mlroseplant

6 hours ago, jeremy1986 said:

That's great @mlroseplant!   Pic of the Sizzles?

I just KNEW you we're going to ask that, but I posted anyway without pics, mainly because I don't have any. So, I consulted Uncle Google for a stock photo. 

I received an unsolicited compliment today on my footwear.  I was shopping at my local Walmart, which, by the way, is the only place I've ever taken a tumble in heels. It was due to ice stuck to the bottoms of my shoes against the slick tile floor. No worries about that today, however. 

I was searching for a box of nitrile gloves. My eldest son needed them for some computer building he's been working on, and I use them occasionally for automotive work. One of us wants to protect the equipment, and one of us wants to protect his hands from nasty chemicals. While I was looking through the paltry selection available, a woman approached me and said, "I just LOVE your heels!" Deep in the thought that just a couple years ago, Walmart had a much better variety of nitrile gloves, I probably did not react as warmly as I normally would have, but I smiled and said, "Oh well thank you!" She said again, "I just love the heels! I can't wear heels any more."  

That is all. I almost feel like I'm truly accepted sometimes. I was wearing my 5 year old but well cared for Nine West "Sizzle" oxfords, with a 4 3/4 inch thin block heel with slim but not skinny jeans and a black trench coat. 

Wow! They're my size, but I think they'd be a little difficult to play tennis in. 

Seriously, I have two pair of Nike Sky High Dunks, which I thought were awesome when I bought them, but I haven't worn them in two years. I guess wedge sneakers just aren't my thing. 

Hello folks, I have returned from my annual visit to Vietnam, and have returned to a heeling life. In years past when I have been away from heels for 3 weeks, there has been a bit of a re-learning curve to get used to walking in heels again. This year, I didn't have much of a problem with the skill itself, but I did notice a real lack of endurance that I haven't in years past. This may be a result of several factors, but one thing's for sure--my feet sure are tired. Time to get serious again!

I'm pretty picky about my feet. If they aren't looking very presentable, I don't wear sandals. Since sandals are my very favorite, I generally keep on top of the pedicure situation. I do my own these days, as my favorite nail tech quit the business a number of years ago. 

Notice I did not say anything about polish. That's because I don't wear any. I'm just not a big fan, on men or women. I just prefer the look of meticulously groomed bare nails to enameled ones. 

It seems I was a bit premature in my lament of this year's styles. Perhaps what I was observing is the fact that Tet Holiday has become a lot more casual than it used to be. Now that the holiday is over and it's back to business as usual, the heels have started coming out of the woodwork in great numbers!

It is true that the giant platforms of yesteryear are still gone, and maybe that's a good thing, but heel heights for pumps seem to average in the 3-4 inch range, and you do see the occasional pump that is significantly higher. Block heels do seem to be more popular this year, but stilettos are still quite common. I still can't figure out why anybody ever buys suede anything in Hanoi, but it's incredibly popular, and gets trashed quickly due to general sogginess and dirt. This ain't Dubai, or even Singapore. 

I will be returning to the U.S. tomorrow. 

On 2/27/2018 at 12:04 PM, alphax said:

There are specialty shoes for organ players that are designed for traction, feel, and a nimble profile.  Sadly, no 5 inch pumps though.

https://store.organmastershoes.com/womansorganshoe.aspx

I didn't care for any of the styles, men's or women's, offered by OrganMaster. I wound up going with Tic Tac Toe brand, which specializes mainly in dance shoes, but they have an organ shoe line. Totally satisfied with my purchase!

I bought "women's" oxford style, which is a little lower cut on the foot than the man's oxford. I like the look a lot better. 

I have, in fact, tried the taping thing before. I cannot tell that it made any difference whatsoever. I am skeptical of such a claim in any case, on the grounds that, even if the stuff about the nerve and the 3rd and 4th toes is 100% true, do your toes really move all that much inside a closed-toed high heeled shoe anyway? I have found other methods of dealing with discomfort to be far more effective. 

The answer to the question is yes, sure I play in heels. However, there are very few instruments where it makes any difference at all. Not even piano, in my opinion. Drum kit, yes, pipe organ, yes. Other than that, I can't think of any other instruments where the choice of one's footwear would make any difference at all. 

I suppose we could think about marching bands in high heels. That might be interesting!

2 hours ago, jeremy1986 said:

Hi @RonC

Sorry to hear about your wife's situation. I can understand it being hard for the both of you - sounds like your wife enjoyed making you happy in this regard.

and yes - she's been pretty clear about it. its basically a confidence issue  - to begin with she is tall (at about 178cm- maybe even a cm or 2 more than me!) - so she doesn't always like standing out with the extra height. I think she enjoyed it in her younger single years, getting more attention, but now things are different. Making the issue worse, is that she has put on quite a bit of weight over the last few years, and she feels that the heels will make her stand out even more, making people see her weight. I can certainly understand this issue.

Also, at some point during one of the pregnancies, her feet seemed to grow another size! So being a UK9 now, kind of limits her selections too. 

