I am happy to announce that I am celebrating 5 years of heeling in public! It was on this day (actually, I'm not 100% sure of the actual date, but looking at a 2012 calendar, it logics out to this date) in 2012 that I first went to an event wearing what were obviously shoes with elevated, separate heels on them. An event where people would know me. The shoes I wore were nothing compared to what I wear regularly today, but they were different enough to make me terrified. Still, nobody said a word, and I think most people didn't even notice. I was wearing black leather clogs with a composite bottom and a 3 1/2" chunky heel under long boot cut jeans. 1" platform, so the rise was very modest. Oh, they seemed so high back then!

Today, I wear heels daily, and have over 50 pairs. I really don't like to buy anything lower than 5" these days (with some sort of platform), anything lower just doesn't look right to me. However, I will admit to having bought several pairs of open toed mules that are slightly lower recently. Well, they were just too darn cute, even though they don't technically meet my height requirements. Still, they're all over 4 1/2", close enough. One of my new pair is pictured below, Jessica Simpson mules, 4 5/8" heels.  Please excuse the background--I've had a lot going on inside and outside the garage lately, as many of you are aware. They are the perfect color, and after a few wearings, the fit is amazing! I haven't yet certified them for a full 2 miles yet (my keep/toss rule generally), but I'm sure they'll pass easily. I've walked 1.3 miles in them all at once so far with nothing but delight. I like the unique swirly color on the heels. I like how they flap when you walk, but they don't feel like they're going to fall off your feet. The only thing that would make them any better is if the heel were 1/2" taller, but now I'm just complaining over nothing, right?

Anyway, happy anniversary to me, and good wishes to everyone else out there in the community!

6 hours ago, Cali said:

I'm missing bones in my hand and shoulders now, so working on cars is left for someone else. Besides, why mess up a perfectly good manicure with gel polish, let along a nice pair of heels.

1,500 bucks, that's why! That's a lot of manicures! Some things you can't do in gloves. Still, I didn't break any guitar playing nails, and whatever damage I did can be cleaned up with a nail file and buffer. All is well! I will finish up tomorrow, and have my car back again. 

8 hours ago, Thighbootguy said:

When working on a car I have never been able to keep anything clean.  How are you managing to keep those shoes that clean, or was this the before picture?

 

 It was not a particularly dirty job. Just frustrating. 

Day 2, intake manifold replacement. I watched a YouTube video this morning, and the dude, unedited, disassembled everything I need to in less than 20 minutes. I struggled yesterday for 3 hours, and accomplished very little. Today, it is very clear how I should proceed. This should be a piece of cake. 

Which begs the question, why is this a $1500+ repair at a shop? I guess you pay them for what they know, not what they do, same as my trade. Thank you YouTube! I wish I had seen this video yesterday morning, I'd probably be almost done by now. 

With my favorite BCBG wedge thongs, model Sarong. I consider them to be mid-heels, but they're still fun!

14 hours ago, Thighbootguy said:

No doubt in my mind.

You son got a good shot of your shoes.

As with any mechanical repair... protect your hands.

10 hours ago, Steve63130 said:

And your eyes!

Good photos!

Steve

Dont worry, fellas! I always wear gloves and safety glasses, and my son does too. I might fall a little short in the foot protection department, however! 

What? Youse don't recognize those legs? 

Workin' on the car. I HATE working on the car, but I can't see paying $1,500 in labor costs, when I'm perfectly qualified to do it myself. If I were a rich man....photos by my 8 year old son, who is a pretty good mechanic already. He still loves it. 

I recently joined Instagram, and by complete chance, I happened to become interested in watching videos of pole dancers (the super athletic competition kind, not the strip club kind). It seems if you click on one type of video, Instagram pushes more of the same at you, so of course, I clicked on more. 

Most of the women who are into serious pole dancing dance barefoot nowadays, which is just fine by me, but many of the athletes also do routines in heels sometimes. What I have noticed is that every single one of them wears shoes with high platforms, at least 2 inches, and sometimes up to 4 inches! Out of idle curiosity, I am wondering why. I can see where high heels would add just that little bit extra to some of these impossibly difficult (to me) routines,  but why the huge platforms? Doesn't anybody dance in sort of normal, streetgoing shoes? Doesn't this just perpetuate the stereotype of pole dancing being for strip clubs? These women show amazing strength, grace, and hard work, no different than gymnastics.

I am wondering if anybody has some insight into this "uniform."

3 hours ago, maninpumps said:

 I have been told by many women my mother included , when you buy heels they are only good for about a year then they go out of style . So, never put to much money into a pair cause you may only wear them a few times .  

That's true, but only if you buy super trendy shoes. Certainly a classic pump or knee high boot will never go out of style. I can't think of any of my shoes that I anticipate not wearing over the next several years. Some I have just gotten tired of, or they've just worn out beyond repair, but nothing in my collection screams "last year!" Or "next year," for that matter!

