mlroseplant

I remember the 90s as being some pretty dark days as far as being able to purchase decent looking shoes. My memory isn't what it used to be, but all I can remember is giant ugly platforms with lugged soles, and the jeans that girls would wear too long on purpose so that the hem would get stepped on and get all ratty looking. I also fail to remember my very first high heel purchase. I can remember my first pair of heels, but I didn't buy them, I actually found them. Inside the bass drum of the drum kit in the high school choir room. I know they were some girl's show choir shoes from a previous year, because I recognized them. I paid attention to such things. They sat in that bass drum for quite some time, probably unbeknownst to anybody but me, and I finally decided that they needed a better home. In retrospect, they were kind of ugly. I'm not going to waste a lot of time trying to recreate their likeness, but they were very 80s looking open-toed pumps with fake stacked heels, dangerously close in lack of height to being kitten heels. And they actually fit me. I remember wishing many times that they were 4 inchers, but alas, they were barely half that. I have to fast forward us about 25 years before I bought actual real heels for myself to actually wear in actual life.

Yes, even if the caption is inaccurate. Shouldn't that read "World of High Shafts?"

The wife and I made a Costco run yesterday. Sometimes I take this approximately monthly opportunity to be a little ambitious with my outfit, and sometimes I don't. Yesterday was the latter situation--I didn't have the energy or desire to wear truly "high" shoes. I literally need to warm up for half an hour to wear "high" shoes anymore. So I chose my Söfft ivory sandals (model name unknown), which are effective 3 1/2" heels. While in the store, I was accosted (and yes, that is pretty close to the right word) by a young-ish woman, who demanded to know where I got my shoes. I told the truth, and said I didn't remember exactly. I kind of hate doing that, but these days, not only is it the truth, but I have to inform people that this particular model (pretty much the case with whatever I wear) hasn't been made for at least 15 years, and good luck finding it. Thus far I have refrained from pontificating further on the state of current fashionable footwear, which I find either boring or ugly, or both!

I wonder what he's got on underneath those boots? I personally find that I cannot wear traditionally tailored suitpants with tall boots, because there is too much fabric there to stuff in, and it ends up billowing out in unflattering places after a bit of movement.

The "once-over" was not what I would consider a negative one, it was a curious one. Realize that my assessment is based upon a split second impression that was made before I realized who the guy was. lHad I not been in a hurry, I would have said hello, and the conversation would have been pleasant, if not brilliant. He is also in construction, though he is now retired. How we have not run into each other in the last 10 years, I have no idea. I see his sons around town often, and I still to this day do not call them immediately by name, because they are identical twins. From a distance, they still look very much alike, even though they are now approaching 50. And I can attest to context being everything. It is very jarring, and sometimes downright confusing to meet one of my colleagues outside of work. For one thing, people can look very different without a hard hat!

I sure got noticed the other day. It was the one day we've had so far this year that it was warm enough for me to wear shorts. I don't even remember what shoes I had on, but obviously, it was some sort of high heeled sandals. I was getting fuel for my car, and I got the once-over from an older man, which is no big deal, lots of older people are less than discreet about looking. I thought nothing of it, but when I stepped up to the counter to pay, I realized that I knew the guy. It had been a number of years since we'd seen each other, and for whatever reason, it didn't dawn on him that it was me. Since I was in kind of a hurry, I turned a little to the side and pretended not to see him. Recognition would have cost me at least 10 minutes, and probably more. Had I been in jeans and work boots, I wonder if he would have recognized me. We were not just casual acquaintances.

It seems that my shoe collection has gained some stability lately, as I haven't purchased any new shoes in about three months. With that stability, I realize that my whole philosophy toward shoes has changed somewhat. I used to say that if I couldn't walk two miles in reasonable comfort, I would get rid of the shoes. I gave lip service to this mantra for a number of years, but now I realize that I have to back off of it because I would estimate that I've never walked two miles in over half my current collection. Not all at once, anyway. It's not that I couldn't potentially walk two miles in any of my shoes, it's just that I don't want to. I pretty much don't walk in stilettos anymore because the heel tips wear out far too fast, it's way too easy to damage the heels putting that many miles on them in the real world, and it's not necessarily all that fun, paying hyper attention to every crack in the sidewalk. Sure, I do it occasionally just to prove I still can, but not on the regular. As a result, I have a whole bunch of dressier shoes that have never seen the two mile circuit, and probably never will. And I will not get rid of them.

An update on the Wilia3s: They're fine. They might even be decent walking sandals, but I know if I wear them too much for that purpose, I'll wind up damaging the gold finish, and then they won't be suitable to wear for dressier occasions. I have walked a mile in these with no issues and worn them to church. They are stiff in the way that non-leather shoes are, but not uncomfortable.

