mlroseplant

As I am very slight, they are not for me, even if I liked them.

For me, it's all about the heels. I can't ever imagine buying a pair of ballet flats. However, I do own a couple pairs of sandals with thin soles and thin straps. Those are mainly to be worn with shorts, when I don't feel like dealing with the attention that heels with shorts bring.

Thanks for the comments, fellas. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending upon one's perspective about these things), there really isn't much to tell. We talked, we ate, the kids played. My photo was the most unusual thing about the evening, and these folks are so used to it that it's not really a big deal any more.

ebay

What is the brand and model of those?

We had a few families over for dinner today, to celebrate the New Year. There were many items of interest, but this photo is the one that is relevant to this forum. Just for your edification, the woman in the short skirt is a bit of a high heel poser, but the woman standing next to me is a serious high-heeled gal.

Actually all this is an illusion.

 

Yes, Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world but the idea that it is the only place to wear what you like is the illusion, which I doubt the city fathers would move to dispel.

 

I'm betting you could wear your heels outside your own front door with exactly the same reaction as you'd get in Vegas. When I tell people this they say "you don't know my neighbours/village/city!". What I'm saying is, neither do you.

 

Many years ago I met a guy who complimented me on my nerve to wear 1.5" heeled cowboy boots. He then confided that he had a pair too but he didn't have the nerve to wear them, even though they were men's boots!

 

The point I'm making is the only thing stopping you is what's in your own head.

 

I once knew a lawyer in the capital city close to where I live who was within her professional circle famous for her long hair, short skirts, and high heels. This was about 20 years ago, during the awful Grunge period, when you rarely saw ANY high heels on the street. This lawyer knew that I had a thing for her shoes, so the subject would often come up when we would chance to meet, which was rarely.

 

To make the story shorter, I'll get right to the relevant part. She mentioned to me one time that she owns several pairs of shoes that she would never consider wearing in Iowa, those were for Vegas only. I always wondered about that. My imagination was not very good at that time, but I'll bet that now, 20 years later, whatever those Vegas shoes were would probably not be all that shocking, even on the streets of the Midwest (U.S.). The lawyer's trademark 4 inch heels, which, 20 years ago, seemed so shockingly high and daring to be worn in a professional setting, wouldn't even warrant a glance now.

I notice that they had "heel-less" heels long before Lady Gaga, or whoever, and without platform. What is more, every one of the shoes shown seems to be at least a little attractive. That's not true today. To be fair, these are stylized drawings rather than photos (which in itself is vintage groovy). I wonder if the actual shoes lived up to the illustrations?

I did, and I was absolutely shocked! I realize that maybe this should go under the "new shoes" thread, but there is a bit more of a story here than simply obtaining new shoes.

I own a pair of Nine West Plantera in black, which are my highest (but not steepest) heels. They have been discussed elsewhere on this forum. A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from Amazon featuring these shoes. This model is no longer made, and there are only a few pairs left in a few sizes, at a substantial discount. So, of course I looked, being me. They had my size in a light brown/dark tan color. People had been bugging me about what to buy me for Christmas. All I had on my wish list at that point was some hand tools, so I decided what the heck? I'll go out on a limb and put the shoes on my wish list.

Imagine my surprise when they wound up under the tree. My sister bought them for me. She said, "Well, I figured no one else would buy them, so I did." My sister is a bit of a granola type, but does always wear heels in dressier situations, sometimes quite vertiginous. I got them a half size bigger than normal, 9 1/2 instead of 9, and this turned out to be a wise decision, as I've struggled for about a year to get my other pair to stretch out (they finally have).

There was some discussion about my heel wearing, culminating with my dad saying, "[my name] was such a straight arrow growing up, I think he's always wanted to find a way to make people wonder about him. I think he's finally found that way that is innocent enough." Maybe that is true, but someone who doesn't have the "high heel gene" can't really understand that I just love wearing heels. Thanks to my sister for understanding and accepting.

I have included 3 photos, 2 of the shoes close up, and one incidental photo of me wearing them, watching my son play with one of his new toys.

 

but this happens all the time with me: people are always taking pictures of me.  people are always stopping and staring at me.  some people are having accidents because they are not paying attention to what they are doing or where they are going, because they are staring at me.  

 

now i'm not something or anything special.  all i am is a guy who likes to wear high heels.  and i know my heels, 99% of the population will never wear or would or could dream of wearing.  