That's basically the issue. I still like to think that the situation will improve if she loses the weight, but coming into her 40's, i'm not sure....  

such a pity, as she has some heels that she hasn't even worn more than once! 

 

I'll answer this question as well, even though it was not directed at me. My wife also gained quite a bit of weight as a result of childbirth, and her feet grew enough that all of her old shoe collection was unwearable. It has taken several years, but she has slowly gotten back to her pre-pregnancy weight (congratulations to her!), but the hormonal changes have somehow affected the structure of her foot, so that her poor dogs just cannot take wearing heels the way they used to. Also, she now has a job where she stands for 8 hours a day. That probably doesn't help.

The point is, I think it shows a fundamental difference between the way most women approach wearing heels and the way that most of us here at HHP approach it (gender inclusive). My wife will be 49 years old this year. In her mind, I am sure that not wearing heels all the time is not that big of a problem. She sure did enjoy high heels, and still does, but I do not believe that she has the "high heel gene" that most members here probably possess. Wearing heels was just something that society kind of expected of her when she was younger, and she took to it rather more than most. However, now that she's older, the social pressure isn't there any more, in fact it's probably the opposite. It's only natural that she will continue to wear heels less and less as the years go by. And like I say, that's fine. I have my own heels now!

By contrast, my friend and shoe buddy who is a female slightly younger than my wife at age 43 does possess the "high heel gene." You will hardly ever see her in flats anywhere, because she just loves to wear heels. She has even expressed worry that someday she'll have to give them up as she ages. If only she could see the membership here! I'd say she's good for at least another 20 or 30 years if she wants to be.

A short report from Vietnam.

1) I miss my heels.

2) The shopping trip with my niece probably isn't going to happen.

3) I haven't gotten sick at all so far this year.

4) Heel heights and popularity continue to decline, at least as I see it unscientifically. I haven't been to a mall or to the movies, and certainly not to a club, so I shouldn't report definitively, but out on the street, the giant heels of the early part of this decade have all but disappeared. Kitten heels and block-heeled pumps of 2" or even less seem to be everywhere. Athletic/trainer type shoes seem to be much more popular this year among young adult women, the same age range that 10 years ago seemed to wear substantial heels everywhere, and who are now in their early to mid-thirties. Ankle boots are popular at this time of year, and they tend to have higher heels, in the 3 to 4" range. I've seen several pairs of thigh boots that I didn't before. The ones I've seen have sported 3 or 4" block heels.

5) I have had more time to post on here lately!

I am probably not the best advisor on this matter, since I am "stuck" at approximately 4 1/2" difference between toe and heel as far as being able to walk naturally, but I would suggest taking video of yourself walking, just to see what you really look like to others. All the practice in the world will not help if you are walking in a way that looks odd and you don't realize it.

On 2/17/2018 at 10:21 AM, Steve63130 said:

Pumped is right. You're not going to change your girlfriend's dislike of heels and the more you want her to wear them, the more she'll resist. This relationship is going to be very unsatisfactory for you (as in "disaster"). Cut her off at once. Yes, it'll hurt for a short time, but it will free you up to find another woman with interests more closely aligned with yours. They're out there; you just have to take the bold steps and find them. But give up on this one. It's not going anywhere, and you know it.

Good luck! And keep us posted.

Steve

Interesting turn of discussion, and I believe I have just the way to bring it all back on point, if you'll bear with me for a couple of minutes. 

I don't feel I'm qualified to give much of an opinion about whether it is a good idea to basically dismiss a girlfriend because she doesn't like high heels, but I can tell you that this sticky little problem can work the opposite way as well. What I mean is, one might conceivably  find a woman who really enjoys wearing heels before one ever meets her, and is quite happy to continue doing so within the context of one's new relationship. This may be quite wonderful and exciting for a time. However, it is quite risky to place a lot of importance on just one or two superfluous qualities, because one may find oneself putting up with all sorts of objectionable behaviors for the sake of continuing to get one's "shoe fix."

I don't know, maybe he should find a new girlfriend, but guessing from the short explanation we are given here, this problem will rear its ugly head, or as the case may be, its ugly foot, again at some point in the future. 

Which now gives me the opportunity to bring it back around and address the question that is the title of this thread. Another reason I like wearing heels is because it has solved the above mentioned problem for me quite nicely. Now that I wear my own heels, I do not feel the need to badger my wife into wearing them if she doesn't really feel like it. I no longer have to live vicariously through someone else. That leaves my wife and me more freedom to concentrate on other things that are really more important than shoes. 

Haha, yet ANOTHER straight and married guy here. I do think that my feet are stronger and tougher than yours, but not for the reason(s) you might think. It has nothing to do with my foot size or gender (I'm US women's size 9). 

The reason I am able to wear substantial heels for long periods of time is because I have gone to a great deal of trouble to train my feet to handle that particular athletic challenge. Fit is, of course, very important, but it is not the end-all to heel wearing success. Physical endurance, and by necessity, training, is key to insuring that the fun won't stop just because my feet aren't up to the challenge! 

