mlroseplant

I used to go shopping with my ex-wife quite often, which I usually enjoyed. The sales people would often comment that I was a very attentive husband. Of course, back then, I would never have dared buy anything from the women's section for myself, it would not have been tolerated. While my ex-wife is a very liberal person, and certain would never have forbade me to wear "women's" shoes, she would have also said that it's a huge turn-off for her, and..........well, we actually had this conversation just a few short days ago, while I was wearing my 4.75 inch black oxfords, and now that we're divorced, she's happy for me, since it really doesn't matter what turns her on or off as far as concerns me. LOL. After careful consideration, I cannot think of a single male friend I have who has any interest in shoes beyond do they hurt my feet or not. My current wife loves shoes, tolerates my heel-wearing, but claims she will NEVER buy me a pair of heels, or go shopping with me for shoes. I'm pretty sure she'd go through the roof if I came home one day wearing anything girly other than shoes. Good thing I have no desire to do so. In summary, like Heelster, I shop alone. Just me and Jack Daniels. Oh wait......wrong song. Oops.

I have two sons, 13 and 3. The 3 year old pretty much adores everything about me, including my footwear, and he's very vocal about it, almost to the point of embarrassment. The little one will point out my shoes to strangers on the street, given the chance. The 13 year old? Eh, it could be worse. Much, much worse. Yesterday evening, I needed to discuss something very important with my 13 year old. Since he had forgotten the charging cable to his computer at his grandparents' house, we decided to take a walk to have our discussion. I put on my new oxfords with a 3.5" heel because I figure they need to be broken in just a little bit more, but I know they're not going to cause me discomfort for a moderate distance walk. We resolved the issue I needed to talk to him about, and then afterwards I asked him what he thought about my heel wearing. Much to my surprise, he said he thought it was fine, even after I asked him to slow down the pace a bit, as I'm not as athletic as I aspire to be in heels just yet, and it's quite icy out around here at the moment. I asked him if he would be embarrassed if his friends saw me wearing heels. He answered, "No, not really. I think my friends already know my family is a little different." He did say that there was a girl he liked, and that maybe he wouldn't like it if she saw me wearing heels. But then he went on to add that perhaps she would be jealous that I walk in them much better than she does. I'm pretty sure that was a joke. But probably true. I feel lucky to have good kids.

What a wonderful Christmas tradition, much better than football on TV. That quite a nice set of vocal cords you have there No problem seeing the shoes here.

Thanks, Shafted. We also read through some Schubert and Dvorak piano trios (with me playing cello). I kind of suck at sight reading compared to them, but I can walk in heels way better than either of them, haha!

Here is me and my sister and our friend Jean performing the opening tenor recitative and aria from Handel's "Messiah." This is basically what we do for fun after Christmas dinner, rather than watching football. Yeah, it's full of mistakes and clinkers, but who cares? That way, you know it's really us, and not some overdub of a professional recording. HA! It also gives you a chance to see my basic style, which is really quite conservative, except for my shoes. Well, even my shoes are conservative, except for the heel height. I didn't get the camera set quite high enough, but on the other hand, if it had been angled any higher, you wouldn't be able to see my shoes!

Sleekheels: I hesitated to buy these myself because of the curve, but in person they look much better. Nine West makes a similar style with a more classic heel, can't remember the name of it at the moment, but they didn't have my size in the color I wanted. And besides, I've spent way too much money on shoes lately. Jerbare: Oh, we've run into a hell of a problem with the Northstar. I hope it doesn't turn out that the machine shop messed up. Bringing in outside help tomorrow. Hope he's not put off by my heels. And no, I wouldn't work in these particular shoes. They're a bit high for this kind of work, and I wouldn't want to ruin them. That's what the moderately high (3.5", with 1" platform), somewhat beat-up clogs are for!

They are Nine West Cosy. I got them from Zappos.com. I seem to be stuck on Nine West lately. They generally make shoes that look more expensive than they really are, and they seem to fit me well. However, I've found that Nine West is not necessarily super consistent as far as sizing. I usually take a 9 or 9 1/2 US women's. I have Nine Wests that are 9s that seem to fit fine, and I have 10s that are on the tight side. Look for a liberal return policy.

