mlroseplant

What do you think about these boots?

I don't think they are too feminime,...

http://shop.mango.com/GB/p0/women/new/buckle-leather-ankle-boots/?id=53053646_99&n=1&s=nuevo&ident=0__0_1441188865706&ts=1441188865706

Not even the least little bit.

I will have 5 days off work over the holiday weekend. This means 5 days in heels all day, every day. Yay!

The Oxford I know. It comes from the University of Oxford in England. Apparently, the young students there popularized the style enough sometime in the 19th century that we call them by that name to this day.

The high heeled version that is a staple of my wardrobe probably came much later.

While I don't believe "Caitlin" Jenner is a fool, it may have ignited the fears many (most?) women have about their men who proclaim to just wear heels. That they may someday transition to full time CD/transgender.

I think that's something we have to keep in the back of our minds, as I believe it's in the back of theirs.

This had never occurred to me, but you may be right. I was asked recently by an acquaintance if I was "transitioning." I'm pretty sure he was serious.

One of my few bad experiences in heels was in Costco (similar to Sam's Club). A man there called me gay, despite having my wife and child with me. It hasn't stopped me, though. I still wear my heels proudly in Costco.

Wowsers! Did you look at some of her other inventions? Knowing Asia as I do, I cannot imagine a woman who dresses like this every day. I wonder if it's an Internet persona?

It's very common in Asia to show a lot of leg (complete with very high heels), but typically it's highly frowned upon to show that much boob outside of nightlife.

Sometimes, what I thought was going to be a really cool pair of kicks turns out to be less than great. I've had many "fails" over the past three years, but I'll give a specific example. I bought a pair of Nine West Plantera, which is a loafer-style pump, a style which I normally like very much. I've put enough miles on these shoes to have them reheeled, but lately when I look in the mirror, I see Kim Jung-il's (former leader of North Korea, known, among other things, for his hideous platform shoes) shoes staring back at me. See photos below. They are just too thick in the forefoot to look good with normal dress pants.

Is there any hope for these? I hate to get rid of them, but I need some ideas about what they might look good with.

I can certainly identify with your desire to avoid confrontation. I have, without a doubt, walked a different way when I have encountered a group of people I've felt "funny" about walking past. Part of me wants to engage them, but I have yet to find a derisive person who wants to do anything but yell insults and run away. Perhaps this has to do with my booming voice, a voice which is a singing tenor, but which I can make much deeper on demand while speaking if necessary. I feel your pain. Glad you ultimately had a nice time.

Yesterday got even better! After discussing shoes in the morning with my gal pal, I wore said high stiletto slingbacks to church, where I received a compliment from a more or less total stranger.

Later on in the day, I went to a child's birthday party. I did not wear the slingbacks because I wasn't sure how much walking on grass I'd have to do. After I'd been there a while, I heard the very wonderful sound of stiletto heels behind me. I turned around, and it was my friend I'd been talking with that morning. I had not expected her to attend this party, so it was a nice surprise. She was also wearing her favorite combo, high heels with shorts, a look I really like on her. A very nice day, indeed! Here are a couple of pictures.

I just had the most interesting conversation with a gal pal of mine. And no, not "gal pal" in the sense of w6ish, haha. We had not talked in quite some time, so we caught up on family news, then I asked her if she wanted to see my new shoes, and she immediately answered in the affirmative. I showed her these pictures, posted previously in post No. 28 of this thread. She got terribly excited and replied, "I love them! Where can I get a pair?" We talked about shoes and fashion for quite a while longer, then I changed the subject, not wanting to seem a crushing bore. I must say, however, that she is the only person I know who would say that those shoes look quite comfy. They are, believe it or not.

It is nice to have a few friends who can get beyond the "I wonder why the hell he does that?" stage, and be able to talk about shoes and fashion in a completely natural manner. So if anyone knows where a person can purchase these Charles David slingbacks (model name unknown) or something similar in a size 5 1/2 or 6, my friend would be thrilled.

No desire to wear skirts here, either, even as my shoes become gradually more feminine as the years go by. What I do love, however, is shorts. Short shorts.

I think that perhaps there is a slight misunderstanding of the lawyer's request. My friend is going through a very nasty child custody battle with his ex-wife. My friend's lawyer wants me to testify on his behalf. Right or wrong, the lawyer wants no distractions from the actual evidence. I can understand that. That's why I'm not even hesitating to make sure my choice of footwear does not negatively affect my friend's case. I mean it might, or it might not, you never know. So why take the chance?

I live in a small town. Well, it used to be small, back in the day. Without getting into details, which would be unethical, a local attorney called me the other day, and asked me if I would be a character witness for a certain colleague of mine (not a criminal case). I said sure, and the very next thing the attorney said was, "Please don't wear high heels to the hearing."

Fine. I understand. It makes me sad, but I understand.

I was not wearing heels when I got divorced, but if I had been, it would have been an issue. If I were to get divorced again, shoes would be <5% of the reason.