I have not made a special post about this until now, because it's not really that big of a deal, but there may be some who are interested. A long, long time ago, I can still remember how that music used to make me smile. Sorry, I always get distracted by Don McLean every time I talk about something that happened in the distant past. Take 2: More than a decade ago, I jumped off a waist-high concrete form in the dark, and landed on uneven ground, causing my right achilles tendon to hyperextend. I have never fully recovered from that injury. I wish I'd never jumped off that form, I never realized how that one moment would affect the rest of my life. I do not mean to blame this one incident for all of my problems, but it sure seems like I can trace almost everything back to that. Or is there more to it? Why is my right foot so much stronger and more actively flexible than my left, and yet I have most of my problems with my right? My left foot and ankle has basically escaped life unscathed, except for that bone spur, which hasn't really bothered me all that much in recent times, and it's never interfered with my heel wearing one bit. As I write this, I'm preparing to do my 5 km loop before the farmer's market, and we'll see how it goes. I talked with my sister last night, who is four years younger than I am, and it seems like we have many of the same health issues, only every one of them has hit her worse. Example: I haven't shared this, but I seem to have arthritis in my right big toe joint. Not a bunion, but it just doesn't bend like it used to, and it hurts if I try to make it bend like it used to. I work on it every day, but it's just a fact of life, that alone would probably prevent me from dancing ballet. Then my sister says that her own big toe joint has frozen up so much that she can only bend it maybe 10º each way. My first reaction was, "Oh, no, that would never work for me. I need at least 90º flexibility each way (and I struggle with that every day). Does this mean no more high heels for you?" She said what it means is no more high heels in reasonable comfort for her. And more importantly, it probably means giving up long distance running, which has been her pursuit for a couple of decades. Despite whatever is wrong with my feet, it could always be worse. I need to get off this website and get walking. I'll let you know how it goes.

The concept of this blog seems very simple, but how to begin? At least I managed to come up with a wacky title. I have been meaning to feature the following shoes for a long time because they are among the first heels I ever purchased with a serious intent to wear them in public. They have also turned out to be, thus far, my most durable pair of heels. Though I have mentioned them many times in passing over the years, let me formally introduce you to my Nine West “Sizzle” oxfords in plain black leather. I purchased them on January 4, 2013. Going back through my records, I evidently paid $99 for them from Amazon. This was probably pretty close to full price, which is something I never do anymore. However, in retrospect, I can’t say that I didn’t get my money’s worth. My motivation for buying these particular shoes has been lost to the sands of time, but I can tell you that this was my second pair of this model. The first pair I had was black patent, rather than just plain black, and was U.S. Women’s size 9. I always thought that they were a bit too tight, and so I got rid of them and got the instant shoes in a size 9 1/2. I did that often in those days, that is, bought stuff in 9 1/2 or even 10. I am not sure why, but I would never make that mistake today. I am pretty clearly and solidly a size 9. As a result, I have to wear thick socks with these oxfords. This is simultaneously a plus and a minus. I hate how the shoes are really too big, but on the other hand, the cushioning provided by thick socks may be the secret to why they are an any occasion, all-the-time shoe--in the winter, anyway. Just so you know, just so you do not doubt my proclivities, I never wear these, ever, from about mid-May to mid-October. What would a Melrose expository post be without statistics? Here are the numbers: 4 3/4” heel, 3/4” platform, for an effective steepness of right at 4 inches. Diameter of the heels is about 3/4”. I have had them reheeled three times, and am very, very close to needing No. 4. I have walked 191 documented miles in these, plus any number of undocumented/incidental miles. I feel like they are going to fail sometime on the next reheel, and I will be sad when they do. I think I have worn these in every situation that I normally encounter in life, and some that I don’t normally encounter. I have worn these with men’s suits to church, and I have worn them with jeans for my neighborhood constitutionals. I know I have worn them on at least one occasion to work the “big” farmer’s market, which involves standing for five hours. I have worn them on a walk that exceeded 5 miles, 6.1 to be exact. I have only ever done this with 3 pairs of shoes over the past 11 years. After all this use, they still shine up pretty well!

Hello all, I have been considering starting a "jaunts" type thread for some time, but I don't really "do" jaunts. In other words, I don't ever dress up for the sole purpose of going out dressed up. I just simply go about my everyday life wearing heels and usually close-fitting women's jeans. So, in light of that, I thought I would start a thread which will feature probably rather random thoughts about high heels and perhaps other traditionally women's fashion that I might like to incorporate into my wardrobe. I have decided to start this thread with an introduction, or re-introduction, rather than jumping right in with thoughts and insights into the world of a male who likes to wear high heels. My name is not actually Melrose Plant, that is a work nickname which has fallen into disuse over the years. However, it persists on the Internet, as I prefer it to my current work nickname, Squirrel. I am married and I have two sons, aged 6 and 16. The boys are fine with my choice of footwear, even the teenager. My wife tolerates it, but I am sure she wouldn't mind a bit if I decided one day to throw all my heels away. That ain't gonna happen. As I said, I plan to share random thoughts about wearing high heels and perhaps other traditionally women's clothing from time to time, and I hope it becomes an interesting thread. I welcome all comments and opinions.