mlroseplant

I think I'm going to give another cobbler a try. After reading my "1,000 Miles" thread, I'm sure you know that I have a LOT of shoe repair done. After all, I'm walking a great deal in shoes that were not really designed to be walked in. It requires some maintenance.

I've been using the same cobbler for several years, and they do good work, but I have a couple of complaints. Number one, I don't see why it takes a week, or sometimes a week and a half, to replace heel tips (or top lifts, as they are known in the biz). Being as the shop is super busy all the time, I can sort of understand, but come on! Secondly, if I bring in more than one pair at a time, and they don't need identical repairs, it has happened that stuff doesn't get done the first time. I had a great idea to solve this problem, I wrote little note cards which I attached to each pair of shoes with a small, zip-type wire tie, detailing what needed to be done.

Can you believe it STILL did not solve the problem? I went to pick up my shoes yesterday, and one pair was beautifully re-heeled, cleaned up, and polished. The other pair? Re-heeled, check. Broken strap repaired, check. Obviously worn out leather soles still intact! With the card still attached to the shoe, saying, new heels, new rubber half soles, repair broken strap. They were apologetic, but how is this even possible?

There's a new cobbler shop on the south side that is run by a Mexican guy. Not too many reviews yet, but they are all glowing. I think I'm going to give him a try real soon.

4 hours ago, heelsrus2000 said:

I thought the thread was about tucking the jeggings into boots... 

HA! SURPRISE!

I think we're doing a pretty good job so far of keeping this a reasonably clean, "how do I achieve this type of look" discussion. The LAST time we had this discussion, it kind of devolved. Let's keep our fashionable aspirations!

Ah, the old "to tuck or not to tuck" debate. I'm with you on this one--I don't like the bulge. Not that I am unhappy with my own plumbing and gender, I just don't like the way it looks with such slim clothing. My solution is to not wear the things that show too much of me, or to simply cover it up with a long shirt or sweater. Other, more radical, solutions I find to be too uncomfortable.

On the other hand, there are those who enjoy showing off, perhaps in the same way that a woman might enjoy showing cleavage up top, but it's not for me.

On 11/22/2016 at 8:40 PM, HappyinHeels said:

mlroseplant,

Interesting thread. I am curious if most of these miles were recorded on city or town streets you drove to. Would you record steps taken say, in a large mall? I would think that would be fair enough as well. An equally useful measure may be to record all the different activities you have done while wearing heels and the elapsed time of wear which may be included in the pedometre device. While I don't know how many miles/kilometres I have walked in heels I do know I have driven rental vehicles and my own vehicles, gone our to eat, gone to get a pedicure (Steve63130's favorite salon in Ohio), gone to the movies, did household chores, gone shopping in different cities, worked on woodworking projects, cooked and had sex all while wearing heels all things which women do. This may  prove to be a practical tool as well. One thing is fr sure, walking in heels definitely does something to build calf muscles.

Try and replace your home's electrical service in a pair of wild wedges next time. It'll put some special spark into that next project

HappyinHeels

I had no idea there would be this much interest in this thread. Since there is, I will explain a little bit more about what I have typically done to achieve the 1,000 miles, how I've catalogued it, and what I have discovered about myself and about my shoes over the past 3 years.

I walked the bulk of the 1,000 miles in the area around my house, which is in a small town in the Midwest U.S. Typically, I take these walks in the evening after dinner, 1-3 miles at a time, recorded by a GPS application I have on my phone. There are three places I go regularly where I do not switch on the application, because the mileage is a known quantity already. The walk to church is 0.6 miles (one way), the walk to the nearest grocery store is 0.5 miles, and orchestra rehearsal at the college is 0.4 miles (carrying a cello in heels really sucks by the way, but I've actually kind of gotten used to it).

Pretty much, that's it, that's all I record. I don't count the mall, I don't count Costco or any such large shopping establishment. I don't count the miles and miles I must have walked inside the church over the years. When we visited the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, I did give myself 2 miles credit, and I figure that was a super conservative estimate.

After each of these walks or events, I then record (by hand, oddly enough) the mileage, the date, and what shoes I was wearing. I also record what repairs may have been made to the shoes, such as new soles and heels. More about that later. I also mentally note each time, but do not record, the speed at which I walked on any given outing. Obviously, this is only useful where I have walked somewhere all in one shot with no stops for shopping or whatever. What I have discovered is that I have "fast" shoes, and I have "slow" shoes.

