mlroseplant

I haven't bought any new shoes in over three months. However, I have several pair purchased in 2024 which have not made it onto this thread. Up for your consideration today are my red Genshuo pumps in fake patent leather. I also have these in beige/tan/nude, whatever you want to call that neutral color. I originally bought the beige pair to replace my Steve Madden Klory pumps, which had developed a wonky heel. Because I have several pair that are similar, I suppose ebay's algorithm pushed inexpensive pumps to my feed. I bit. Not a week later, I saw the red pair and had to have them. This shade of red is just brilliant, and that in combination with the super slim heel got to me. Speaking of which, the heel is a full 4 3/4" tall, so I can say I have 120s, though I think a true 120 would actually be more like 125 mm in my size. The heel width is quite slim at around 7.5 mm. The problem with these shoes is that they are really too small for me. I usually take a 9, but I could probably use a 9 1/2 in these. I don't think they make half sizes, but at any rate, the shoe stretcher has allowed me to wear them in reasonable comfort. I wore them to church (red for Pentecost Sunday), and had them on for about 3 hours. I could have gone longer, but that was plenty, especially considering that I'm not really ready for heels that high. I can walk, but reviewing the livestream footage, it's not especially pleasant to watch. I'm not awkward enough to be embarrassing, but not graceful enough to meet my standards. Workin' on it. One last note. These are the quietest stilettos I've ever worn or heard. They are eerily silent, even on tile floors. That just seems wrong.

Good luck to you in your recovery. It looks like you've got some pretty solid stuff there--nothing too crazy, but stylish and very nice looking. I don't love wedges either, but they do have their practical purposes!

I too have wondered why I have heard that same comment over and over again, "Oh, I can't wear heels." Or, alternatively, "I can't wear heels anymore." I understand that there are some valid physical reasons why somebody can't wear heels, or at least not for very long. However, thinking back to my own experience, I think a lot of these obstacles can be overcome. It's just that overcoming the physical challenge of wearing heels requires a lot of work, and I don't think most women want to put in that kind of effort. Or perhaps it would never occur to them that it's a skill rather than just a fashion choice. In any case, it's generally a conversation that can't go well. This is why I tend to say very little in reply to such comments, and do much as you did, saying something like, "Ehhh, they're really not all that bad."

It almost hurts to think about, but at the time I was just an apprentice, and the year did not start with a "2." I learned a lot on that job. Not only about how to be an industrial electrician, but how to get along with people as well. There were people from all over the world on that job.

The reason I don't see so many heels is because I spent the majority of my waking hours at a construction site. Having said that, I can remember back in the day when a building was nearly complete, the owner would give tours to groups of people (I always assumed that they were employees/bosses at the company). Invariably, there would be several women in high heels during tours through a building under construction. I can recall another job site I worked on where the female engineer would show up every week to check things out in 4 inch block heeled boots. That was the Barilla pasta plant, and the engineer was actually from Italy. That may have had something to do with not only her footwear, but her impeccable sense of style, despite being on a construction site. The concrete floors were in by that time. It's not like she was stepping over clods of dirt in heels.

I'm going to hazard a guess that nothing's ever going to come of this strange little interaction. No reply to my last transmission for two days. Just a "like." I've got better things to do.

Got a strange message on social media a couple of days ago. It was a friend from high school who asked in a private message, "Hey look--I am in no position to judge anyone, but I was wondering when you decided to wear women's shoes... Are they comfier, because my feet hurt." This really seems a little off to me for an initial contact message. No "Hey, how's it going? It's been years and years!" or anything like that. As I had accepted his contact request maybe a month ago, I can only assume that he picked up on one of the remarklably few photos of me that show my shoes, and none of those really feature the shoes. After I came home from work, I messaged him with some short answers, and he responded to them with similarly short answers. I'm quite sure he was otherwise occupied, because the conversation trailed off rather abruptly. I'm glad I did not invest a whole lot of time into an explanation. We'll see what happens in the days to come.

As you will in a smaller community. I know it wasn't your intention when you started this thread, but it seems that we are the people mostly seen out and about.

Using the word "delusional" is a translation from my wife's English to the King's English, but I think it's a pretty accurate one. The only thing that has changed in the last decade is the scope and intensity of her disdain. Before, she believed that every single person was staring at me every minute we were in public, and probably pointing and laughing. Now, she believes that every person who gives me a compliment is merely teasing me. There is, of course, a kernel of truth to both of these. I'm sure that a small percentage of the time, both are true. Let's face it, I'm not for everyone.

I would like to visit Toronto someday. It just hasn't been a priority. I even have relatives there, some of whom I've never met.

While out shopping the other day, I saw a woman wearing shorts with knee high boots. The boots are what I would call flat, but they did have modest separate heels maybe 1 1/2" tall. Her top was long sleeved and sort of flowy. The shorts were short, but not shockingly so. I approved of her outfit in theory, but something seemed a little off. It was when I met her in another aisle that I realized that the woman had to be at least 60, and possibly more. She was with another younger woman who appeared to be her daughter. The daughter was dressed normally for an American in sweatpants and a t-shirt at least one size too big. Because of hair dye and good physical appearance, I had at first assumed the woman was much younger, and yet there was this indescribable quality that made me think, "Why does this outfit look less than awesome on her?" Don't get me wrong, I'm not being ageist, I don't believe there is an age when women should dress a certain way, or stop dressing a certain way, but this was not really happening for her, even though I cannot point to any one thing. I wouldn't have thought another minute about this encounter, which did not involve any conversation or contact, but here I am, days later, thinking about it for one rather selfish reason: Do I look like that when I'm out and about? I know I shock people for a completely different reason, but I think I do the shorts thing rather better. Perhaps I am delusional, as my wife has insisted I am for some time.

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.