Back on topic, I rather like kitten heels. I like SF's heeled sandals. I like jet heels (although I never heard the term either until jetheelsfan came along). I like taller stilettos, thicker heels, block heels, tapered heels, stacked heels, clog heels, cuban heels, and (this is scary) I'm starting to like some wedges! Did I say that?

Steve

It sounds as though you are polyamorous. As far as shoes are concerned. Haha.

Tech,

You could have offered a critique without being critical and demeaning. Perhaps saying, ".. I would have dressed up those shoes with...." and describe the outfit would have been more helpful and beneficial, and not as demeaning.

JMHO

BTW, am I blocked now? (just kidding)

Oh no, no, no, no! We need ratings here. If Tech gave an answer such as you suggest, who would ever read this thread?

Thanks for the replies, all. The opinions I state here are not necessarily the views of my sponsor. Just having fun! Maybe more clever thoughts will come to me soon. I wouldn't hold my breath, though.

I don't however quite understand your point about thong sandals. Yes, they often have kitten heels and don't look very appealing. But those with a 'proper' stiletto heel (at least 3") are by no means rare, and they are quite often teamed with a wedge heel of a fair height, again at least 3". Your BCBG wedges are a case in point - and I wish I could find and wear some sandals like those too - a neat style which oought to be unisex!

True, they are not rare, but they are also not that easy to find. It took a fair bit of searching to find my BCBG wedges, and I wear a normal women's size (9 U.S., 7 U.K.).

I hate kitten heels! I'm still trying to figure out what this thread is all about. I don't have any new shoes (or clothes) to show off this week, so a random thought will have to do.

Why do I hate kitten heels so much? What did they ever do to me? I was just corresponding with another member some time ago, and he lamented the fact that it's very difficult to find a mid-heeled thong sandal that does not have a stiletto heel. In other words, a kitten heel. And that's right--most heeled thong sandals have a kitten heel for some reason. Well, there are the giant rubber platformed flip flops that would technically fall into that category, but I am choosing to ignore those for the moment. Actually, forever.

This conversation got me to thinking about kitten heels in general, often touted by the fashion magazines as the Ideal Compromise between real heels and frumpy flats. I'm calling BS on that one. Kitten heels, far from being the Ideal Compromise, are in fact the Worst of Both Worlds. Too short to have much of a visual effect, yet impractical in the way that all stiletto heels are--for example, you still can't walk on the grass with impunity in kitten heels, no matter how short.

I think I've felt this way about kitten heels since I was very young, but the feeling didn't solidify until I was in college. I know, I'm a late bloomer. I remember this girl who never wore heels unless she was in a situation where she was required to dress up. I believe at that time she had exactly one pair of dress shoes, and they were kitten heels. I bet they weren't as much as 2 inches high. She walked terribly in them, wobbling and shaking with every step. I never knew this girl well enough to talk with her about it, but I don't think the shoes were necessarily uncomfortable in a foot-pinching sense, but her choice of "conservative" footwear ruined her whole look and presence. She'd have been much better off with either a higher thin heel, or a broader heel of the same height. Then again, what do I know about presence? Today, she's a successful patent attorney, and I'm slogging around in the mud for a living. She MUST have changed her shoes! That's gotta be it.

Who hates kitten heels? Who misguidedly loves them? We would all love to hear your thoughts, I am sure.

I don't see much wrong with your overall appearance, but then who am I to judge as I would be comfortable in something similar.   What shoes did you wear to the optometrist?   (It occurs to me that he might have thought your eyesight was so bad that you had put your wife's shoes on by mistake!)

I wore these BCBG wedges with skinny jeans and a bright orange close-fitting t-shirt. Sorry, no pictures of the outfit. It's not even an "outfit," really.

I give up... Its as if he is being given these shirts for free by somebody who really doesn't like him....

Those glasses too, have you had the same specs forever? Get some modern smart frames man... Not "pokey old git" frames...

 

Why do so many guys put 99% of their effort into 1% of their "appearance"?

 

Wow, these shoes look great, I'll just wear them with any old crap...

 

Seriously, any shirts you have that are striped like that, bury them, or use them to start a barbecue.

 

Your feet say "Summer" but the rest of you says "Early spring"

NO MORE STRIPES!!!!

Well, you know, you can't please everyone, just 6 out of 7, evidently. This thread has become far more interesting than I had imagined. A few thoughts here: First of all, I want to thank everyone for their input, even Tech. Second, I admit I still struggle with smart casual. Actually, I really like those pants, and I'm not going to get rid of them. I am not sure what to do about my tops/shirts. This will not be the summer where I experiment too much, as I am working 64 hours a week--I just don't have time to go shopping for myself and just try on a bunch of stuff. Third, about the glasses, the timing is quite odd--I just had an eye exam today, and am in the market for some new specs. Three pair, actually. Normal, everyday glasses, safety glasses for work, and sunglasses. Here's the thing: TO A PERSON, everyone I've asked has said to get something very similar to what I have right now, because they are very suitable with my face. And these are not pokey old gits saying this, either. These are mostly young attractive ladies saying this. I am very reluctant to go against this advice, because frankly although the big plastic frames may be in style right now, most people don't look very good in them.