The UPS lady (whom I secretly lust after) just brought me a new pair of shoes! Wow! They are beautiful, such soft, supple leather, but they are very steep. The heel is every bit of 5 inches, and there's not much of a platform. I'm going to have to practice to be able to wear these out without looking like an idiot. What do you think?

I'm still wondering if its a good idea to wear heels to my church. My brother is the cantor and has quite a following there. Would it look bad on him if a wore 4.5" heels and runway outfits every sunday? Aside from that, I dress the way I want to dress and look very classy.

Btw, I don't have any oxfords, but have tall boots, pumps, and platform pumps. No heavy 70s plats. I own a few pairs, but refuse to wear them because they are so outdated.

It is difficult to answer that question, since I don't know your situation. Church politics can be a tricky thing. I figure if they love you, whatever you want to wear is probably gonna be fine. In my case, I'm not really changing my look that much, I'm just wearing a slight heel. OK, slight in our eyes, anyway.

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it that much, unless your brother says something to you.

Well.......kind of like.......this! This is one pile. There are others.

Got these in normal, non-patent leather today. Love them!

I have to make a decision whether I'm going to wear heels to church every Sunday from now on. I kind of want to, but there are other considerations, not the least of which is the fact that my wife bought me some men's dress shoes for Christmas, and I suppose I should wear them at least some. The fact is, I don't like them too much. The style is nice enough, but they're not even real leather, and they hurt my feet. I do not keep heels I don't think I could walk at least a mile in. These flat shoes are not good for anywhere close to a mile.

For not wanting to steal attention from my lord, I wear no more than 2 inch Cuban heels to church. Many however have seen me in stiletto heels outside of church and to church sponsored functions. Most will be accepting if you can establish your heel wearing outside of church itself first. Just don't drop a bomb on them and give it time.

I'm taking the same approach myself. I've only worn heels for the first time last week to an actual church service, but I've been wearing my higher, thinner heels to choir rehearsal and other church functions for some time now. Plus, they're used to seeing me barefoot in the summer. I guess they just figure it's weirdo me.

Man I'd love to have smaller feet! These 13's limit my shoe availabilty! New Years Eve I wore my Redwing work boots. Warmer in the barn that way.

Redwings the only way to go for me. I've got US men size 7.5 or 8B. No one else makes my size (or more correctly, my width). On the other hand, it's easy for me to buy "women's" shoes.

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới!

Freestyle: Those are the ones! Best pair of shoes I ever owned. I have used shoe trees with them, but maybe not as diligently as I should have (not every time). There's been a period of years when I've neglected them. Nevertheless, as I said, they've lasted me 10+ years, and really, they still don't look that bad. I won't throw them out just yet. It's just that I want to wear heels now. Or at least, gradually phase them in. ILK: I do occasionally play at church, but if I do, it's usually cello or acoustic guitar, so pedalling is not a concern. I sing in the "traditional" choir, and lead the hymns at the "traditional" (as opposed to the contemporary) service. Now here's a funny bit: I need to explain a little bit about the United Methodist church for this to make total sense. The UMC has a tradition of circuit rider pastors. In modern times, how that works is, a pastor generally has a stay with any given congregation for just a few years, then the Conference assigns us a new one. And so on, and so forth. At a larger church such as ours, you typically have a senior pastor and an associate pastor. Associate pastors change a lot more frequently than senior pastors. The associate pastor we had most recently until this year was, like me, "vertically challenged." I am 5'6" (167cm). Pastor Andrew is even a bit shorter. Our senior pastor, Pastor Kay, is a woman who is shorter than either of us. During this period of time when the shorties were up front, we got little stools to stand on behind the lecterns, which I swear were designed for Abe Lincoln. This year we got a new associate pastor who is much taller, and I find I'm always kicking the stool around, since the new guy doesn't use it. Heels have solved this problem. I don't need the stool when wearing heels. Now that's funny rhat thar. I don't care who y'are.

Here are a few others I have seen for sale.

I like the look of No. 3 (the brown ones with the buckles). They've got a nice silhouette, not too clunky, and definitely just a touch feminine, without being over-the-top. The heel height is certainly not going to cause a newbie any trouble with his walk. Good choice, I think!

