mlroseplant

I have put a pause on buying any new shoes for a while. I now have 100+ pairs, and I have run out of storage room. To that end, I decided that I needed to start wearing the shoes that I have, rather than keep wearing the half dozen favorites over and over again. I broke out the Prada mules, which have always been comfortable, but not comfortable for me personally, because I always feel slightly ridiculous when I wear them--they are huge! Six inch heel, 1 1/2 inch platform, and nothing delicate about them. Anyhow, here they are, in all their huge glory, and yes, I am wearing a bandaid, or sticking plaster, because a mile and a half into my walk, these otherwise benign shoes decided to bite me back.

5 hours ago, Jkrenzer said:

Who is Carl Perkins?

Carl Perkins is the man who actually wrote the song. Elvis made it rather more famous a year later. 

I have not been dutifully recording my new shoe purchases as they have come in, and certainly not in order. You will forgive me.

Up today are my Michael Kors wooden sandals, model name unknown. I believe these are from the actual Michael Kors line, and not the cheaper "Michael" or the "Kors" line. I have no idea, nor do I care, what price range these were when they were new, but the seller was sure proud of them, asking damn near 100 bucks. I watched them for several months, and then I finally offered her 50 bucks, which she took. I'm definitely into wooden sandals these days, but not for $100 I'm not.

These were originally slingbacks, but they had absolutely no reason to be, so I cut them off and made them into mules. They come up so high on the foot that a slingback serves no function and detracts from the look. They have 5 5/8" heels (a discounted number because of having no footbed padding) and 1" platforms. A rather unusual 3/4" square heel rounds out the package. That's not really a pun, but whatever it is, it's intended.

This gives a good amount of steepness at 4 5/8", and it feels like it. I might wind up wearing these a lot, or I might not. Aside from the steepness which I still must get used to, they are quite tight, and a pain in the neck to get on and off. As far as I'm concerned, that's a good thing with this type of shoe, because if they fit perfectly out the box, they will be too loose after a few miles or hours of wearing. I can feel that they will be way more comfortable after a time.

Anyway, I think they look pretty cool for casual shoes, and are in that Candies style that I adore in my mind. I have a feeling that if I could go back in time and actually see girls actually wearing Candies, they won't look as good as I remember. I think pretty much all of my wooden heels are improvements to the breed.

19 hours ago, Cali said:

"Well, it's one for the money two for the show
Three to get ready now go, cat, go
But don't you step on my blue suede shoes
Well you can do anything but ..."

No, it was the 1956 cover by Elvis.

I assume that you are stating your preference, but I personally prefer the Carl Perkins version. In any case, if I were to going to wear blue suede today, it would be sandals.

8 hours ago, Cali said:

I felt like channeling my inner Elvis and wore these blue suede JS stilettos today.

A woman walking her dogs in front of my house said "oh those are cute."  😁

Are you quite sure you weren't channeling your inner Carl Perkins?

Here are some pictures showing only my "expensive" wooden heels. Not that I paid anywhere near retail for any of them, but somehow I've got 'em. 2 pair of D&G, 2 pair of Miu Miu, 1 pair Alaia, and 1 pair Prada. The ones I've worn the most by far are the Miu Mius (both pair). I believe Miu Miu is Prada's cheap line, "cheap" being a relative term. For some reason, every pair of Miu Miu I own works with my feet perfectly. Too bad that they're so expensive to buy in the real world, and that 95% of Miu Mius are butt ugly.

My least favorite out the half dozen are the D & Gs. One pair I've never worn out because I feel they're too girly. Or at least I did when I purchased them. I don't know if that would bother me anymore. Combine that with the fact that they are super obnoxiously loud, and they thus far have not been my choice, ever. The other pair of D & G (the bluejean denim ones) is super high and has a minimalist strap to hold them on. At first blush, these would seem like good things, and perhaps they are. The problem is that the padding on these sandals is very thick and squidgy. This makes them somewhat awkward to walk in. I feel it would be much better if one's feet rested directly upon the bare wood, as God intended.

The Pradas are super high and super clunky, but easy to live with. I haven't worn them a lot because of their looks, but they don't seem to suffer from any design defects functionally.

Which brings us to the last pair, the Alaia sandals. I paid quite a bit of money for them, sight unseen and used. It turned out to be a lucky gamble, but they have not become the staple of my summer wardrobe that I had thought. For one thing, they're quite steep, and I have been slacking for the last few years. I might have to give them another chance now that I've gotten myself back in shape again this year, high heel-wise. The other thing is that the way my right little toe hits the strap causes some issues that I will not explain in detail now. It just goes to show you, things that seem ideal sometimes turn out to be less so, and vice versa.

