mlroseplant

Had I known it was Wedge Wednesday, I might have actually worn wedges today. I strongly considered it, as I went to the all-church picnic this evening. However, I was really wanting to wear my Alaïa sandals with shorts, and since it hasn't rained in several days, I figured I could get by with a separate heeled shoe, even on the grass, so I did.

On 6/24/2019 at 5:28 AM, mlroseplant said:

An update on the Alaïa sandals: They are still a little snug, but I can wear them now without breaking the skin. I had to lay off for about a week because they wore some holes in the tops of my right foot toes. I got a little too rambunctious with the break-in. I'm still a little leery and don't want to wear them every day just yet, but they haven't left any wounds on my feet since I gave them the week's rest. Their appearance is smaller than the rest of my shoes, but it may just be my perception. The length is absolutely spot on for me, and the upward curve of the shoe matches my foot well. This is with no fitting aids at all. They are marked 38 1/2, which was taking a pretty big gamble, but I think it worked out. If I'd have had a choice, I might have gone for a 39, but certainly no bigger than that.

I wore them to my son's school open house, which I thought about twice for the sake of not wanting other kids to tease him. However, at this late date, that ship sailed long ago, so whatever. He needs to learn how to deal with that sort of thing anyway. I got a few stares from kids (obviously not my son's classmates--they don't seem to be all that interested these days), but none from adults. Or maybe the adults are just better at hiding it.

I used to catch people taking or attempting to take pictures of me all the time. I haven't noticed it lately. Which means that either I don't care enough to really notice, or people care less than they used to. I too, am probably out there somewhere on the Internet, probably in one of those "People of Walmart" videos.

13 minutes ago, p1ng74 said:

Yeah I’ve done it before and couldn’t be bothered to push the car into the garage.  Plus it is really hot and stale in the garage right now.  I blow out the important stuff with compressed air just in case.

I've never actually done any major engine work outside, but pretty much everything else gets done outside because my garage is filled up with old 2 stroke Lawn-Boys. I have a similar problem with them that I do with shoes. BTW, I hate to disappoint, but I do all my auto work in ratty old tennis shoes! I am glad to see you wearing hand protection, though. Let us know how the project progresses! We've actually got quite a few gearheads on here.

I own the exact model of high heel shoe stretcher shown in Cali's second link (the FootFitter). It works pretty well, it seems like a quality item. In fact, I bought my shoe buddy one in a smaller size for her size 5.5 shoes, and she loves it too. The only problem I can see is that is it only goes up to size 11, and that's U.S. women's 11. Your (Jura's) feet are EU 45, which are what, like a 14 or 15 equivalent? Being as the thing only stretches stuff width-wise, it might work ok, but I couldn't guarantee it. They do expand out quite a way, far enough to ruin your shoes if you keep on cranking. I don't think that would be an issue, even on size 45. I just don't know if it would be the right shape to stretch exactly what you need it to stretch. If you have a few extra quid to throw at it, it might be worth a shot.

Oh, and one more thought, they do sell them singly. I noticed a number of complaints in the comments section about it not being a set of two. I never bothered to get a second one, because I guess I'm not in that big of a hurry. I can stretch them one at a time. There's no left and right.

Are you actually having to assemble that outdoors? I've seen it done, but it's a bitch keeping everything clean.

8 minutes ago, Cali said:

I'm surprise they let you in the store.

I only managed to sneak in because they don't have the budget to employ a greeter full-time any more. 

8 minutes ago, Pierre1961 said:

I am also worried about wearing heels could do,to my body. And even more because I like quite,high heels. 

Nothing bad is noticeable so far. 

What execises would you recommend if several days with flats can't be avoided? 

And just a remark: after several hours in heels,it difficult to return to flats physically AND (!) mentally! As if I had to loose my real identity  

Do you experience such a feeling? 

Pierre 

That's an interesting question about the things I do to make wearing heels easier and better. Maybe I should make a separate post about it someday, with illustrations. I feel like the three most important things I do are: 1) A yoga routine that includes lots of the pose Downward Facing Dog. This keeps the back of my entire legs flexible and supple, as it's a stretch that's basically the opposite of wearing heels. Also, it encourages me to find a good posture with my shoulders and neck when I'm standing up, as I tend to have a natural slouch. 2) I move a golf ball around with my bare feet, sometimes several times a day to strengthen the muscles in my feet. 3) When I brush my teeth in the morning, I have an electric toothbrush that stays on for 2 minutes. So I balance on each foot for 1 minute in heels, just like you might for a field sobriety test. It seems kind of silly, but I do believe that over time, it has improved my heel wearing experience.

