mlroseplant

That was quick.

It didn't FEEL very quick! Doorstep to doorstep, it took us about 32 hours to get here, 19 of which were actually spent flying. It's a relatively quick, but brutal way to travel.

Tonight at midnight (GMT +7) is the Lunar New Year, known in Vietnam as Tết. It's the most exciting time of the year to be in Vietnam.

We have made it safely to Hanoi and with no damaged or lost luggage to boot! Er, no pun intended.

. . . for three weeks anyway. We're heading to Vietnam in just a few hours, and to honor my wife's wishes, I will be wearing flatties there. I do hope to get some great pictures, as we haven't seen the family for two years, and Hanoi is a good place to spot some very lovely women wearing some pretty doggoned tall heels.

It was a very nice article. I'm glad to hear that they will maintain at least one "real" projector.

I'm going to take this opportunity to lead us somewhat astray, but I think this may the perfect place for this story. My sister and her husband are both academics, so naturally they have a lot of friends in those sorts of circles. Occasionally, the intellectuals let me hang out with them on Facebook. There is a woman (or possibly a wohuperchild) who teaches in Seattle. She posted one day that she had to have her laptop keyboard repaired because three letters, "n," "m," and "a," had basically just worn out and didn't always type on the first try. Naturally, people made a lot of "gender neutral" comments, but the best one was from my brother-in-law, who is generally a very serious fellow. Keeping in mind that the aforementioned professor is of Korean descent, he wrote the following: "Those letters evidently wore out because [her name] kept writing "man o man, i can't get enough of that gangnam style" over and over. And that, my heely friends, is the most hilarious thing I've ever heard out of my brother-in-law. He did admit to me later that it took him a while to come up with it. Were I tempted to write LOL, I wouldn't have been fibbing in this case.

I just made these as a test. I thought about better wood but it is a lot more

Expensive and heavy.

Just a wild guess, but do you like jute wedges? LOL.

Yeah, I've seen that commercial a few times, and while my personal motto is: "If the streets ain't dry, then my heels ain't high", I sure do love that lady and her snowy catwalk strut!

It has snowed quite a bit where I live again, and the Lexus lady (and the car) will be just fine just as long as it doesn't snow another inch or two. A little snow shouldn't interfere with your style too much, but a lot of snow will. That's just a fact. Also, we all know that guy is going to wind up in the ditch driving like that in the snow, all wheel drive or not, but oh well, it's just a commercial. Nevertheless, this video has somehow or other found its way to my favorites list on You Tube. It is pretty hot. Totally love her earrings, too.

On a more practical note, rubber heel tips are a MUST in the snow. OK, maybe not a must, but highly recommended. Not only is the grip superior in the actual snow and ice outside, they do not slip on the tile floor of the grocery store when slicked with slush the way that plastic heel tips do.

Got my pedicure, and I'm ready to travel to Asia! In flat shoes, I'm sorry to report.

I agree, it has gone a little too far, but on the other hand, do we really want to go back to the days when we classified intellectually challenged people as "idiots, imbeciles, and morons?" There has to be some reasonable balance.

Sorry to disappoint, but I always drive in bare feet, kicking off my heels to drive. I'm more fuel efficient that way. ^^

Just got these Oxford style heels, wearing these all day today. Great fit, perfect all day 4.25" heels. There are from Enzo Angiolini in size 11.

Joe

But, uh. . . those aren't. . . ummmm. . . Oxfords. Not even close. Those are zip-up booties. Some people call them shooties. Oxfords definitely have to have shoelaces. Cool looking booties, though! I'd wear them.

By the way, even though I'm now an Iowegian, I'm from North Carolina. Durham.

I'm going to offset the topic a little bit, but hopefully not get us completely off-topic. I have noticed that Asian women seem to be able to get away with certain footwear and fashions that white women cannot. I saw an Asian woman in Costco (warehouse/discount store, for those of you on the other side of the pond) the other week. She was probably about 40 - 45, dressed in a business type skirted suit, and she was wearing. . . wait for it. . . wait for it. . . clear heels! Admittedly, the platform was modest, probably 1 inch or less, but she looked absolutely fabulous! I'm not sure a white woman could have pulled that look off. Also, Asian women seem to have no problem wearing short shorts and stilettos, a look that white women shun, unless they're a celebrity. Hispanic women also do the shorts and heels thing quite often around here. But not at this time of year. It's -6 F/ -22C right now. Ain't NOBODY wearin' no clear heels at the moment.

