, just so you get a vague idea of the shoes I was wearing.

If I may, perhaps I'll join you guys as well. My problem is not necessarily laziness (though I'm definitely lazy about other things, like cleaning out the garage), but the fact that I don't want anyone to see me until I have gained a certain amount of skill.

For that price, what's the quality like? The description warns of strong chemical odors upon unwrapping the package. That's always a good sign.

It's interesting how everybody has a different experience doing more or less the same thing. I really don't ever remember having trouble with my calves over the years. I can feel it even today if I take a rather long walk in 100 mm or better, but it is not really something I would call pain. They just feel tired, same as you would after doing anything physical. What still gets me if I overdo it, such as wearing 110+ mm for 6 hours, is arch cramping. It doesn't necessarily happen when I am wearing the shoes, but rather an hour or two after I take them off.

I've had just a very few similar experiences over the years. None of the shoes were very expensive, and I just let it go. I'm not going to start a feedback war or anything like that over 25 bucks.

One of these days I'm going to drag out the story (again) for those who haven't heard about the time I wore way too high of a heel too early in my high heel journey. I'm not surprised you faded pretty early if 12 cm was your first pair. People point to the 1980s as being a good time for heels, but looking back through my old photos and watching old music videos, it was and it wasn't. Yeah, elevated heels were much more common back then, but I don't think I actually saw in person anybody wearing what I would call actual high heels. Taller mid heels, for sure, but 4 inch + was just not a thing in real life around here. Not even in college. The heels I thought were so tall at the time just weren't all that high compared to what I wear every day. I actually went shoe shopping with this girl one time, and she bought some black patent leather pumps which were about the highest heels I'd ever seen somebody actually wear. I never got the chance to actually measure them, but I'd estimate them to be right at 4"/10 cm. She wore them somewhat regularly, but then the next year she chose to study in Europe and I never saw her again after that. That is not 100% true, but close enough for this story. Here is something similar in style and height to what the girl bought when I was with her. As I said, hers were black patent rather than suede.

Even though our town streets and sidewalks are in more of a state of disrepair than in years past, they are still quite acceptable. However, it's much better if one sticks to routes one knows well when the days grow short and it's dark during the walk. As far as rain, here are my favorite rain shoes. They keep my feet out of the puddles. Not much good for mud, though.

I'm going to put my vote in the 4 inch/10 cm camp, if you want to make the story believable. In my area, Latina real estate agents wear heels. Others do not.

Even though it was a pretty thin month on walking (I managed only 25 miles in July), I realized that pretty much all of my walking shoes needed reheeling. I took half a dozen pairs up to the cobbler all at once. For the next week, I will have to make more careful choices about what to wear on walks. I have definitely changed my tune about wearing and keeping heels in the last 12 years. Before, I always said that if I can't walk two miles in reasonable comfort, I won't keep the shoes. Now, although I will not accept uncomfortable heels, I do not put every pair I own through that particular rigor, particularly if they are really meant for dressier occasions. What I did not take into account at first is the fact that although I may be able to walk in stilettos for two miles at a clip, the shoes might not be up to the challenge for too many cycles of that. Even if they are, it is so easy to put your heel down a crack in the sidewalk, thereby pretty much ruining them. Replacing heel tips every 10 miles or so is irritating as well.