And yes, when it's time to take off the heels for whatever reason, that's a sad time of the day!

5 hours ago, kneehighs said:

What’s the difference between that standard and saying  “you’ve got to remember that Tory Burch makes heels for other women, not you, not me?”  Granted...her target audience may be females, but the key takeaways of her message stays the same regardless of the sex of the listener.  

You’ve probably got a point about trust.  I wonder what her behaviors are like when no one else is looking.

I can't really say why this woman rubs me the wrong way, and it's not really important. I do find it interesting, though, that she mentions that a woman might get some pushback for trying to look decent. Which makes me realize that a person, male or female, probably just can't win if it comes to being a little bit different from the norm. While I have often lamented the fact that I, as a male, am always going to attract a certain amount of unwanted attention because of the way I dress, I have come to realize that even if I were a woman, I would also most likely attract a certain amount of unwanted attention because of the way I dress.

1 hour ago, JeffB said:

Absolutely nothing I'd say.

Maybe so, but just in case, I need to make sure it never happens again! I have a reputation to uphold, after all.

Actually, I purposefully chose to wear flats and "normal" clothes to a city council meeting last week to make a case about some zoning issues in our neighborhood. My neighbors know me, but I didn't want to take the chance of prejudicing our issue with council members who don't know me.

It's remarkable how similar some of our routines are, even though we don't really know each other at all. I too worry a bit about what wearing heels might do to my body, and I do regular stretching and exercise to combat the possible effects of heels. I also do exercises to enhance my heel wearing experience, although I can honestly say that wearing heels hasn't ever caused me much of a problem physically.

Wore flat sandals to Walmart today. OK, they are women's sandals, but what the hell is wrong with me?

1 hour ago, hiddenheels said:

But yes, have to be careful to make sure the "happy wife, happy life" thing remains true... 

If done correctly, sometimes you can just wear 'em down. Don't get me wrong, the wife is not enthusiastic about my fashion choices, but she just doesn't make a big deal about it any more.

On 7/3/2019 at 8:01 AM, jeremy1986 said:

Macgyer would have been able to fix them with a bit of duck tape, that's for sure. 

I have a coworker who habitually calls it "goose tape." Has nothing to do with the topic, but sometimes you have to wander in the conversation.

59 minutes ago, hiddenheels said:

Tried duct tape, and apparently I'm no MacGyver... I inspected the screws, but they were fine. I strategically (I think?) applied some super-glue and hopefully they hold. I haven't had a chance to try them out yet... 

Thank you @mlroseplant, I read up a bit about the shank, and now understand what's likely going on. Would be sad to see these go.

I have had my heart broken by a broken shank. I hope it's not the case, but if it is, I feel you, brother.

30 minutes ago, kneehighs said:

Really?  I think she's hot.  A part of me finds more pleasure listening to her encouraging words to wear what I want to wear than random guys on the web.

I don't want to waste a lot of my time watching her videos, but I did have a second look. She's not as horrible as many I've seen, but you've got to remember, she's talking to other women, not you, and not me. Although I am Christian, I don't trust anybody who talks too much about their faith. However, I will admit that she is rather attractive.

I am frankly surprised at the response so far, because I know there are a lot of people who are dead set against setback heels. I am in harmony with most of the replies so far, in that I don't mind setback heels. In theory, I agree with the notion that the heel ought to be underneath one's actual heel of his foot. However, in actual practice, I have been unable to correlate anything definitively between heel position and walkability. I have plenty of setback heels that are just fine to walk in. I will say, however, that setback heels create a unique hazard when walking down stairs. It is much easier to catch your setback heel on the stair you've just stepped off of, leading to an increased chance of serious injury or death. Or at the very least, severe embarrassment.

7 hours ago, kneehighs said:

This YouTuber known as Mrs. Midwest makes some good points about wearing what you want to wear.   One key point, "all you have to do is push through and let people get used to it"

The innuendo--I'm sure unintentional-- in the following quote had me laugh. "When you dress in that feminine way that you want to, you're going to feel release and free from all of that stress and tension." (14:12)

 

Yeah, I can't get on board with this woman. What a schmuck.