I'm also the only male heeler I've ever seen. There is one dude in our union (IBEW, electricians) who paints his toenails, but he wears butt-ugly Teva rubber sandals (not on the job, obviously). I've never discussed the subject with him.

Puffer and Megan, I need more friends like you. This conversation has become quite entertaining. I wish I could offer something witty, but. . . I can't. By the way, speaking of pedantry, how many spaces do you put between the periods in your ellipses? I like to put two spaces in between, but some style manuals dictate only one space between.

I'm a bit surprised that my potential outing to my family didn't perk up a few ears. It is my final hurdle to complete fashion freedom to the level I wish to take it. It would be for me total acceptance. What better way to do it than mainstream media. I would be forced to confront my parents a head of time about the issue, while wearing my conservative 2 inch Cuban boots.

Everyone knows, except them. I planned for this day and I feel very much in control of the situation although I didn't say it was going to easy.

It did perk up my ears, but I didn't reply because I really didn't know what to say. I had the opposite experience, in that my parents were the very first people to see me in heels. Their reaction was not too positive, but they've just gotten used to it over the last few months. My mom even helps me hem my pants with certain heels in mind if I need it. I hope your "outing" goes as smoothly.

Edited because I failed to proofread before I clicked the "reply" button. When will I learn?

I also am perfectly happy to answer questions. I look forward to a dedicated thread, if there is one.

I read about the strange little guy in Iowa, that wore heels, and fixed cars in parking lots. It was quite the sensation for a while.

HA!

In the UK there are many stories about daft folk going up mountains with grossly inadequate footwear or clothing. The montain rescue people save their lives despite their stupidity. I wonder if this sort of thing happens in the alps, rockies, or anywhere else where they have rather higher peaks.

In Vietnam (and also Korea, as I understand it), many women wear wildly "inappropriate" footwear to places that sound much like Snowdon. Some are more successful than others.

Every Lunar New Year (commonly known in the West as Chinese New Year), which in Vietnam we call Tết Nguyên Đán, or just simply Tết, our family visits a mountain temple about 90 minutes' drive outside of Hanoi called Đèn Thượng. It's quite a hike up to the temple for someone who is not used to it, and you see all sorts of people from all different walks of life who make this pilgrimage each year.

I have seen women make the trek barefoot, and I have seen 4+" heels. I have seen people wearing those awful rubber sandals that most people use as house slippers, and of course athletic shoes/trainers. I have seen barefoot women carrying 4" heels in their hands. I will try to get some video/photos this year, if anyone is interested.

Eh, it wasn't terrible, but then, I'm not sure I would have done any better. I thought he let her get away with the discomfort card a little too much. "Be careful what you wish for!" If there's one thing about us heeling guys, I think we are way more conscious about shoe fit and shoe training than your average female. Also, we never got to see what he was actually wearing on his feet, though we got to see the flat boots of the somewhat hostile interviewer.

Thank you to those who gave compliments on the jeans. Also, thank you to those who withheld not-so-nice remarks. LOL. I'm still trying to find my way in this new and sometimes strange world of fashion. Also, thanks to my wife, who seems generally happy with me lately.

I was almost in a 12. I stopped riding the bike and have put some weight

Back on.

I get longs for my really hi heels and M for lower heels. I got some A's but

Dis overed they are shorter than M's, good for tennis shoes. Wow. Womans

Sizing is a nightmare. No wonder they can be so moody. I also understand why

Some have pants dragging the ground. I hate that look.

I am sure that women's sizing is pretty "fluid" compared to men's sizing. I mean, 30 inches is 30 inches, right?

I also hate pants that drag on the ground. Reminds me of the "grunge" era in the late 90s, dark days indeed, especially for heel lovers.

I've had it go both ways: I've had some teenaged female relatives actually get miffed at my opinions, and I've also encountered teenaged girls who like to discuss different fashion ideas with me. I think it so much depends on the individual. As an aside, I'm a big fan of the American TV show, "What Not To Wear." I definitely could have been a candidate for that show not so many years ago. However, I somehow doubt Stacy and Clinton will have any of their male candidates wearing heels anytime soon. Too bad.

As the younger son in a family business, but with 22yrs in I'd personally be amused about someone applying and wearing heels. While I'd want to chat about it after I would make sure to comment that most sitez/customers are not accepting, and while some hidden heel wedges might slip past people he may not get to wear heels while on the job, since, well, I cannot.

