mlroseplant

4 hours ago, Heelster said:

I can relate completely.

My wife is OK with heels around the house, and even some higher than usual boots in certain areas (not locally) but she doesn't like the idea of me wearing anything unusual, or should I say not typical for a guy locally. My kids are college or older now, and they have seen me in some of my block heeled boots, but no stiletto heels. They don't say much, and it doesn't affect them either. It's usually when we are at their locations/cities and not at our home location.

The local community in general would not be accepting of a guy in heels. We know that. The locals tend to enthusiastically despise the gays that go camping at a local camp ground - - to the point where they have attempted numerous times to get the place shut down. They found ways to eliminate a local school administrator and a teacher when it was discovered they were lesbians.

A married guy wearing skinny jeans and high heeled sandals - - locally - - Oh hell no. We would both most likely lose our jobs sooner or later.

You need to review what may be at stake within your family. What affect it will have on your kids in regards to the community, and how they would react. Our passions may not be worth the price paid by ourselves and those around us.

I can only say I feel very lucky that the people in my community, though some may disapprove of my fashion choices, accept me as I am. Keep the faith, brother.

My experience with MK is limited to sandals, of which I have several pair. They seem to run true to size, but are on the narrow side. It may be that the boots are completely different. 

15 hours ago, petey86 said:

I too have the Clemency boots but in black! Super comfy and great for everyday wear.

I have them in black also, and they're all I've worn to work for about two years. I'm known on the jobsite for having the shiniest boots (they still clean up well). A few people comment on the heel height, but most people simply don't notice.

Both pairs failed in the same way, the sole split across the ball of my foot. This happened to both pairs at about the same time, after about a year and a half of trouble-free service, and I'm sure it has to do with extreme cold and abuse with a shovel. I really should have apprentices do that kind of work, haha. I've attempted repair them with some silicone caulk, and I continue to wear them. I would buy a new pair, but unfortunately our job site now requires steel toed boots. Haven't had any luck finding steel toes with any sort of heel at all, so I guess it's back to regular boots for me!

10 hours ago, BootBoy42 said:

glad to know these can put up with the terrain.

This is what they look like after a couple years in the field. 

1 hour ago, BootBoy42 said:

Thanks all, I also bought these Dr Martens at the time of the black boots yesterday. I've bought a few pairs of boots as of late so my confidence level has gone up with ringing up the purchase. I just got done wearing these for a few hours at a local dice bar. Was a little nervous wearing a brighter than normal boot with a taller than normal heel out. Only my close lady friend commented that the boots were looked awesome. 

Hey! Those are my work boots! Seriously. They have actually stood up to the rigors of a construction site fairly well, so they ought to last you.....well, just about forever. 

Tonight, I decided to push the envelope, and go out to a semi-redneck bar wearing 5 inch stilettos, my recently purchased Aldo booties, mentioned in the "New Boots" forum. The occasion for doing such was that some friends of mine were in the band that was featured there. It was an experience.

At first, it was the same as anywhere else, no one seemed to notice, but as the night wore on, people wanted to talk with me, as the guy who was wearing these impossibly high heeled shoes. Both men and women responded positively to my choice of footwear, but mostly it was the women, who wondered how I could wear such high heels. The defining moment of the night was when one woman commented, "You are so overdressed! (I was wearing a button-down shirt with a blazer and jeans) And those heels! Are you gay?" My buddy (a friend and coworker) piped up, "No, not at all. I know him too well." After that, her interest was piqued, and she and several other women marveled at how I could walk in high heels, and asked me many questions about my choice of footwear.

I felt awkward talking with these women, who all claimed that they couldn't wear heels, but I did the best explaining that I could. Hopefully, I furthered the cause. I certainly know that the cat is out of the bag among my coworkers, and they seem cool with it. I will keep you posted about that.

On March 18, 2016 at 4:57 AM, Puffer said:

Impressive, Melrose!    If you were dressed at the zoo as in the 'striding' pic, with your boots in plain view, you must have been observed, despite your suggestion that 'no one seemed to notice'.   Did you really detect no reaction at all from others?   And what is your father's opinion of your heel-wearing?