In sports shoes or in bare feet, I typically walk one mile in 16:30 to 17:00 minutes. I know it's not super fast, but I have found I simply do not enjoy walking any faster than that at all. If I need to go faster, I'd rather just run. I have really short legs, you know. In high heels, my mentally calculated average is about 20 minute miles, or 3 miles per hour. In my "fast" heels, 18 minute miles are no problem at all, and in my "slow" shoes, 22 minute miles can be a struggle. There is somewhat of a correlation between the height of the heels and how fast I can comfortably walk in them, but it is certainly not the only factor. For example, my go-to winter boots, which have 5.25" heels, are definitely "fast" shoes, even though they're in the top 25 percentile of being my highest shoes. Another exception to the correlation is the time I did a blistering 18:30 per mile in some super flappy 4.75" mules, which you'd think would be super slow shoes, but for some reason these fit tightly on my feet in just the right places and they never feel like they're going to fall off. At that fast speed, hearing protection is recommended to muffle the slapping sounds. It is much better to walk more slowly in those particular mules, it was just an experiment.

As I mentioned before, I keep track of when repairs are made to all my shoes, so I have gotten a sense of what lasts, and what doesn't. As we all know, in general, the stock heel tips, or top lifts, as cobblers call them, do not tend to last very long. With stilettos, I find I am at the cobbler shop within just a few miles of walking. Sometimes even broader heels wear out surprisingly fast. One exception is my Sofft Belicia sandals. The stock top lift is still good, though slightly worn, after over 100 miles of walking on concrete. I have half a mind to keep walking in them just to see how long it takes to wear the heels out, but unfortunately, the rest of the sandals are worn to the point where I like neither how they look nor how they feel any more. One thing that will not be surprising to most of you is that stiletto heels wear out a lot faster than broader heels. It is for this reason that I severely limit my purposeful walks in stilettos, saving them for occasions where I won't be doing a lot of walking on concrete. For the perfect balance of durability vs. looks, I have settled on heels which are about 3/4" x 3/4" (2mm x 2mm). These last many times longer than your typical stiletto at 3/8" x 3/8" (1mm x 1mm). In general, I can easily get 40-50 miles or more out of the slightly broader heels on concrete, whereas I am lucky to get 10 out of stilettos. Concrete is hell on stiletto top lifts.

What I have discovered over the last 3 years is that I've gotten a hell of a lot better at walking in heels. No surprise there. As I have gotten better, I have tended to buy and wear higher and higher heels. Whereas my original collection from 3 years ago contained a lot of shoes in the 3.5 inch range, my present collection contains relatively few which are lower than 4.5 inches. I have also discovered my limitations. My favorite, most comfortable heel height is about a 4 inch difference in steepness between front and back. Typically for me, this means a 5 inch heel with a 1 inch platform. This is on a size 9 shoe. Some of you guys up in the size 13+ range can wear 4 inch heels, and it looks like a kitten heel to me, LOL. If I go much more than a 4.5" difference in elevation, I can't really walk properly. If I made it my goal, yes, I could probably learn to walk in 5" heels, no platform, but it would require a lot of effort on my part, and I'm not willing to put that kind of energy into it at this point.

So that is the long version of what I might have posted originally, but I didn't want to bore you to death. I hope this answers some of your questions and more, and that you are still awake as you read this last sentence.

9 hours ago, Steve63130 said:

gj, good advice. I often change footwear 2 or 3 times a day, just for variation. I'm quite comfortable in anything from flats to 3.5 inches.

Steve

It may well be good advice, but I took away something completely different:

On 11/18/2016 at 11:45 AM, Micce said:

I was wondering if other forum members have had similar feelings.  .  . to my mild amuzement I realized I felt strange going out with such low footwear. Not properly dressed, sort of half naked with low heels. Or like going without tie to a formal party.

 

Thus far, all of the replies have been about calf muscles cramping or Achilles tendons shortening, something along those lines. I don't believe Micce was talking about such physical ailments at all, but rather the feeling you get inside your head when you wear high heels versus low heels. I notice a very distinct sense of well-being when I am wearing heels which is absent when I am not. I believe that Micce was asking if others also experience this, or its opposite, a feeling of slight dismay when not wearing heels.

5 hours ago, Sydheel said:

Well Its update time

MRI came back with ACL intact. Lots of minor damage compared to what we feared. A cracked bone, a tear in cartlidge lots of things strained and stretched  but by doing that the knee was saved. 

My doc said its a 1% chance and good cycling muscles saved it

I would prefer to think it was the heeling that saved it. I'd go with that.

Thank you for sharing your good news!