Outside of the interview I'd love to get to know them better and find out their heeling history.

Yes, Jim, I agree, that's a fine line. As the former owner/partner of a used car dealership in a small town, I always struggled with some sort of balance about what to wear on my feet. 90% of the time, I chose rather low-heeled clogs which would not attract too much attention, and which would also allow me to do some light work in the shop if necessary. I had my Red Wing work boots for the heavier work.

However, one Saturday, it was my turn to show up by myself (we used to take turns on who had to show up on Saturdays). I decided to wear nicer clothes than I would normally wear, as I didn't have any work to do in the shop, and since we didn't have anything listed on Craigslist at that time, I really didn't expect any customers. I was just there to do paperwork. So I wore some higher heels. Nothing too outrageous, just some clogs with a 3.5" obviously separate and distinct heel. Wouldn't you know it, a customer showed up unexpectedly because the taillight assembly we had sold her to repair her crunched-up quarter panel refused to work properly.

So there I was, standing in front of the shop, on the main drag in town, for 45 minutes, messing with this thing. In heels. It turns out that the problem was a slight internal design change between 2001 and 2002 model years. After rigging it up so that it would work, the customer left happy, and never mentioned a thing about my heels. I'm not sure she noticed. But I always wondered if some of those small town folks ever wondered about that strange little guy who always wore those funny clogs. I'm pretty sure it didn't affect the business at all, but you never know. You do have to be careful, don't you?

Don't go nuts with your shoes until they're broken in. I wear all my shoes with a bit of platform. Nothing stripperish. A platform with get red of that ball-of-the-foot pain we get. I know you guys hate platforms so much, but your feet will love you for them.

There must be some shape inside of each pair of shoes that is slightly different, which affects comfort greatly. Most of my shoes do have a small platform (1" or less), but this is not a 100% predictor of comfort.

I bought a pair of oxfords from Nine West which have no platform, and a 3.5" block heel. I bought them specifically because I thought I could wear them to church with my conservative suits, as they look exactly like the men's low-heels shoes I would normally wear, except for the heel. These shoes, despite having no platform and 3.5" heels have been comfortable out of the box. On the other hand, I have another pair of Nine West, same heel height, with no platform, which are just NOT comfortable to walk in for any distance, despite having installed gel inserts. Perhaps someone with a differently shaped foot than mine would have the opposite opinion.

Some of this just comes down to practice. I find that I am able to wear the giant heels pictured in the original post for much greater distances without pain than I was 4 weeks ago when I posted that.

Well, good for you, my friend. Hope you enjoy your new jeans! Perhaps you can post a picture so we can see what you look like in them along with a pair of heels.

I finally got around to taking some pictures of one pair of my new jeans, as requested. These are Faded Glory (Wal-Mart brand) in a size 4 petite boot-cut. I washed them once before I wore them. This was taken after a number of hours of wearing. I shall be interested to see how they fit after a few more washings.

Shoes are Michael by Michael Kors loafer/clog. I don't know the model name. I got them from eBay with no box.

I am surprised at the number of people whose "lack of meatiness" in the posterior department has been solved by women's jeans. One would think it would be the opposite. And sometimes, it is.

I have a male friend who is still to this day kind of "fashion challenged." Back in the late 80s when we were broke, he would buy all his jeans from the thrift shop, and the main criteria was which ones had the least holes in the $1 bin. He would often buy women's jeans, as he didn't care much how they looked, just as long as they covered his backside. And I must say, he looked pretty funny sometimes, and not in a good way. He really has no butt, and his jeans of the day were often poofy in the hips. This image was burned into my brain, and put me off for a long time about ever going to the other side of the store.

Fast forward 20 years: I married into a Vietnamese family, so naturally I have a lot of contact with Asian girls/women. Most of them seem to know how to wear their jeans (and their tiny little shorts) well. Then one day it hit me: Hey, wait a minute--none of these girls has any butt either, and their jeans seem to fit them just fine. Maybe I ought to revisit this. So here I am, discussing this with y'all!

I'm not really sure what to tell you tall fellows, as I've never had that problem at 5'6"/167cm. I do know that in general, women tend to have longer legs and shorter torsos than men, so maybe all is not lost. I've also noticed that in my son's high school, there are so many more tall girls, in the 6 foot range, than there used to be. I don't think this is my imagination. Anyway, they must get their jeans somewhere. I think it's just a matter of going out there and just trying on pants until you figure out approximately what size range you are. Good luck!