I did get asked today by the optometrist (a man) about my shoes. I felt very comfortable in telling him that I wear them just because I like them. Not the best, most eloquent answer I could have come up with, but an acceptable and truthful one. He then had some questions about why I like them when, according to his wife, they are uncomfortable. I told him that perhaps my desire to wear them comes in part because they are difficult to walk in, and I consider it an athletic challenge to be able to wear heels, and make it seem as easy as flats. He seemed satisfied with that answer, if slightly puzzled.

I have another photo to show, but it's not an evolution of the last photo, as I had originally contemplated. I would reckon that if you didn't like the last one, you probably ain't gonna like this one either. I seized another opportunity to debut another pair of new shoes at church, and another pair of sandals.

First, the shoes: Charles David, model name unknown, 5 1/4 inch heels, 3/4 platforms. They are my one and only pair of slingbacks. Surprisingly comfortable. However, the manufacturer seems to have chinced out on the quality of the soles, probably figuring that nobody would ever actually walk any distance in them. The soles are ridiculously thin leather, and will probably not last another 5 miles. I will have to visit the cobbler soon. The heel tips are actually faring better than the soles, believe it or not. The pants are women's Faded Glory (Walmart brand) bootcut chinos. The shirt is a men's button down, some Vietnamese export brand, probably purchased in Vietnam, where they make men's clothes that actually fit me.

As usual, nobody really reacted to my outfit. I thought that a couple of teenaged girls were giggling at me at one point, but after several minutes of careful but discreet observation, I don't think so. Phones were out, but they never pointed my direction at all, not even for a second. If they did notice me, I guess I wasn't that interesting. The old folks have long ago quit reacting in any overt way. Many of these people have known me for 40+ years, and they're way more interested in other things than what I'm wearing.

I do still find it almost awkward being so tall. I've never suffered from Short Man's Syndrome, and it seems kind of unnatural to me to look waaaaay down to the 5-foot-nothing old ladies. Here are the photos:

On edit: I have my 6 year old son take my photos, and he does a reasonably good job, but somehow the photo quality suffers between my phone and uploading it to this site. I wonder why?

It just so happens that I have a pair of black pants which are pretty much identical to the gray pants I am wearing in the photo. I'm also sure I have a solid color polo hanging around somewhere. Perhaps I'll try another photo sometime, and we'll see how it looks.

The reason I chose the gray pants (other than the fact that they were already ironed and the black ones weren't) is that I was going for a sort of monochromatic look. Evidently, some like it all right, and some don't. No biggie.

Thanks, Steve. Your comments carry a great deal of weight with me, because I know they are sincere.

In other news, I made a video of myself this morning, walking in heels. When I first started wearing high heels in public, some three years ago, I used to film myself quite a bit, in order to see what I really looked like. These videos turned out to be quite useful for adjusting the way in which I walked, which at first was quite awful.

I haven't taken a video of myself in a couple of years, but this morning, instead of doing my back exercises (I've suffered from work related back pain in the past), I made a video of myself walking in the garage. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I am WAY better at walking in heels than I imagined. I have studied many videos of women walking, as well as a couple of men, and I know what I like, and what I don't.

I am unfortunately handicapped with bowlegs, but I have largely learned over the past three years to compensate for it. I prefer an athletic walk, with longer strides than many take in heels. I need to get from Point A to Point B in a reasonable amount of time. Ideally, I would like to have the heel of my trailing foot come off the ground before the heel of my leading foot hits the ground. I am not quite there yet, but I am very close. I am probably over-analyzing, but that is in my nature.

Overall, I am pleased with what I see, and I will likely continue to wear pants that show off my heels more often.

I tried something new this morning. After chickening out last week at Bike Night, I wanted to try a little bit of a different look to regain my confidence. I usually wear a suit and tie to church (with heels, of course), but during the summer months, I often dress a bit more casually, as does almost everyone.

What made today different was 1), I went for a monochromatic look, complete with shoes I never thought I could wear in public, and 2), I wore straight-cut pants hemmed just below the ankle, so that the entire shoe was visible at all times. Not quite "skinny" cut, but definitely not a boot cut. I received no comment whatever, but it's not so much different from what I usually wear, so that's not a big surprise.

The sandals are Ralph Lauren "Safara." They have a 4 1/2 inch heel with a 1 inch platform. They are very easy to wear all day, anywhere. I have another pair of Safaras in tan that I've worn just about everywhere. I didn't think I could wear the natural snakeskin print, but they really seemed to go with this outfit.

I welcome your comments and criticism about this outfit.