Yeah, it was the exact same clothing as in the "striding" picture, so it would seem that someone must have noticed. However, when walking more slowly, as one might do at a zoo, you can see that the pants drop down considerably. It may be that no-one that day cared, or it may be that I didn't care, who knows?

My father has been ok with my choice of footwear from the outset. My mother somewhat less so, but she's also come to accept that it's just the way I am. 

I just got these Chelsea style booties a couple of weeks ago, and they are turning out to be my "go-to" shoes, at least until warmer weather is here to stay. 

The brand is Aldo, model name is unknown. They have a 5 1/4 inch heel with a 7/8 inch platform. The stiletto heel is quite thin, but they are pretty easy to walk in. 

I think Aldo has changed their sizing at some point, because I have another pair of older Aldos in size 40 which are quite snug. These size 40 booties are roomy, allowing me to wear thicker socks. 

I just returned from a visit to Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, NE. As it is Spring Break for the kids, my father decided to take my two sons there, and at the last minute, I decided to take the day off work and come along as well. I had been waiting for an opportunity to see if I could hack an all-day walking tourist attraction in some serious heels, and it was awesome!

I wore my Simply Vera Wang Velma boots, the same ones I had previously walked 5.3 continuous miles in. There was really no other serious contender for the outing. I did bring my Nike Sky High wedge sneakers just in case I chickened out at the last moment, or in case my feet hurt so badly at the end of the day that I needed something else to wear on the way home. Luckily, neither scenario happened. I decided to go ahead and risk it and wear the boots, being inspired to some degree by the fact that when I had recently visited a Vietnamese theme park, something like their version of Disneyland, at least 5% of the adult female visitors there were wearing some kind of high heel. If they can do it, I can do it. Admittedly, I didn't see anybody wearing shoes quite as ambitious as mine to the park, but I saw several examples of what you could definitely consider "high" heels. 

As it turns out, I was not the only one in heels that day! During the course of our wanderings, I spotted a woman wearing what looked to be about 4 inch, single-soled pumps. Of course, it seems rather unlikely that she was just a zoo visitor like us, because she was dressed in a sort of pantsuit, and was carrying what appeared to be a thick file folder. I felt disinclined to change the whole course of our group to investigate further, though I did point her out to my father, who grunted some form of acknowledgement. 

The facility itself is very professional and impressive. We learned quite a bit during the course of the day as well as having fun. I did not have any mishaps, and in fact, no one seemed to notice I was wearing 5 inch heels to a zoo, which would be unusual enough for a female. If they did (I'm sure somebody did), they kept it discreet. My feet were getting pretty tired by the end of the day, but they weren't screaming at me. The 2 hour drive home was more than sufficient full recovery time, and I walked to church choir rehearsal (in heels, of course) immediately upon arriving back home. No ill effects whatsoever the next day. 

Attached are pictures of the boots and my outfit (if you can call it an "outfit"). I didn't get any pictures of me at the zoo which really show my boots, so I had to do a sort of "selfie" in the driveway when I got home, mainly for the benefit of this online community.  I'm glad I had this adventure, and I also got to spend time with my family as well. 

I have taken a slightly different approach. And by "slightly," I mean "radically." I have two sons ages 16 and 7. The older one accepts me without question, and his friends seem to accept me without question. I have worn heels to all school functions and parent-teacher conferences, and the only person who has ever said anything to me is my ex-wife, who suggested that I think about the possible consequences to our son. I later discussed it with my son, and he said he didn't really care if I wore heels to his school. My version of compromise was to start wearing slightly less radical shoes to high school functions, for example, block-heeled boots instead of thin-heeled sandals. I have not heard a word of complaint from anyone since.

The younger one has never really known me without heels, so that is a different equation. Little kids are less inhibited, so they will come right up and ask you, "Why are you wearing girl shoes?" Parents or older siblings often try to shush these questions, but I find the best approach is to say, "No, it's OK, I don't mind answering their questions." In this way, both children and parents can be educated to the fact that I'm just a normal, pretty boring dude who has a wife, kids, and a job just like everybody else. I have never heard from my younger son that there is any problem because of me with his friends, and he is definitely one who would tell me if there was.

I realize that my approach probably won't work for everyone, especially if you're not well known in the community as a heeler, but this has worked for me and my family so far.