Yes, it has been a very strange year here also. Just a few days ago, I was wearing a heavy coat to work, at least first thing in the morning. Yesterday, I need no coat at all! We look forward to your next story!

Of course I buy shoes even if I do not need them! I haven't made a recent exact count, but I'm going to guess that a fellow doesn't need 50+ pairs of shoes! I wear almost all of them, too. The few exceptions are too high for me at this time. Workin' on it.

I kind of addressed this question in my personal thread, "The High Heeled Ruminations of Melrose Plant," but did not give the details presented here. The question is, "How high a heel can you wear?" The answer is, not very, compared to some. The steepest rise I can really deal with all day long, without thinking about it, is 4 1/4". I tried a pair two days ago foolishly that had a 4 3/4" rise, and it was not good. They didn't hurt that much, but I did not walk well in them after 2 or 3 hours, due to muscular fatigue.

My favorite style of shoe is open toed mules--well over half of my 50-60 pairs are of this style. However, the question didn't ask this, so I'm going to put down my Nine West Plantera platform loafer style pumps, which largely sat on the shelf for over a year while I worked my way up to them. Today, I can wear them easily wherever I like, for as long as I like. I have two pair, in fact, one black and one tan. So here are the stats:

Style: High cut platform pump (loafer style)

Platform ht.:  1 1/4"

Heel ht.:   5 1/2"

Net rise:  4 1/4"

Shoe size:  US women 8.5-9, Euro 39-40

3 hours ago, Thighbootguy said:

Those are nice looking shoes, but your statement is not a ringing endorsement.  Just be glad that your performance was only standing and not part of a marching band.

Just to be clear, there's nothing wrong with the shoes, it's just that I can't walk in them for sustained periods of time as gracefully (or as quickly) as I am wont to do in less ambitious shoes. I just don't have the ankle flexibility and endurance to wear these heels for more than an hour or two. 

At the end of the last service, my trumpet case was locked in the choir room, and I had to get our new choir director, who was wearing mid-heeled sandals, to let me in to retrieve it. I felt relatively clumsy walking next to her and her smooth natural gait, especially when we had to go down a long flight of stairs. 

I'll get there eventually, but I just wanted to admit and share that maybe I have gotten a bit too cocky. Lesson learned. At least nothing bad happened. 

I had one of those rare experiences yesterday where I wish I would have worn lower heels. That hardly ever happens. Usually I've worn flats and wish I had worn heels, but in this case, I pushed the envelope a little too much. For some reason, I have the urge to go steeper lately.  Not higher, but steeper. I thought I was happy where I'm at, but suddenly I want to overcome another physical challenge. Right now, the steepest I can comfortably wear for long periods is in the neighborhood of 4.25 - 4.5" heel/toe height difference. This is usually expressed with a 5.5" heel, 1" platform. However, I have a couple of shoes with steeper angles, and I'd like to be able to wear them.

I selected the Vera Wang loafers shown at the bottom, can't  remember the model name at the moment. I love the look of them. Alas, they have a 5.25" heel, and not much of a platform, 1/2" at the most. I can sort of walk in them, if I'm not in a big hurry. Unfortunately for me, my duties at church yesterday lasted for about 5 hours. I was filling in for musicians who are on vacation, so I had to attend 3 different services, standing much of the time. I don't mind telling you that I should have picked different shoes. By the time it was over, I felt super clumsy, and I was ready to get out of those shoes! I need more gradual practice.

On the other hand, I had a similar experience with some giant (to me) platform pumps from Nine West. I couldn't wear them for more than a couple hours before. Now they are about my favorite closed-toe shoe. I can wear them however long I need to now. So I just need to be patient. My goal is to be able to wear 5 inch, no platform easily. On US women size 9.

I feel for ya brother. I haven't had a negative reaction like that for a long time, but I sure do remember when I did. Don't let it get you down. 

3 hours ago, SF said:

It's good to have a shoe buddy !!!!   I like the sandals too....    have fun, sf

BTW Mlroseplant, I was driving thru Iowa last week - heading for MN from Council Bluffs - did not see you, but I was looking !!!!! ha ha take care..

Being as I'm the Des Moines area, I'm not at all surprised that you didn't see me! About 125 miles too far to the west. Catch you next time!

My best friend (strictly platonic for more than 7 years, believe it or don't) and shoe buddy was very impressed with my new Aldo slides last night. This picture disguises the fact that she's 3 sizes smaller than me. Happy 42nd birthday to her tomorrow!

Like @CAT said, construction and heels don't mix, so I couldn't wear heels to work, even were I female. But pretty much every place else. Well, except for Vietnam, but that's another story.

On 4/15/2017 at 10:24 PM, alphax said:

The concept of stretching high heels is new to me.  It seems that it would only work with natural leathers and non patent leathers.  Is that true?

What can you do with synthetic leather shoes and boots?