1 hour ago, Jkrenzer said:

This morning I stopped by the local grocery for a quick run for coffee grounds. These are my 5.25 inch domina's.

These have a very classic click when walking.

Joe

I dunno, every time I buy coffee I can't help but think of the 1991 Randy Travis song "Better Class of Losers."

I need friends who don't pay their bills on home computers
And who buy their coffee beans already ground

'Course, that was a long time ago, but I do pay all my bills on a home computer (kind of a quaint term), and I do buy whole bean coffee. What have I become?

On another note, I don't get how you guys walk around in >5 inch shoes with no platform. I suppose if I put my mind to it, I could practice a lot and do it, but it's certainly not something I can do right now, even with years of experience. I'm not jealous, but I'm intrigued.

Here are some more practical shorts, created for me by my tailor friend. They have a 4 inch inseam. I played many a tennis match in shorts this length (but not this style) back in the 80s. 

I haven't had a heel break on me in public, but I have had a situation recently, detailed elsewhere on this forum, where I lost a heel tip and had to remove my shoes and walk barefoot for about a half mile to get back home to avoid ruining my shoes. I survived the incident, and the shoes were repaired successfully. Although no one paid me any heed, I did have a subconscious need to explain to passers-by what happened. 

1 hour ago, Cali said:

That's because @kneehighs is looking at this from a single person's point of view whereas @jeremy1986 is only seeing from the married person's point of view.

It's a interesting point to note as a married heterosexual man whose bestie is a woman. The wife isn't crazy about my heels, but bless her, she tolerates me well enough. 

The bestie, on the other hand, is enthusiastic about my heels, and is often my partner in crime in the fact that we're always on the lookout for shoes for each other. I have wondered idly more than once if she would be nearly as enthusiastic if she were my wife, if I were showing up to HER family get-togethers in heels, if I were going to OUR kids' school programs in heels, and so forth, would she be as enthusiastic and supportive as she is now? That is a question I honestly can't answer. I could see it going either way, but the mere fact that I can't answer this hypothetical question confidently is further evidence that what kneehighs says is 'bout right. 

On 6/28/2019 at 5:44 AM, mlroseplant said:

I am at this moment awaiting the completion of a re-heel on a pair of wooden heeled sandals I got not too long ago which have (maybe had) a unique sound to them. We'll see what they sound like when I get them back. Hopefully not stupid.

I just picked up the sandals in question from the cobbler two days ago. This is my third pair of True Religion mules of this exact model, and they've all had the same problem--the heel tips are not attached well to the heels, and it's very easy to lose one without realizing it. Furthermore, the wooden heels are not solid wood. They appear to be made out of some engineered wood composite--something like MDF, or Medium Density Fiberboard. On its own, whatever it is is not at all resistant to abrasion. I lost a heel tip on the last pair I had without realizing it and ground down the heel about 3/4" by the time I noticed the problem, making it irreparable. Luckily, I noticed the missing heel tip with this pair very quickly. Funny, it happened in almost exactly the same spot as last time, but I digress from the real subject of this post.

My cobbler used Vibram or something very similar to replace my heels, which is good for durability, but has completely muffled the former sound of these heels. Before, they made a strong, sort of hollow sounding "tok, tok" sound with each step on a hard surface. Now, they are almost silent. You just never know how using a different material for heel tips is going to affect sound. Luckily, the forefoot part of the sandals must be made of something that is way softer than the old heel tips, so at least they don't make an objectionable whapping sound.

11 hours ago, pebblesf said:

You have nice long legs, I think you look great in that outfit....Wish I could pull it off...

I assume that this comment is directed at me and not Joe, if for no other reason than that the angle of his photograph would make such an assessment very difficult. I thank you for the compliment, but I'm afraid I have pulled a bit of a fast one on you. My legs are actually very short (29" inseam), and I can't buy any long pants off the rack. It's lucky, as I have said before, that my bestie is a tailor by profession, and is progressive enough to give good advice on how to tailor my clothing in a way that is flattering with heels. She is also a huge fan of high heels with shorts, and wears that combo often.

The trick I have employed here is one that has been shared in many a fashion magazine, and that is for us short-legged people to wear 'em short! That way, there is nothing to interrupt the visual line from upper thigh to foot. That, paired with the neutral shoes, creates the illusion of length. And, like I said, it is total illusion, because the length just isn't there. I'm glad to know this strategy actually works! I tried capris once, because I thought it was a cute look, but they look totally ridiculous on me because of my lack of leg, being as they cut the visual line basically right in half.