Wow, talk about lazy! Since passing the milestone, I've managed only an additional 0.8 miles. I refuse to feel guilty about it!

2 hours ago, JeffB said:

 

As always, comments and suggestions on how I can improve my look are welcome. I'll see about finding a women's blazer, something that's been a bit of a sticking point with me because of my long arms, but I'll keep on trying.

It's just too darn bad that we don't live closer together, as my good friend and fellow shoe addict is a tailor. Given her support of my fashion choices, I bet she'd be able to whip up exactly what you're looking for.

Yes, yes! I know exactly what you mean, and it has nothing to do with the physical. I am perfectly capable of wearing flats or going barefoot all day long physically, but on the rare occasions that I choose to wear flats outside of work, I always regret it. It just doesn't feel right at all.

6 hours ago, Shyheels said:

Between your exercises and stretching, and the strengthening effect for calves and ankles of walking a thousand miles in heels, you probably have worked out a great fitness regime. I have a cycling challenge I have set myself, one involving a scary amount of hill climbing and mountain passes. I could probably do worse than incorporate the mlroseplant regime in my training!       

I did indeed used to have quite a fitness regimen. I've never lived a sedentary lifestyle, but several years ago, I had gotten to the point where I wasn't happy with how I looked or felt. I started an informal program slowly on indoor stationary equipment, and worked my way up to where I was quite excited to give a triathlon a try the following spring. I was in fighting trim, at the same weight I was in college, only stronger.

And then.  .  . this job I'm working happened. Although it continues to be a wonderful opportunity to gain more financial independence (and a way to buy more and better shoes), it is just exhausting, especially after doing it for coming up on 3 years. So plans for the triathlon went out the window, and now I'm lucky if I can drag myself out at night to walk a mile or two around the neighborhood (in heels, of course).

So yes, you're half-right. My legs and ankles don't look bad at all, but my belly has grown somewhat.

Thank you all for your interest. It has been a long road, literally!

12 hours ago, Shyheels said:

Wow! That's pretty impressive! And well recorded too. Congratulations. Am I right in guessing that would have made your ankles and calves pretty fit?

It has indeed, and I have really noticed in the past week how taking some time off from heels due to an injury of sorts has negatively affected my stamina in heels. I also do a lot of exercises and stretches to accentuate the good parts of heeling, such as stronger calves and ankles, and minimize the bad parts, such as tight leg muscles and restricted range of motion.

8 hours ago, SF said:

Mr. Mlroseplant,  That is a nice accomplishment.  So what now?  Are you going to "retire" or keep heeling???  We do need more guys out in heels.  I imagine that you will continue to be a "dedicated heeling soldier" and keep up the cause??  Take care, and again congrats.....   sf

It is not a question of whether I will continue heeling (of course I will), but rather whether I will continue to take walks for the purpose of recording the mileage. I am not sure that I want to create a 2,000 mile goal. Probably, I will continue recording. If nothing else, it is interesting to find out which shoe repair materials turn out to be the most durable. Yes, I record that also.

Ohhhhh. That is a bummer. I hope the healing process is a speedy one.

Although this happened a few months ago, I never got around to telling it on this forum. Our choir director resigned some months ago, and when the new choir director started rehearsals, we spent more than half the rehearsal telling a little bit about ourselves, mostly for her benefit. So one of the questions was, "What is one thing that you've tried in your life that you'll never do again?" Of course, you got the usual answers like skydiving, or certain foods, that sort of thing. When it came to my turn, I answered, "I tried wearing flat shoes once.  .  ."

2 hours ago, kneehighs said:

Yup, be proactively alert.  More now, than before the President Elect.  The laws against LGBT (in our case freestylers) may not change.  But that doesn't mean people won't break the law as negativity towards them has increased and probably will continue to do so, regardless of the laws.  

In my neck of the woods, I just don't foresee it making any difference whatever as far as my heel wearing. The outcome of the election really didn't change who the people of Iowa are. As a good friend of mine from Florida once said, "Iowans are just too polite to say anything, even if they hate your look." Largely, that is true.

I used to get pedicures every 2-3 weeks. Well, why not, when your friends own the shop and refuse to charge you? I made up for it by doing handyman/repair work for them when they needed it. However, my favorite nail tech and personal close friend left the industry a few years back, and I quickly decided that I didn't want anyone else touching my feet. I know, I'm weird that way. So these days, I do my own. I think I was a pretty good student, and my ex-nail technician has complimented my work on several occasions. I do miss it sometimes, though. As an aside, I have never gotten polish, as I prefer bare, but well-groomed, nails on both men and women.