I have always had a fondness for wooden heels. Perhaps it was because they were very much in style in the early 1980s when I was an adolescent. Lately, I have enlarged my collection of wooden heels by 50%, to a total of 18 pairs. I'm only including shoes that contain actual wood or a wood composite. I have quite a few more pairs that are fake wood or wood-like materials.

I'll have to give that a try, luckily these are real leather.

Welcome back! It's a little thin on active members these days, but we still maintain a good conversation. Perhaps you might remind of us your background and style preferences.

In this particular case, a Band-Aid (sticking plaster) would do the trick just fine, I just don't want it to necessarily show, and they always do, a little bit, if they are to be effective. I have had it happen that by wearing the shoes with a Band-Aid, it eventually brings them out of their cantankerous state, but then I've also had it happen, like @Jkrenzer fears, that it just stays that way forever. Since this leather is so soft, I do have some hope that it will be the former.

There's nothing going on today, so I guess I'll post the church OOTW. This is not the first time I've worn this basic outfit, but it is the first time I've worn it with these shoes. They are the fire engine red Via Spiga closed-back sandals. Another pair of shoes I really didn't need, but they caught my eye, and I got several compliments on them, even from my mother.

Although the leather is buttery soft, the strap bit into my left little toe by the end of the service. Not enough to cause a blister, but enough that I was ready to take them off. Otherwise, they seem quite easy to get along with, being a 5 inch heel with a 7/8 inch platform. The balls of my feet were unimpressed with the steepness of the shoe, as were my ankles. It's just that one strap that caused me an issue, and I believe that may resolve itself with time.

16 hours ago, StilettoLuv said:

I would add that the frequency of wearing high heels has a huge impact on comfort (or discomfort). Consider the people that put on high heels only for the most special events... Date night...a wedding... a company party... etc. Those people's feet are going to be tense as soon as they take their first steps... and that tension will hasten the onset of discomfort. Those on the other hand, that wear high heels in their normal day-to-day activities feel far more relaxed when they put their high heels on and I believe that is why many can comfortably wear them. If I spend a busy day on my feet, I do not have pain.. but I will admit my feet feel tired and somewhat stressed.

That has been my point all along, is that if you don't wear them, and wear them a lot, you're never going to get to the point where they're comfortable, even if they fit perfectly. This is particularly true once you get above 3 inches. My preferred method of conditioning is walking around my neighborhood. I won't say I do it daily, but several times a week. It really does make a huge difference. When I mention this to the women who have engaged me in conversation, it's like I'm from another planet. "What, you are actually suggesting that I wear heels while walking the dog? That's insane!" Yes, that is exactly what I'm recommending.

As far as having tired feet at the end of the day, you would have that in flats anyway. There is a big difference between tired and hurting.

Some years ago, I said to myself, "One of these days I'm going to find out whether high heels really hurt as bad as many women say." I can tell you that the answer is yes, but I was doing it wrong. At least on a couple of memorable occasions.

I guess I must be getting pretty ok at this walking in heels thing. I have been trying to up my game lately because it seems like I own a high percentage of shoes that I either won't wear in public, or I can't wear in public because I don't have the skills or endurance for the shoes. After several weeks of purposeful walking, I was able to wear these shoes to church and not embarrass myself (5" heel, tiny platform, so effectively 4 3/4" heels). In fact, I suffered no ill effects whatsoever aside from tired ankles. We had a missing musician on this particular morning, so I was busy enough that I didn't even notice my shoes until it was time to pack up and go home. A guest at our church noticed them, however, and shouted a compliment at me from afar. I wonder if that picked up on the livestream? I shall have to review it.

Note: Just to put it into perspective, I only wore them for about 2 hours, approximately 30 minutes of sitting, 90 minutes of standing. I'm not THAT good yet.

I kind of knew this was more messed up than it seemed on the surface. It always is with these things. I am curious, what do the kids think, if anything?

Oh, we've had THIS conversation a few times before! Cali and I have different personal styles, but in this case, we actually agree. It's not about color vs. no color. I prefer natural nails on both males and females. Some people like that extra splash of color. Have you ever met a good looking gal and then were shocked to look down and see little nubs of bitten-off fingernails? It's no different with feet. Just keep them neat and clean and groomed. Sandals are your friends!

I definitely get what you mean. My wife absolutely does not want me wearing heels around her family in Vietnam. That kind of makes sense, given the more conservative and patriarchal society there. Not really a good analogy to what you are experiencing, but an example of a seeming arbitrary restriction nevertheless.

I can also understand about the desire to protect his children from any unnecessary ribbing by classmates. My ex-wife really got on me about that when our child was high school age. I basically ignored her, and nothing much ever came of it. I wear heels to all of my younger kid's events, and he tells me that it gets mentioned every once in  a while, but he doesn't care. If kids want to be cruel, they'll find some way to do that quite nicely on their own. You're not going to ruin their lives by wearing heels. Your brother probably doesn't believe that, but you know it's true.