I just got back from an early walk on this wonderfully calm Independence Day morning, after heavy thunderstorms last night, and decided to snap this rather terrible, but illustrative photo. These are true cutoffs, made by myself from some No Boundaries jeans from the juniors section of Walmart. Size 5, in case anybody is curious. Unfortunately, I didn't take into account the fact that they are not super tight around my thighs, and I cut them off a little too short. They are OK if I never have to sit down, so they're good walking shorts, being somewhat stretchy. Otherwise, they show things that ought not to be shown, and completely ignoring the prudishness factor, it's just not attractive in any way. Keep this in mind if you're creating shorts out of long pants! Shown here with True Religion mules.

4 minutes ago, Jkrenzer said:

Morning trip to both the home depot and loews for supplies in my shodazzle mules. Stopped at a coffee shop first. So liberating to go full out heels and shorts.

Happy 4th everyone. 

 

I see that there are at least two of us who are busy already this morning! Well, make that three. We know for a fact that JeffB is already up and running. Happy Independence Day!

Heels and shorts have long been a favorite combination of mine, since before I started heeling. Unfortunately, up until the last 10 years or so, such a combination has almost universally been thought of by the general public as being very trashy, with the one exception of Catherine Bach on the TV series "The Dukes of Hazzard." For some reason, her outfits seemed to be accepted as just part of her character, but were certainly NOT emulated by girls in real life, at least not in my town. Short shorts, yes. Heels, yes. But never at the same time, ever, unless you were looking to be labelled.

Then suddenly, about 10 years ago or so, it rather suddenly became acceptable, and I want to say the trend really came from Asia. In 2007, I remember being somewhat surprised (not to mention pleased) to see shorts with heels everywhere in Vietnam, Thailand, and Korea as everyday wear (i.e., not clubbing clothes). Asians seemed to be able to pull off this look when white girls couldn't. Over the next few years, the trend became somewhat mainstream here in the U.S. Don't get me wrong, it's not like you see girls wearing heels with shorts all the time, but when you do, it's not like sighting a unicorn. At a bar on Friday night, or even at a summer outdoor town event such as a farmers' market,  you are almost sure to see several heels with shorts combos, whereas you wouldn't have 10 years ago.

As for my personal taste, I have only tried pumps one time with shorts, just as an experiment. For clubbing, this seems to be the shoe of choice for younger women. I'm not crazy about it, I'd much rather wear.  .  . you guessed it.  .  . open toed mules with my shorts. I have to admit, most of my shorts are obviously in the feminine style, being extremely short and tight. I think my wife is relieved every year when cold weather comes back to Iowa. I do have one pair of longer shorts (maybe 6 or 7" inseams). Those are for practicing the organ. Do you know how painful it is when you legs stick to a wooden organ bench? Not to mention you can't really move properly to play.

Here is a photo of my shorts with pumps experiment:

2 hours ago, Puffer said:

Where is the evidence of 'acceptance'?   I don't condone intolerance of or antagonism towards those who are 'different' in appearance or lifestyle but that is not to say that they are truly 'accepted' or welcomed by the population generally.   The whole issue is clouded by the restrictions (legal and otherwise) on what may be said or done that is allegedly of a discriminatory nature.   Silence does not amount to acquiescence.   We can scarcely expect freedom of dress when we increasingly restrict freedom of expression in other forms.   

There is no question that many changes have taken place over the last decade, and many of those changes have resulted in better conditions and better lives for several groups of people, most notably the LGBT community (god, I hate using the word "community," but it's used frequently and it's expedient, so there it is). To address something that directly affects my personal life on a daily basis, I know there is no way in hell I could have worn what I wear as recently as 20 years ago without serious and frequent harassment, even here in polite Iowa. There is indeed greater acceptance of some things, even if begrudging.

This shift in attitude does come with "restrictions," as you say, but there was, at least in the United States, a sort of tipping point where attitudes shifted, not because of any laws, but for other, more powerful reasons. This has taken place rapidly, and I have no explanation for it. Obviously, there is still a great deal of controversy over anything involving sex or gender or reproduction. My church denomination may wind of splitting up because of it. However, that doesn't minimize the progress we've made as a society in general. We just have a lot more work to do still.