However, I know that the nail salon, which still goes on, has several male customers, although I guarantee none of them are heel wearers, because I would have heard about that immediately through the Vietnamese grape vine.

11 hours ago, XtremeHeels said:

Thanks!!! Actually, they aren't too high at all and are perfect for long walks with the girlfriend

I was going to say, for a guy who calls himself XtremeHeels, those are like flats, right?

Seriously though, I have several similar pairs, including Aldo brand, and they are perfectly suitable for a several mile walk if you're used to wearing them a lot. Nice boots!

@w6ish, you're back! That's awesome. 

Interesting thoughts. I guess for me I tend to focus more on the heels, but the whole design of the shoe is important, too. 

First of all, the height of the heel is is important to me. Nowadays, I simply don't buy anything under 12 cm, or about 4 3/4". Anything lower just doesn't look right to me. The majority of my shoes are in the 12 to 13 cm range, with a few 14 cm heels thrown in for good measure.

If money and convenience were no object, I'd probably wear stilettos most of the time, but the doggoned heel tips, or top lifts, as cobblers in this country call them, wear out so quickly. Therefore, I usually choose slightly thicker heels for doing any serious walking. They last several times longer. 

The toe of the shoe is not unimportant to me. I do not very pointy toes, nor do l like square toes. Almond shaped toes look best to me, both in shoes and sandals. Round toes are ok too. 

An update on the situation: It got much worse after my post of more than 3 months ago. It didn't affect my life too horribly much, but I remember some loooooong days at work, where I was not able to walk normally. The boots that I was wearing at work had a higher than normal heel, but nothing more extreme than an ordinary pair of logging boots. I began to question whether my radical high heeling days were over (I never wear flats outside of work). I found it hard to accept, and difficult to believe that after over 4 years and thousands of miles of walking in truly high heels, that the mild steepness of my work boots was the cause of my problems.

I switched boots again, to something like a normal work boot (almost flat). As it turns out, that seems to have solved the problem, but not for the reason that I thought. I am slowly, day by day, returning to pain free feet, even though I wear and walk a good distance in substantially high heels after work daily. I think it was in the soles of my boots, particularly the material they were made of, and not the height of the heels, and possibly the cheap construction of the boots. I didn't think a boot sole could be too soft or too bouncy, but that seems to be the case. Only after I switched back to "real" work boots did I notice that I could no longer feel individual pieces of loose gravel beneath my feet. It wasn't a week until my feet started feeling incrementally better, and now I'm back to 80% of where I was before this whole problem started, even though I've gotten lazy about icing my feet every night. It just doesn't seem necessary.

With any luck, the problem will disappear entirely over the coming weeks, and I can continue wearing my heels without guilt.

2 hours ago, gj said:

I agree :-) I'm wearing them almost every day. They are great.

I've had my eye on those boots for some time now, I really like the looks of them, but I have not purchased them because they are way too high to wear to work, but I bet I wouldn't wear them at home, either, because.  .  . they're not high enough! But I really do like the look of them. I bet they're all day comfy, too.

Found these Dolce & Gabbana knee high boots on eBay. They're exactly what I'm looking for. Block heel that's not too clunky but very high, little or no platform. Trouble is, they want 500 bucks for 'em. I don't think so. 

Goodness! That was a surprise. I have nothing else to say. Except that despite going to bed at 9:00, I haven't slept one minute. Now I'm on HHP. Reckon I'll have to call in sick tomorrow. This is not good. 

I have decided that this winter, it will be the season of clogs. I bought two new (to me) pairs on eBay, and it seems both will work out. Both are right at 5" heels, with a 1" platform, which is perfect for me in the comfort range.

The black ones are Coach, model name Rana. The brown suede ones are Gucci, model name unknown, but made in Italy. The Guccis required some work with the shoe stretcher, as they are quite narrow, but they don't seem to pinch me anywhere. They are currently at the cobbler, being reheeled. Well, what do you expect? I only gave 55 bucks for them, but the upper is perfect. They were obviously worn a few times. The Coach clogs I have worn out a few times already, so I know they're good. They were virtually brand new, no visible wear on the bottoms. 

Also, I got some True Religion leather slides for next year. They make a satisfying noise when you walk in them. 

Maybe I'm doing something wrong. When I click on your link, I am taken to the Wolford site as expected, I can see the word "Men," and there is stuff below it to click on, but after that I see nothing but the same incredibly leggy and thin female model. Where are the male models, so that we might know how these things actually look? On Steve's site, there are many pictures of males modeling the products.