I know none of this necessarily helps your situation, but those are my thoughts. I guess I would try to focus on the positives of your relationship with your brother and try not to get too hung up on this. It's probably not worth it, assuming that there is no fundamental underlying problem I don't know about.

I have not posted about my favorite summer shoes in a while. This is my third pair of BCBGirls "Bonny" mules, and they are 3rd of 5, for those of you who might get that reference. Pairs 1 and 2 got worn literally to death. Well, not literally, but literally if shoes have a lifespan in the sense that we think of life. Anyway, they don't look it, but these are the best walking shoes ever. That is, if you're not in a terrible hurry. I can do about 3 miles to the hour in these pretty consistently, and can wear them all day.

I hesitate to post this on here, because I don't wish to step on another member's thread, but this thread does have the momentum, and what I have to say is on point for the most recent topic, which is Pride Month and heels (or lack thereof).

As many of you know, but some newer members may not know, my wife and I are vendors at a couple of local farmer's markets which can't truly be called farmer's markets because we are street food vendors. Egg rolls and crab rangoons to be specific. Anyhow, during the warmer months you can see me dressed typically something like the photo below (excuse the bathroom mirror, it was the best I could do). I am not the only person you might see dressed like that, but I am the only male example, and I am pretty much on display for 4-5 hours in a night.

Right at closing time, I was approached by two young ladies who must be fellow vendors on the opposite side of the street, and they wanted to ask me about my heels. Then they asked me about pronouns. I explained, patiently, that although one would think I am a member of the LGBT+ community, and it seems like I ought to be, I am technically not. I am simply a guy who likes to wear high heels. I am likely to see them again next week, and I now feel pressure to wear some more impressive shoes than I have done so far this year, now that I know somebody is watching.

I did get some compliments on my shorts from other random people throughout the evening, but we were so busy that I just kind of brushed them off. Even if dressed unconventionally, you've still got to get the job done, right?

I actually wore stilettos the other day! It's been a while since I dragged out my Nine West "Versell" sandals for the first time in a while. They are missing a tiny ornament, and they peel on my feet just a bit from deterioration of the liner, but not as bad as they used to. I should wear them more often.

23 hours ago, Jkrenzer said:

I should have mentioned I didn't consider wearing heels until I was 20, so I was 40 before going open in public.

I always loved high heels as a youth but not until I experimented in college did I realize how much I enjoy wearing them too. I am convinced that male feet are actually better suited for heels just due to being stronger in general. 

This may be true,"in general" being the emphasized word here, but I sure wouldn't want to put myself up against any ballerina, no matter how amateur.

I got to thinking about Pride Month, and I had the opportunity to march in our local Pride parade as part of our United Methodist Church, and said "no thank you." I'm not marching in anybody's parade, I don't care whose it is, unless I'm playing a sousaphone in a band, and even then, I'm reluctant. Maybe they'll convince me next year.

It's been 10 years for me. I don't know at what age my parents would have allowed me to wear heels had I been a girl, so let's pretend I wasted about 30-35 years. On the other hand, there is no way I could have worn heels as a boy in the 80s. I had neither the intestinal fortitude nor the benefit of the indifferent attitude that most people seem to have today. I am pretty sure life would have been fairly miserable, so I don't really think of it as wasted time. My only hope is that I can maintain my physical faculties well enough to enjoy myself for another 20 years or so.

Covering the other topic, I really have no desire to wear heels in large groups, in the same way that I have no desire to ride my motorcycle with 50 other people. I'm funny that way.

Nah, you just need to walk more in heels! 😆

I posted elsewhere about the proliferation of platform boots on the streets these days. I don't get a ton of comments on my shoes anymore, but I got a bit of a strange one the other night at our farmer's market booth. It was quite warm, about 90º F or 32º C, and I was wearing shorts and my mid-heeled silver Söfft sandals. Some girl in a short skirt and combat boots came up to me and said, "Man, I sure wish I had worn my sandals!" And then, in the twinkling of an eye, she was gone. Yeah, I thought to myself. I wish you had worn your sandals, too, rather than those hideous things.

In a more casual setting, it is my observation that the platform trend has settled largely on combat type boots with a thick sole, and a low to mid-rise clunky heel. This can range from kinda cool to absolutely hideous, depending upon the extremism of the sole. I even saw like an 8 or 10 year old girl wearing combat boots with a dress the other day. They had 4 inch heels and 1 inch platform. On the other hand, on the same night, I saw another girl of similar age wearing a dress and cute little gold wedge sandals, so there is hope for the future.

One demographic that does not seem to have embraced the huge platform is Asian women my age. They either wear flat sandals or mid-heeled sandals at this time of year, same as they always have. Latinas wear heels sometimes. White women do not wear heels. Trainers are everywhere for all demographics. I am speaking of casual out and about situations, not weddings or church.