 

still.  it always gives me very weird feelings when "regular folks" go out of their way to make something of it.

 

anyone know of this experience?

hope to hear from you soon.

 

I can relate to your feelings. It's liberating to be able to wear what I want, but at the same time, sometimes I just don't have the mental energy to deal with all the attention. I'm not trying to put words in your mouth, but I get the feeling that sometimes you wish people would just mind their own business.

 

Winter is generally the time when I feel the most comfortable, and that's because I guess it's when I dress the least "radical." Although I love my shorts and sandals the most, boots and long pants draw far less attention, and I barely think about being in heels in the wintertime.

 

I cannot and don't care to observe everyone who may notice me out and about, but I estimate that 95% of videos and pictures that have been taken of me have been when I'm in shorts or skinny jeans and heels. Naturally, that's what I'd rather be wearing, but I often don't just because I don't want to deal with it.

Jeff, I find your statistics quite hilarious, and I don't mean that in a bad way, because I have to admit keeping similar records, although mine are much more shoe and mileage specific. I'm glad I've got a long lost brother out there somewhere!

Thanks fellas for the ideas. Now I'll have to find the time to actually go shopping. The way my work schedule looks, none of this may matter until next winter!

Have you bought high heels with the intention of wearing one of the new pair as you leave the store? Have you then visited other stores to shop for more heels holding the bag and shoe box(es)?

I have not, because it would violate my 2 mile rule. I never wear a new pair of heels in a truly "public" place without first trying them out several times around my neighborhood, under the semi-cover of darkness. If I can't walk 2 miles in reasonable comfort, I don't wear them out for real.

This rule has served me well. It's been since my heeling infancy that I've been stuck on the wrong end of a mall in agony.

Stefe,

 

I wish we had a "Like" button!  

 

mlroseplant, what brand, style, and size are those shoes.  You have great taste.

 

 

I love those heels mlroseplant! Where can I get a pair?

 

Fellas, these shoes are Nine West Plantera. I got mine on Amazon, and I'm somewhat ashamed to say I paid full price, which as I recall was something like $120. When I saw them, I just had to have them. The production run on this model seems to have been fairly short, as they are presently only available in a few sizes and colors. They run small. I normally take a size 9, which is what my shoes are, but I probably should have ordered a 9 1/2.

So you did not make the prints?

People at work will sometimes rest their foot on the side wall of the elevator. Every now and then I have to leave a nice hi heel shoe print. It's only there a day or so before they are all cleaned off.

 

 

 

The picture you see here does indeed show my footprints. In fact, I walked quite a ways beyond the photo before doubling back by another path in order to take the photo. The other footprints I mentioned were made by some young woman 30-some-odd-years ago. It's just part of the story of my high heeled journey.

As many of you may be aware, winter is setting in here in the Northern Hemisphere. In my little corner of the world, the season is starting out even colder than usual. I need a dressy hat that covers my ears.

For work and play, I've always worn a stocking cap (beanie) or a balaclava. However, I think these hats look ridiculous with heels, as they are far too casual.

What do you guys do when the temperature plunges?

Thanks, Melrose

I'm supposedly a sneaker (trainer). I'm trying to remember the last time I wore sneakers.

MLRoseplant.. Those are cool! Wedge combat boots! Where did you find those?

eBay. I had been eyeing them for several months, and they were finally relisted, after having disappeared for a while. Since I have 2 others pairs of "fashion" Docs, I was reasonably sure of sizing.

I have another pair of new boots to share. These are a bit of a departure for me, in two ways: One, they are kind of low heeled, at 3 1/2 inches, and two, they are wedges. Oh, and three, I gave a bit more for them than I usually like to do. All of this was a conscious decision, designed to increase my total heeling time.

These boots accomplish this because due to the lower heel, combined with a 3/4" platform, they feel and walk just like a flat--well, to my mind anyway. Because they are wedges, I can now do most, if not all, the things that used to require changing into regular work boots or tennis shoes, like yard work.

They are Dr. Martens "Marcie," naturally a discontinued style. What is it with me and discontinued styles, anyway? Despite the narrowish wedge heel, these boots are very stable. I don't know how that's possible, I only know that it is so. They have side zips AND shoelaces, which I've never had before. So far, this system seems to be handy, rather than a pain. I imagine that the laces will have to be tightened from time to time.