Do blow driers work on those?

It depends on how much you want to stretch it. Synthetic material will stretch a little bit if you're patient, but not much. It would be a situation like, "These shoes already fit pretty well, but they would be even better with just a tad more room."

Don't know about using a blow dryer.

5 hours ago, kneehighs said:

This article with the SEO friendly ULR "Men in Heels: Harry Styles, Justin Bieber, Kanye West" title has been on the Vogue Landing Page above the fold for 3 consecutive days now:

http://www.vogue.com/article/men-in-heels-harry-styles-justin-bieber-kanye-west

The attached video came from an instagram story that ran Saturday 4.22.  I downloaded it b/c Instagram stories are only live for 24 hours. 

@cristalserranoo.mp4

I am glad to see that there is coverage mentioning men in heels that depicts them in a positive light. The only problem is, none of those boots are what I'd call heels. At all. There are plenty of guys who wear logging boots on a construction site that have higher heels than those shown here. What, exactly, is there to say here? If at least one of them had been wearing something closer to 3 inches, I could see it, but I can't even figure out why this is an article. Must have been a slow day.

For that sort of thing, I have found that contact cement works the best. Super glue typically doesn't last very long, but it also might work in this case. I am not sure how much experience you have with contact cement, but even if you already know the drill, I will go ahead and explain it for the benefit of others who may not know.

Contact cement is great stuff if you need to stick two things together where extended clamping might be difficult, and if you can easily separate and access both objects you're trying to glue. Basically, what you do is coat both mating surfaces with a thin coat of cement (it's very, very strong smelling, so do in a well ventilated area), wait for it to set up (about 30 minutes), then stick the two together. It will bond instantly. The cement sticks to itself like crazy, but won't stick to anything else once it is set up.

The only caveat is that once the two cemented surfaces come in contact with each other, little if any adjustment is possible, so make darn sure you've got it placed like you want. I would recommend putting a small piece of cardstock or paper in between the two surfaces while you're stretching that pad back into its original shape and position, because the glue will not stick to the paper at all, you can futz with it all you want. Then, when you've got it like you want it, slide the paper out (or have an assistant do it if you need 3 hands), and stick it down.

Good luck!

2 hours ago, JeffB said:

Once upon a time, I wasn't a fan of wedges, especially platform wedges, but then, a few years ago, I wore a pair as an experiment, liked how they looked, and I've been wearing them ever since as they're fun shoes.

Same story with me, only I don't wear them as much as you do. I still prefer a shoe with a separately demarcated heel, but I like wedges just fine. I have probably half a dozen pairs.

2 hours ago, JeffB said:

Many thanks. I do as best I can. Meanwhile, because you asked:

 

Hmmm, that doesn't seem right at all! Who is that masked man?

I guess I have positioned myself in a situation where the platform lovers hate me AND the single sole people hate me. I hope it's not true, we all have our own preferences, and I have stated mine plainly, I guess. It's all good. We are all brothers here, and I hope I have not offended anyone. 

Spring is here! I broke out the shorts for the first time this weekend. I wore my new Aldo slides with a 5 inch stiletto heel, 1 inch platform, which is a little bit more of a radical sandal than I've worn in the past with shorts. I like the look, but I must say, I'm not 100% comfortable with the look. This is getting into territory where a woman would get a lot of looks wearing the same outfit, and popping down to the supermarket to get some bread for my son's and my lunch tomorrow (plus some cat litter to soak up some oil we spilled in the garage while cleaning up today), I was given the  once-over by about 20% of the other customers there. Nobody said anything, though. This simply does not happen when I'm wearing long pants, even if they are skinny jeans. Of course, my 8 year old son was wearing a neon fushia shirt. We must have seemed quite the pair.  He is not shy, and he will talk quite plainly and intelligently to total strangers. This, in combination with my admittedly booming voice and friendly demeanor, must have surprised some people!

I think it's the shoes, mainly. Yesterday evening, I went out with my wife, my best male friend, and several kids to the local pizza buffet. I wore more conservative wedges, but shorter shorts, and I did not receive nearly the attention that I did at the supermarket tonight. Who knows?

8 hours ago, Cali said:

It's no big deal. I see men with finger color as well.  I have acrylic fingernails with gel color.  I even have nail art done all the time on my toes and fingers.  Currently each toe has a different pastel color, an Easter basket.

And if you get a pedicure go for the spa pedicure, the extra massages is worth every penny.

If you wear open toe heels in the summer you MUST color your toenails.  No excuses not to get them done..

MUST? MUST???? My feelings are hurt!

No they're not, just kidding. As I've said before and am now saying again, I'm very picky about my feet and who gets to work on them, so when my nail tech quit the business, I started doing them myself, after years of careful observation. But here's the thing--I don't really care for nail polish on men or women. I like bare, natural nails. So yes, I'm going to wear my sandals with no color on my toes. But they will be perfect!