Welcome to our group!

On 2/10/2018 at 12:16 AM, HappyinHeels said:

mlroseplant,

Curious of your routing to Vietnam.

Our most usual (and preferred) route is DSM - ORD - ICN - HAN. Well, it's the cheapest, anyway. 

Upon our our arrival to my mother-in-law's house in Hanoi, some 30 hours after we left our own house, I ventured upstairs briefly to start putting some of our luggage in the bedroom. Halfway up the stairs, I stumbled slightly, prompting a "BE CAREFUL!" from my wife. 

I said it must be these doggoned flat shoes--I'm not used to wearing them. This elicited a very slight chuckle, rather than "the look." Progress comes in small increments sometimes. 

Perhaps there is a malfunction in the PM system. I did reply to your message of Dec. 27. 

Howdy folks,

It's time for my yearly pilgrimage to Vietnam, where my wife is from. As many of you already know (but some don't, I'm sure), my wife tolerates my heel wearing quite well, even if she is not super enthusiastic about it. However, wearing heels in Vietnam is proscribed by her, and that's just fine with me, at least for every day. However, I have plans to go shoe shopping with one of my nieces who loves and wears high heels. She knows about me. I will keep you informed of events.

Wow! 1,000 posts! That means you are obligated to take at least 1,000 steps per day in high heels, right? Congratulations!

I just noticed I'm up to 985. Had no idea! I'll catch you soon! Take care, my brother.

On 2/5/2018 at 12:44 PM, heelaphile said:

Returning to the group after several years away. It wasn't because of you all :-) 

Pictured here in Nine West Tatiana

Haha, that's great. My best friend and shoe buddy (a female) wears those in black as her usual everyday work shoe!

Walking down stairs. I'm always working on it, but I still suck at it.

Slick tile floors, such as are found in many supermarkets. There is one spot in my usual supermarket, right in front of the deli, that I have learned to be wary of. Replacing the heel tips with rubber ones usually solves this problem for the most part.

20 hours ago, JeffB said:

Most interesting, miro. Cool shoes! Just one question, when it comes to washing your footwear, do you use the Normal or Delicate cycle? 

Aw, come on guys! You know I would never put my shoes in the washing machine. There's a slop sink next to the washing machine for hand wash only items.

I did that once, a long time ago. Amanda got really angry with me. I didn't do it again. There is history behind why that rule exists which is not readily apparent today. It seems that some boys did not know how to behave themselves properly in the past, and you can see the result--very few women participants, and I suspect that at least half of those that do participate from time to time are boys pretending to be women. It wasn't always that way. 

I could go on, but instead I will answer the question as presented in the girls' section, "What causes you the most problems when walking in heels?" For me it has been the highly polished asphalt tile floors commonly found in supermarkets and other retail establishments. It seems that every time I have come close to taking a tumble, it has involved this type of flooring. 

I have owned a pair of Steve Madden Barbb mules for about a year. I have enjoyed them enough that I wished I could buy them in another color. Unfortunately, like most shoes I buy, it's a non-current model, and pretty much unavailable anywhere.

However, somebody must think they're still stylish enough, because there are knockoffs aplenty, in many, many colors. I hesitate to use the word "knockoff," because the Real McCoy wasn't all that expensive to begin with, but the knockoffs are super cheap, and copy the style in every respect save one--they are not leather. But I decided what the heck, for less than 20 bucks, why not? I've been searching for the real thing for quite some time with no luck. 

As it turns out, they aren't that bad. Not quite as comfortable as the genuine article, but not bad, and they look and feel way more expensive than 20 bucks. I bought them in a sort of rose-tinged nude patent. 

Right after my knockoffs arrived, I found the real Steve Maddens in what they call "bone."  I think they are slightly darker than what I think of as "bone," but that's ok. They wanted $65 for them. I thought about it. Then suddenly one day, the price dropped to $29. I jumped. I soon discovered why the price dropped--they are slightly damaged, but it doesn't bother me much. Not for that price. I'm a little irritated with the seller for not disclosing, but I'll let it ride. 

The pair on the left are my original black ones, worn and enjoyed for a year. The middle pair are the knockoffs, and the right pair are the genuine Steve Maddens in bone. I guess I'll have to wait a few months to give a full report on how the knockoffs fare in the real world. It's a little chilly for that right now, even for me!

On 12/23/2017 at 8:09 PM, bootlover78 said:

I happen to be fortunate enough to own one of these... and it's served me very well

I also own one of those, and it's significantly better than an awl, especially if the hole is a larger size, like for a belt. 

I was doing some shopping on Amazon the other day, and on a whim I decided to look at my purchase history. Evidently, I bought those "loaferesque" pumps on October 16th, 2013. I have worn them enough to have the heels replaced, but only this year have they entered my regular winter rotation. I want to say they are the only pair of shoes that I ever paid full retail price for, which was 110 USD. I guess I shouldn't feel bad, I have gotten my use out of them, and 110 bucks is not THAT much money.