And then the pièce de résistance is that these are wife-approved. She looked at these the first time, and asked, "Are those new boots?"

"Uhhhh...yeah?"

"Oh, those look very nice! Those are OK. I agree for those boots [sic]."

When it snows before I go to work, the court shoe stiletto prints made as I walk to my car look similar to those in mlroseplant's photo. The marks of my heeled pumps bring me a bit of comfort and pride.

There is more to the story. After I took that picture, it didn't get warm for several days. In fact, we set a record this year for number of consecutive hours below freezing for the month of November.

However, the warmth of the sun partially melted those footprints, and then they re-froze as ice where the footprints were, making them stand out clearly for a few days. Since I often travel the same ground on my morning or evening constitutional, there were multiple layers of high heeled footprints that lasted a few days. I wonder if anybody noticed? Probably not. It never ceases to amaze me how oblivious most people are to everything, including that car that is about to run that stop sign up ahead.

Rambling a bit now, but I just remembered an experience from my childhood. When I used to deliver newspapers early in the morning, which means I must have been 11 or 12 years old, I remember seeing a young woman out walking very early in the morning when it had snowed a goodly amount. Where she was going I will never know, because her pedestrian journey went far beyond the confines of my paper route.

I just remember she was wearing tall wedge boots that were fairly high for the time period, and she was moving along. I remember thinking that it was just cooler than hell that she was wearing heels in the snow, and seemingly so easily. Never thought it would be me, years later!

I have done this exactly once, and I regret it to this day. I had to throw away shoes I wish I had back.

What I don't dig is why my picture is sideways. I didn't upload it that way. It seems no matter which way I rotate it, it winds up this way. I ain't gonna worry about it no more. See the "New Boots" thread for a similar picture that is right side up.

A little off topic, but I had a girl from Malaysia as a dinner guest at my house last night. She NEVER wears heels, ever. But she is one of the few who asked me from the beginning why I wear heels. I didn't have a good answer for her at that time (nearly 2 years ago), but she supplied one for me: "Do you have better posture when you wear heels?" Uh, yeah, that's it! She seems to accept my choice very easily, even if she can't really understand it.

I have been searching for winter boots since last spring, when I decided to retire my Vera Wang boots, which were falling apart. I had basically three requirements: 1) The sole should not be leather, the heel should be at least 4.5 inches tall, and they should be reasonably high quality. I figured finding such boots would be no problem, since I wear size 9, there are a million boots out there, I had several months to find them, and I was willing to pay pretty good money for the right pair.

It turned out to be not nearly as easy as I thought. To make a long story less long, I bought 4 pairs of boots that I rejected for various reasons before purchasing the boots pictured here. In the end, I wound up finding a pair of Simply Vera boots almost identical to the ones I had to trash last spring. The model name is Velma, and of course they aren't made any more. I like them even better than my old ones, as the Velmas have just a simple leather strap across the top of the foot, rather than a large triangular piece of leather that looks suspiciously like a metatarsal guard for a construction boot.

The heels measure just a tidge over 5 inches, and the platforms, both visible and hidden total a little over an inch, giving an effective rise of 4 inches--quite wearable. The heel is just a little bit thicker than stiletto thin, at 5/8 inch, but not chunky at all. The most surprising thing about them, however, is how well they deal with the snow and ice. I know it's not my imagination, because I did a back to back comparison between these and some other boots that were SUPPOSED to have been my winter boots, and there is no contest--the Veras are sure-footed and stable in slippery conditions, the other boots require great skill and nerves of steel to negotiate things like snow and ice covered hills or sidewalk ramps.

Some will say that I'm nuts for even wearing heels in inclement weather, but I say life is too short to let a little snow cramp your style, especially when you've got the right equipment. I shall endeavor to take care of these boots a little bit better than the ones they replaced. I wish that I could find a pair just like these that are better made and rather more durable.

Do you dig it?

I'm happy to report that I seem to be fully recovered, as far as normal mobility is concerned. If I do a severe calf stretch on the affected foot, I can still feel a little twinge, but it doesn't affect normal movement.

I am much luckier than my best bud, who is working the same job as me. He tripped on a dirt clod, in much the same way I did, but he fell down and messed up his knee. He goes in next week for an MRI to see if surgery is required. He is still on light duty. Let's hope for the best for him.