10 hours ago, Thighbootguy said:

 

From your picture, I'd suggest the frame of the bicycle is too small for you.  You should almost be able to straighten you leg when the peddle is at the bottom of the cycle.

Also from your picture, great heels.

I do not think, TBG, that this picture is meant to depict him, heeladdict, but is rather a depiction of a bicycle and something like the shoes he was wearing. I am guessing that the photographer and model were not too concerned about frame size, haha. 

As for me, wearing heels while bicycling is not something I've really tried. Although one can see women riding bicycles anytime in Vietnam, I've yet to see one here in the U.S. If even the girls don't do it, I don't do it. Still, I will never say never. 

1 hour ago, Xtreme Heels said:

I would have to agree with the both of you, being open and honest with my girlfriend about me wearing heels has worked for me! She was a little taken back at first but doesn't have any issues with me wearing heels now. In fact, she has complimented me on many occasions as to how good my heels look on me!!!

Congratulations on getting that out of the way. The next step, which is where I'm at, is trying to balance the wife's approval with JUST EXACTLY HOW MANY PAIRS OF SHOES DO YOU HAVE? Good luck to you. 

13 hours ago, HappyinHeels said:

mlroseplant,

Welcome back! Always good to spend time with the spouse's family. I'll be going to northwestern Mexico to see my wife's family in about one month. Like Vietnamese women Mexican women wear heels a lot as they tend to in much of Latin America. Good thing we're going in April and not July when the average high temperature (not heat index) reaches 110 F/ 42.6 C. 

I am curious about something though and that is do they use 220 ac in Vietnam or is some of it 110 ac?     HappyinHeels

I feel the same way about visiting Vietnam in the summertime. It's quite uncomfortable pretty much anywhere in the country at that time of year.

Vietnam uses 220 VAC/50 Hz. It's a true 220 volts, and not 240, as it is here. At the residential level, 220 is the only voltage available--they do not split their single phase transformers in half as we do to achieve two different voltages. The main impediment to device compatibility is the 50 Hz frequency, compared with our 60 Hz. Luckily, pretty much any computer or phone charger in modern times doesn't care what voltage or frequency you put to it, it will still happily charge your device!

I wish you safe and happy travels in a month's time. Do you wear heels in Mexico?

I have said it before, and I will say it again: Wearing heels is NOT like riding a bicycle. It is like dancing ballet or playing a musical instrument. Daily practice is required for maximum effect. I have not worn real heels for nearly a month. Yesterday, I chose some pretty tall ones to go out to lunch, go shopping at the mall and at Costco. There was a fair amount of walking and standing involved. One month ago, I wouldn't have thought twice about it. Yesterday, after being out of practice for a month, my feet were very tired by the time I got home. I should have chosen a less vertiginous pair. Give me a week or two, and I'll be back in the saddle!

13 hours ago, mwhh said:

Why would you call her Ugly?  Is that your pet name or a a term of endearment?

I guess over the years it has become a term of endearment. It started out as a kind of mild personal insult, to let her know I was not "interested" in the way that many guys are on the cruel, cruel internet. Ngoc earns a fair amount of money as a part-time promotions girl/spokesmodel.

As I have posted elsewhere, I have just returned to the USA from Vietnam. Although I don't have a lot to report, I did notice some definite high heel trends (among women, of course).

Heels are definitely getting lower compared to years past. I think this is a worldwide trend, but since heels are more common in Vietnam than they are in the U.S., it is definitely more noticeable. A couple of years ago, you saw 5 inch heels EVERYWHERE (with platform, of course). Now, the most common height is 2-3 inches for every day wear, and maybe 4 inches for going out, and platforms are much thinner, or gone altogether. Unfortunately, the latest style of heel seems to be the type which comes straight down from the back of the shoe, rather than curving slightly more toward being underneath the center of the wearer's ankle. See the attached photograph, courtesy of my friend Ugly Ngoc. She's not SO ugly, is she?

In any case, a significant percentage of Vietnamese women still wear heels most days, and this percentage has not dropped noticeably in the last 10 years.

