mlroseplant

Interestingly enough, I happen to own ShoeDazzle AND Just Fab. One pair each, although evidently, they're the same company. They're not bad shoes for the price.

Good grief! How many times have you had to replace the sole/heel?

My own sense of style has gotten quite a bit more casual in the last 10 years. When I first started wearing heels in public, I felt obligated to be dressed up as a part of that look. I went through a period of wearing a lot of sport coats with button down shirts when I was outside of work. That was unusual for this town, but not rare. Remember, this was before Covid. People actually used to dress up for office jobs and maybe stop by the grocery on the way home. Were I to dress the exact same today, I would be much more of an outlier, heels or no heels. It is no wonder that my tailor friend lost her job at Mr. B's, which is a men's clothing store. I assume it still is, anyway.

And you won't. In this day and age, the video wouldn't get enough views to be searchable. Had you done a walkover, or even a cartwheel, on your way across the street, maybe. Seriously, I used to get mad when people would whip out their phones in such a way, but I'm over it.

I think there have been definite benefits to wearing heels that have spilled beyond improved fashion sense. I think I'm a much better foreman, a better husband, and a more focused person in general than I was 15 years ago. Whether one can attribute any of this to wearing heels as opposed to simply getting older is another question entirely.

If you could magically transport yourself back in time 10 or 15 years, and you were to cross the same street, wearing the same outfit, you'd have had a lot more people video-ing you. The best we can hope for is that we walked well.

It is certainly interesting to know how we each got to where we are, heel-wise. I can remember having trouble in the early days when I would stand in one spot for a while, having trouble keeping my balance, especially if I had to stop suddenly, as when one is walking down the street and has to wait for a traffic light to turn green. I guess I've gotten over that problem nowadays. I actually have a list that tells me what shoes are only good for 1 km or 2 km, and where I am likely to get a blister, so I can take measures to prevent it. In 2024, I went through so many Bandaids that I have dubbed that year the "Year of the Band-Aid." This year, I haven't had to use them so much, and I think I've only gotten two blisters so far this year.

Ok, I've got some time, I might as well tell the story again. I should probably tell this story more often to people who ask me how I manage in heels so well, rather than just saying that I practice a lot. I officially "came out," so to speak, in May of 2012, when I wore my first pair of obviously elevated heeled shoes to a public function. Those shoes were effectively 3 inch, or 7.5 cm tall. All of the shoes I had at the time were platforms, so I am subtracting out the platform in order to give you a better idea of the steepness challenges involved. Later that month, I took my first real walk in these 7.5 cm heels, which was an eye-opener, because I had no idea how tired I was going to get before I got back home. Later on in that year, I moved up to effective 3 1/4 inch, or just over 8 cm heels. By about New Year's of 2013, I had bought some 4 inch, or 10 cm heels, and I thought I was doing pretty well at them. Until I made the decision to actually go somewhere in them. My wife and I needed to go to a large shopping mall, something to do with our mobile phones. I don't remember the exact reason, but it doesn't matter to the story. I proudly wore my new 4 inch ankle boots which I had just purchased the week before, and we headed off to the mobile phone store, which was probably 300 m away from our car. No problem, right? For whatever reason, the store was really busy that day, and we wound up standing and waiting to be served for the better part of an hour. After standing that long in heels, what seemed like a reasonably easy walk into the mall was incredibly painful on the way out. I literally thought I wasn't going to make it back to the car, my feet hurt so bad. I thought I was going to die. Now, 12 years later, it's hard to remember the intensity of that pain, but I remember thinking to myself, "This high heel thing is just a fantasy. Nobody can wear these things all the time!" I became very discouraged. I do not remember how I got the idea to actually start walking in heels for actual exercise, but it took root shortly after that incident, and I went back down to 3 inch heels and started walking the neighborhood, short distances at first. I didn't really try anything much taller than 3 or 3 1/4" for a long time, but eventually, the 4 inch boots which nearly killed me have become not only doable, but easy. I still have that same model of ankle boot to this day, and I really wouldn't hesitate to wear them to Disney World. They've become that natural, and I guess I've managed to train my feet and ankles to deal with them all day, every day without really thinking about it. I should remember this story more clearly whenever I hear somebody tell me that she can't wear heels for more than 30 minutes without great pain. I was at that place myself at one time. What motivated me to try again is still a mystery. In all reality, my life would have been much easier if I had given up back then and figured that all those women who wore heels every day were in constant misery, and that it wasn't worth it. Instead, here I am more than 4,000 km and dozens of heel tip replacements later, and now I'm the freak who can hack the tall heels like they were carpet slippers!