So just how high were your heels???

4.75 inches. Nine West. Patent leather oxfords. I've already uploaded the photo to two other threads, but what the heck, you asked, and I don't think I'll get in trouble for uploading the same picture to three threads, these are my favorite shoes right now.

It's not like I've seen all the wife's heels, but none of the ones I have seen exceed 4 inches, and most are shorter. Admittedly, her feet are smaller than mine, but not THAT much smaller, as I'm a 9 or 9.5 US women's. My own wife wore 3.0 inchers that night.

Now is the time to be brutally honest with me. I wear a suit and tie to church almost every Sunday. On the left are the shoes that I've worn for years. They are the nicest shoes I've ever owned in my life. They are some British custom brand. Since they are so old, the name has worn off, and I can't even remember the brand, as I bought them from ebay at least 10 years ago. They were custom made for someone else, but have served me well for a very long time. They are beautiful for men's shoes. I've had them resoled and reheeled a couple of times. The problem is, they are clear wore out (to put it in the vernacular around here). The uppers are slightly cracked, and the left sole has a hole in it. Unfortunately, I believe it's time to retire them. The shoes on the right are intended to be their replacements. I know they're a bit boring, but I am going after a very conservative look. I know my church family will accept me no matter what, but I don't want to shock them too much. What do you guys think? Thumbs up, or thumbs down? Oddly enough, the name of this Nine West model is called "Noregrets." Is that fitting, or what? Attn: pumpcat, since I know you're a regular churchgoer and choir member as well. ^^

Serendipity.

I never noticed this thread before. Yes, I like oxfords. I'll repost a photo I have on here elsewhere. They are Nine West Sizzle. I kind of hate the name, but I totally love the shoes. I even bought a second pair of them in regular flat black leather, though I adore the patent leather.

I tried it. I think it helped some. Thanks! I guess I need some more training and practice. The upside to all this is, those 3 1/2 inch heels with no platform that used to give me fits after only a few blocks of walking? They're like flats now. Shoes I wouldn't hesitate to wear to Disney World. HA!

Thanks guys. It's hard to explain, but I'd guess, relaxing? I don't know. I just feel better. I think it has to do with coming out from hiding. Maybe refreshing is a better word. I sometimes wish I didn't have the desire to wear heels, I mean it'd be so much easier! I'm not one to be shy, or ask for what I want, so here I go. I'm actually happier when wearing heels. Or maybe I am just 'getting away with something.' I don't know.

Mike, I do not know how to describe it either, but I think we are thinking the same thing. Suddenly, I'm nicer to my wife, more patient with my kids, and generally happier than I've felt in years. It almost seems silly. James.

I've been a lurker here for years, and have suppressed my desire to wear heels most of my life. I guess what I get out of this forum is that people here don't get tired of talking about shoes! My wife has a few pounds short of a ton of heels, but to her, they're just shoes. Somehow, it's not the same.

I've gone and done it now. I guess I'm going to have to back off wearing heels for a while. Hopefully not more than a day or so. I've never had a problem up to now, but I've only recently started wearing what most normal people would call outrageously high heels. Of course, WE would call them normal, hehe. I got my Nine West oxfords, pictured below, about a month ago. I've had some issues getting used to walking in them, but up until this week, it was all tempered by the fact that I was working all day at the Firestone tire plant for a maintenance shutdown, where I had to wear work boots. Now that the shutdown is over, I tend to wear the oxfords all the time, and I guess it's too much, too fast. The dogs are not reacting well to the sudden change. This morning, the balls of my feet are tingling, even after a full night's sleep. I kind of knew this was going to happen if I kept this up. I guess it's bare feet and low heeled clogs for me until this stops. Bummer. But can you blame me for being a little bit obsessed with these shoes? They're awesome!

I have to agree with you. I've had exactly the same experience. I've been "heeling" for about 6 months now, although up until 1 month ago, my heels were pretty tame. Now that I'm wearing more "outrageous" shoes (read that as taller and thinner heels), "they" still don't seem to give a toss. I wish I had done this years ago. I'm glad you're having positive experiences, Mike!