Hello all, I have returned to the good ol' USA after spending three weeks in Vietnam visiting my wife's family. As I reported before I left, I bought some Nike Sky High hidden wedge sneakers to wear over there, since Vietnam is not yet ready for a guy in full blown heels (my foreign face gets enough attention as it is), and it makes my wife uncomfortable.

After setting you all up for something very exciting and groundbreaking, I now have to let you all down, and tell you that there is really nothing to report. Nobody really said anything. At all. Not even my wife. She must realize that they are heels, but nobody said a word, negative or positive, about my really cool sneaks. It makes me think I should have bought some bolder color than nondescript gray. Oh well, I got the reaction that I sought. Be careful what you wish for, right?

I can tell you about the comfort and fit. I wore them almost every day. I did not do any super long distance walking in them, but I did wear them to an amusement park where I did a fair amount of walking, and like I sort of figured, within a few dozen steps each day after putting them on, they feel just like normal sneakers to me. I read some reviews that criticized them for being uncomfortable, but I assume those are people who never wear heels. The effective rise on these, after subtracting out the thickness of the platform, is about 2 - 2 1/4 inches, so they're pretty much like wearing flats for me.

In the past, I've dressed a little less casually than I did this year, mainly because of my shoes. Because my flat shoe collection has dwindled to a couple of pairs of sneakers and my trusty super-formal men's oxfords, I found myself wearing dressier clothes more often to go with the oxfords. This year, with the new sneakers, I found myself wearing jeans and t-shirts/sweaters a lot more. I kind of fit in, fashion-wise, with the latest style for young men in Vietnam. With my own twist, of course. The first twist being that I'm about 20 years older than the boys who wear what I'm about to describe. I have to say that I am not really impressed with the latest "hotboy" style in Vietnam. The main feature of it is super slim jeans, which in and of itself is not a bad thing, but the latest iteration of the style has a super low rise waist. Actually, that's not quite true. The rise on the jeans is pretty normal, but they are designed to be worn really low on the waist, so that the back pockets end up on the backs of the wearer's legs, rather than on his butt. Just imagine a USA "gangsta" style, only really tight. And always worn with a belt. Always. They're not really into to showing underwear and buttcrack, thank goodness. Oh, and the pre-ripped/pre-shredded ones, with or without paint splatters, are extra-cool. And extra expensive. As you can imagine, this style actually looks good on about 2% of the general population, so my way-less-radical and way-more-flattering take on this style earned me extra compliments with the girls. No one ever suspected I was wearing women's jeans.

Anyway, it's good to be back home, wearing my own shoes again. Time to go back to work on Monday and become reacquainted with reality.

I would agree with the above advice in general, but I have the following personal experience to add:

My first few pairs of heels (and by "heels" I mean clog-style shoes with 2.5 - 3" heels) came from self-service, low-end shoe stores, where I would furtively take something off the shelf that I halfway liked, jam my foot into it to see that it halfway fit, and quickly head to the checkout counter to make my escape. Unfortunately, this method worked little better than simply ordering something off the internet, which is how I've purchased 98% of my shoes since. The problem, at least for me, was this: I usually wore a 7.5 or 8 in U.S. men's shoes, and I assumed that this translated into 9.5 or 10 women's, and that's where I used to start when trying on "women's" shoes. What happened to me the first few times is that, after only a short distance of walking, the shoes would suddenly become quite large! This was because, having no previous experience in the real world, I didn't take into account the elevated heel, and the physical fact that your feet are going to slide forward somewhat. So I would resort to things like stuffing rags or newspaper in the toes to make them wearable. Not really a very happy situation for long term comfort.

Today, I have learned that at least for me, I need to start with a size 9 for closed-toed shoes, and 8.5 for sandals. Those sizes may not be quite correct for every shoe and every brand, but they're a lot closer than what I guessed would fit 4 years ago when I started wearing heels. The reason for this is mainly because I like my heels to fit a lot more snugly than men's flats. It's a fine line of course, because shoes that pinch your feet are just as miserable as shoes that are too big, but in general, I like my heels pretty tight, especially if they are a pump or loafer style, with nothing holding them on but friction. I have had a very low success rate with trying to make shoes that are too big fit with various inserts.