I think I get a lot less static from women about my shoes than I do from men. But, that's just from a purely initial reactionary point of view. That doesn't even touch the "would I date a man who wears high heels" question, and to me that question is irrelevant. Putting the shoe on the other foot, if you posed the same question to men, "would I date a woman who wears high heels" the answer to the question is a little more complex, but I bet there are a substantial number of men whose answer would be in the negative, based upon that fact alone.

After reading the most recent replies to this thread, I was curious, so I asked Uncle Google, "Is Fuzzy Logic a form of AI?" Of course, AI gave me the first response, "Of course it is, you silly-billy!" I did not spend a great deal of time digging a lot deeper, so perhaps the official definition of AI is a bit broader than I generally think of, but I do have a rebuttal, which I believe is relevant here. Fuzzy Logic has been around for a while (evidently, at least 30 to 40 years, according to our local reporting). I have a "Fuzzy Logic" rice cooker. It works great. It will cook rice well even if the human involved messes up and adds too much water. If those sorts of things are actually AI, they are a distinct subset which is, as far as I can see, only good. They do not require many data centers which suck down the same amount of electricity as a whole city in order to operate. My rice cooker or at9's washing machine is not going to steal anybody's original creative material or cause anybody to lose his job. Nor does anybody question whether the rice or the clothes are "real." I'm not sure how we make that distinction, but I think it needs to be made.

I am not 100% sure how a washer/dryer can be AI. It sounds to me like it's an ordinary European style unit with a bunch of sensors in it to make sure the job is completed efficiently. It's not like the machine is designed to create anything. If it got into an argument with you, that would be a whole nuther level. . .

@Shyheels, I am not 100% sure what your question is referencing, but the first thing that comes to mind is the motorbike. I don't have anything special planned until next year, as our season is rapidly drawing to a close. Basically, I'll ride until I can't stand it anymore, which is somewhere in the neighborhood of 5º. One of these days, I'll have to drag out my standing in heels story again for @higherheels's benefit. Possibly there are other who have not heard it before, but I don't have time today to write it all out.

I have been called out fairly publicly within my profession. I know I've been talked about for years on a limited basis, but this is the first time a fellow has questioned me in front of colleagues about my fashion choices. I am obligated to take occasional continuing education classes to maintain my professional license. Sometimes the classes are interesting, but usually they're something to be endured. Oftentimes, I see colleagues at these classes whom I have not worked around in years, and it's always an interesting game of "Who Are You?". We should really be required to wear name tags, just like at a high school class reunion. 10 years can add a mighty long beard or a lot of gray hair. One of the guys I haven't seen in several years came right out and asked, "Didn't I see you wearing high heels?" He was referring to a social media post, I'm sure. There are only a couple out there that are very obvious, but they are there. I simply said yes. He asked if this was something I did at home in the evenings, and I said pretty much anytime I'm not at work. It went on for a few more minutes until somebody interrupted him with a "Daaaave! How you doin', brother?" It wasn't a bad conversation, but it was a little awkward. I didn't sense any disgust or condescending looks from anybody.

Meanwhile, our temperatures here in Iowa are on the warm side. It sure looks like I'll be able to ride my motorbike to work for at least a couple more weeks. I never count on being able to ride past September consistently. What that also means is that sandal season is not yet over, either. @higherheels, 800 meters in 12 cm heels is pretty amazing. My question is, did this event involve much standing, or were you able to be seated most of the time? If you had to do much standing at all, I'm really impressed. @Shyheels, I can see where you'd have to be really motivated to get out and practice. And you know, it's funny that we're even talking about it in this way. There must be very few people in this world who would actually carry a special pair of shoes to a place just to practice wearing them. Maybe beauty pageant contestants? Dancers?

I have never even attempted to wear heels in the mud, nor would I want to. No sense in ruining a perfectly good pair of shoes. But hey, look at the bright side--at least you don't have to use the towpath for actual towing.

I didn't wind up wearing my steepest heels to the recital, but I did wear some pretty impressive looking ones. Yes, they are a full 15 cm, but you have to discount for the 3.5 cm platform. Not super impressive, but enough of a workout over 600 m x 2. The brand is Onlymaker, and they are actually pretty decent quality for being an inexpensive shoe.

What it comes down to is that many people don't know what's real and what's not, and maybe they don't care. That's the scary part.

I also had a demanding week, but may break out my highest presentable heels today. I am to attend a music recital this afternoon, which will involve about a 600 m walk each way. The key for me is warming up a little bit first. Once I get to that height, I can't just put on my shoes and go. There has to be preflight.

The younger one says he doesn't care at all, and I believe him to an extent, but I KNOW for a fact that he enjoys his reputation as the kid who shows up to school in greasy jeans and beat up work boots who can also write and speak well and play the heck out of a saxophone. It's a subtle statement saying, "I am one of the few kids who knows how to drive a manual transmission, and I am the ONLY kid in my school who knows how to rebuild a carburetor." He might also be the only kid in his school who knows how to spell carburetor, and that there are two possible ways to spell it, depending upon which side of the pond you're on.

You and both of my kids. I have no idea how I managed to raise two boys who never wear shorts and always wear work boots. They arrived at this fashion/function/comfort decision independently. I threw "fashion" in there because there certainly IS that element in the mix, particularly with the older boy. Sandals are very tricky. In my experience anyway, it's much harder to find a "good" pair of sandals than it is fully enclosed shoes or boots. Then again, I'm probably pickier than most people, both about appearance and comfort.

As many of you know, I do like to wear shorts. Now is the time when it will soon be time to say goodbye until next year. These are perhaps my favorite jean shorts from l.e.i. I like the fact that they are pretty short, but not super tight in the legs, making them a little less racy than would otherwise be the case. They are size 5, which means they are juniors and not misses (which is the U.S. term for "women's"). One would think that juniors would fit my nonexistent hips better, and they probably do, but the downfall of that slimmer cut is that they are much better when standing up than when sitting down. Were it not for the fact that I have certain plumbing installed that was not really designed into these shorts, I would have no complaints. In other words, they are a bit tight in the crotch when the legs are not parallel with the torso. I have actually had compliments from strangers on these shorts in the past, with one gal even asking what brand they were. To be sure, I was in a standing position at the time. Paired with the shorts (and my 175th anniversary of our local church t-shirt) are my Bruno Magli Kira suede mules. Suede and summer might seem an odd combination, but somehow with these sandals, it works. They could probably use a good cleaning, though. For something casual and comfortable, they fit right in. One of the things I like about them is that they are a very narrow wedge, so they are not clompy at all, as many wedges can be. It is almost like walking in stilettos without the worry of putting your heel down a crack. *** A technical note: These sandals are size 38 1/2. I do not care what many size conversion charts say. 38 1/2 ≠ 8 1/2 U.S. Women's. I made them work, but they are just *this* close to being too small. I could have probably used a 39 or 39 1/2.

It would seem unlikely without an invite, but who knows? I believe that there are any number of people who might like to join our community if only they knew that we actually wear heels instead of just fantasizing about them. We've had our dress-up-in-front-of-the-mirror people also, but I think they tend to find us very boring (and vice versa).

Ah yes, but were we rich enough for such luxuries. I'm talking about Italian Heels as if I'm going to buy some. Not until I procure the Next Big Job. I will certainly be laid off from the one I'm on right now, it's only a question of whether it will be in a couple of weeks or a couple of months. So for now, I'll have to participate in the challenge with slightly low heels. I'm not THAT far off. 12 cm on size 40 still translates to what? 11.3 or 4? What's a few millimeters among friends?

I did manage to get a photo taken this week of my church outfit. I can tell you this: While I am caught up on the laundry, I am WAY behind on the ironing. I am to the point where I have to scroll through my camera and see whether I'm repeating an outfit from two weeks ago. I decided that it had been a while since I'd worn purple, and it had been a long while since I'd worn my Michael Kors black and tan sandals. One thing about doing this steep heel challenge, it makes shoes like these effectively 4 1/8" heels seem like a little bit of nothing (5 1/8" heel, 1" platform).

I have been looking pretty seriously at Italian Heels. I hear they are nice. @Jkrenzer says they tend to stretch out fast, but perhaps that is not a concern for me. My biggest concern is that a size 40 is a size 40. And should I elect to get sandals, as I am wont to do, do I go with 39? 39.5? One thing about buying cheap stuff on ebay is, if it doesn't work out, there is very little remorse.