As I said, I order almost exclusively on the internet, usually ebay, but not because I am embarrassed to try on shoes in a shoe store. I find that buying slightly used gets me a big upstep in the quality without paying too much money. However, I also have to accept that some things I buy are just not going to work out fit-wise, and I'll have to resell them or donate them. It's just part of the game.

In conclusion, I say follow our brothers' advice, go to a Payless and try some stuff on if you have the confidence to do so, it may help you waste less money in the future. However, it is not the end-all to get a perfect fit, especially until you get some experience in heels. That first walk across a huge parking lot to get back to your car will tell you a lot more than 5 laps around the Payless store. Good luck!

Getting a little bit more back to the original topic, I never thought about it before now, but I guess I do try to look "camera ready" when wearing heels. Every once in  a while, I'll need to go to the grocery store or something, and I don't feel like getting dolled up enough to wear heels, so I won't. What a terrible feeling! But better than being caught on somebody's camera disheveled and sloppily dressed wearing heels. That would not do the cause any good!

On February 20, 2016 at 3:02 PM, MackyHeels said:

Very odd behaviour for a woman that seen me for years wearing tight gym female clothes yet i change the color of my shirt to a pinkish, raspberry tone this is a moment to recognize and photograph. What's with that? Seeing other woman pause and stare upon what i wear but other times never giving me the time of day only a slight glance recognition.  Only because i wear a pinkish colored top. 

My theory why known women react in such surprising manner to me, only because i change into a feminine colour of pink, they believe having exclusive domain to wear themselves. These reactions i'm getting recently is surprising but similar if i wore stiletto heel not to workout of course but on the street. Goes to show me the prejudice a male faces from most females only because the colour he chooses to wear. Funny thing is i wear exactly the same type of gym clothes only in black, grey, blue no reaction but choose pink there is a consequence that entails. Totally ridiculous...

 

 

I find your experience very odd indeed, as pink has become quite acceptable for men to wear in the last few years, even on the construction site! Just a few short years ago, I was the only male out there wearing a pink shirt on the job (not every day, obviously). Today, there are many brothers who wear pink to work. Of course, we can thank the Breast Cancer Awareness campaign for that. 

First of all, let me say congratulations. I hope your wife continues to be supportive.

Second, I noticed that your sandals are remarkably similar to a pair that I've had for a long time. I don't wear them so much any more, but I still keep them around for the purpose of wearing if I'm about to meet a bunch of people who have never seen me in heels before, as they are not too radical. 

Lunar New Year is fast approaching, and tomorrow we'll be off to visit my wife's family in Vietnam. In the past when we have visited, I've had to leave my heels at home, which I've been happy to do--where I stay, I draw enough attention as it is. Still, I do miss them while I'm gone  

This year, I've found a compromise. I bought some Nike Sky High hidden wedge sneakers, and my wife said those are acceptable, and even look nice! The fact is, Vietnamese men have been doing this sort of thing for years, at least with dress shoes, in order to appear taller. 

I don't care about taller, I just like the feel of wearing high heels. There isn't much of a thrill here, as the heel is only about 2 1/2 inches. In fact, about a minute after I put them on I forget that I'm not wearing just normal sneakers, but it's better than wearing flatties. I'm happy, she's happy, let's roll with it!

Hi Drew. I also live in a small town of about 15,000. It has taken me several years, but most of the time I am comfortable wearing what I want to wear, and people accept me for who I am. Your boots look great. I know it's difficult to resist going up in heel height right away, but I'd agree with the others--give the boots you have some walking time first. When I first started wearing heels, I wore the height in your picture or lower for a few years before I had the confidence to try some really high shoes.

Teenaged girls in groups may giggle, teenaged boys in groups may heckle. Teenaged girls individually will tell you you're really cool, and might even ask for advice.

Old ladies may eye you with suspicion at first, but then later tell you that they used to rock high heels in their younger days. They secretly admire you. Old men? They just think you're odd, and either accept you, or they don't. This has been my experience.

I have my shy moments, don't get me wrong, but usually I can wear my heels every day with pride, and I have guys like Steve and SF to thank for that. Good luck!

3 hours ago, Steve63130 said:

It gets easier every time. The demons are in our heads. Most people don't notice and those who do, don't care. Teenage girls in a group will giggle. That's mostly it.

Steve