mlroseplant

Hello Billy, and welcome. Cutting right to the chase, you must realize that your inner self isn't going to change just because you get rid of some shoes. In my experience, it isn't like a habit the one needs to quit, like smoking. It is a part of one's being. This isn't ever going to go away. I know, because I was in your "shoes" 20 years ago.

What makes you so sure your girlfriend would dump you if she knew about your differing fashion sensibilities? And also, if you would, please describe how things would work out in a perfect world, as far as not having to hide. Do you wish to wear your shoes out in public, or just around the house?

I guess it depends on your hand type. Lots of young men in Vietnam keep their nails on the very longish side for males. By "longish," I mean about 5-6 mm, and it doesn't look too bad.

My own hands have gotten so thick and meaty from years of manual labor that I wouldn't look good with long nails at all. I do try to keep about 3 mm nails on all but the little finger of my right hand, but that, as with TBG, is for fingerstyle guitar playing, not for the look.

After reading the replies and having given it some thought, I think it has something to do with society's idea of "manliness." When I'm in boots, tight jeans and a trenchcoat, I'm really only pushing one part of one envelope--the heels. When I'm wearing short shorts, shaved legs, with a fitted t-shirt and high heeled sandals, I'm pushing many envelopes as far as what people expect to see a man wearing. Perhaps this explains my general feeling of being more confident in the winter--I'm just less radical.

 

There are still some women out there who do not like to see a man wearing sandals of any sort, even the heavy, ugly, flat things that pass as acceptable footwear for men. I'll give them a small benefit of the doubt--most guys do not take care of their feet adequately, but I do.

 

On the other hand, even if I were a chick, wearing what I like to wear in the summer, I can imagine that I would still receive some unwanted attention.

Those here that wear heels in public, more power to ya, but I would bet, more often than not, that you get known as the crazy guy that wears womans shoes and boots. Some poeple will get used to seeing you around, and realize you are harmless and chat with you from time to time and to some point accept the shoe wearing, but I doubt there are very many people that high fashion is the first thing they think about when they see a guy in heels. For the most part most people are amused by the oddity of it all.

Yeah, that's probably about right, and that's ok. If people just leave me alone, I'll be happy with that. Doing something different always has its price, but also its rewards.

In south Florida we don't really get winter, so my choices are the same year round. Not that I always wear practical shoes in cold weather

HA!

I have noticed over the past two years that I tend to wear higher heels in the winter, which is counterintuitive. All of my boots are at least 4.25 inches, and many are 5+ inches high. I feel like I can wear them almost anywhere in almost any situation. However, I can't help but notice that my summer sandals are quite a bit lower, and I feel far less confident in them. Does anyone else feel the same?

It has happened to me once. I went to go get a haircut, and the lady who usually cuts my hair asked why I was not wearing heels. As it turns out, the reason why I was not wearing heels is because I had been accosted by a carful of teenaged boys the night before, and I was not feeling particularly good about myself. The ensuing conversation restored my confidence.

I don't think I could name a favorite. I love all 33 current pairs, and I wear all of them. My wife doesn't believe me, but I really do. Oh, of course I don't wear sandals in the snow, and I don't wear boots in July, but there aren't any pairs "at the back of the closet."

Having said that, I can show you the boots that I wear most often at this time of year. They are actually the cheapest, gawdawful quality shoes I own, but I've been unable to find anything that comes close to their utility in a higher-quality range. They are Simply Vera (Vera Wang, the cheap line that is sold through Kohl's). They are not leather, but they are comfortable and very slip-resistant in the ice and snow. Their downfall is that they are not very durable--my last pair only lasted a year, and this pair doesn't show better promise than that. Luckily, I've snagged an identical pair on eBay for next year.

One note. I always advise people not to wear boot cut jeans because it makes your feet look abnormally small if you are trying to be conservative. Notice the pic looking down. These jeans are very narrow at the bottom.

I suppose it depends upon what you mean by "boot cut" jeans. I have settled on 3 different affordable brands of boot cut jeans I like. The ones pictured happen to be from Old Navy in a size 6, which is snug, but not tight. As you can see, the flare is not severe, but it's enough to hang naturally over the boot or shoe, yet not hide the fact that I have feet. It does not work particularly well with really flappy mules, however.

My feet are size 9 U.S. women's or 39 EU, or sometimes 40, depending. The heel on the pictured booties is 5 inches.

The stem of the heel tap would break, the edges would chip, and everything you walk on will get messed up.

Sounds like the perfect recipe for a fetish video!

She is allowed to post in the girls section.

Oops, I'm on mobile, and all I saw was the male silhouette avatar. My apologies to the original poster. However, my other statements still stand.

What it is with you, man? You have made several posts about basically the same thing, including in the girls' section, where you are strictly Not Allowed. Frankly, your posts are just kind of weird. This is a fashion website, not a fetish website. I think that you might find more satisfaction elsewhere.

We are generally a welcoming bunch, but we are all about fashion and self-expression, not fascination with pain. I won't keep a pair of shoes that hurt my feet, and I put some miles on.

You may even find that when you get two pairs of the exact same shoes and brand you may end up prefering one over the other as one feels more comfortable.

How true. I've experienced this several times.

Thanks for all of your answers. @mlroseplant: The knit is quite heavy, and my other sweaters do not feel as "tight" as this one when wearing them, so I might just not be used to it being a bit more narrow. My worries became less when most of you said that it looks ok (but is not worth the price). Well.. as I said, I really like it... and I have decided to keep it, despite the price tag.

@TBG / mlroseplant: I've written an essay on my shopping habit that probably will show why this resolution is a good one in my case: Confessions of a shopaholic

Ahhhhhh, your resolution makes much more sense to me now, and, given this newfound knowledge, I fully support you. Good luck! Hey, at least it's not like you have to give up the fabulous stuff you've already bought.

I voted "keep it" only on the basis of looks. If price entered into it, I would say get rid of it. I'm looking at the shoulders, looking at the chest. Why do you think it's too small? The loose wrists bug me, but it's obviously supposed to be that way.

I agree with TBG, your resolution is going to drive you nuts. I know you want to save for a house, but there's a lot of good stuff to be had on the "lower brow" side of things.

I voted "keep it" only on the basis of looks. If price entered into it, I would say get rid of it. I'm looking at the shoulders, looking at the chest. Why do you think it's too small? The loose wrists bug me, but it's obviously supposed to be that way.

I agree with TBG, your resolution is going to drive you nuts. I know you want to save for a house, but there's a lot of good stuff to be had on the "lower brow" side of things.

Many times, the "stock" heels on high heeled shoes and boots are not very durable--I've had some wear out in a few short miles. Just have them re-heeled with Vibram or some other hard rubber, and all will be well.

It's been a while since I did a shoe inventory, and what I found was not too surprising--I have a lot of shoes, for a guy, though not nearly as many as some.

 

I have 33 pairs of actively worn heels. Is this too many? My wife thinks so, although my count is but a fraction of hers. Here are the vitals (with statistician Jeff B in mind as I list them off):

 

Sandals: 12, Oxfords: 5, Boots: 7, Mules (backless shoes, whether open- or closed-toed): 17, Wedges: 3, Stilettos: 7.

 

Height of heels: <4 inches: 9, 4 inches to 4.5 inches: 11, >4.5 inches up to 5 inches: 8, >5 inches: 5. Lowest heel height: 3.5 inches. Highest heel height: 5.5 inches.

 

I also have 9 pairs of shoes that I am looking to get rid of, almost all because of fit issues.

 

It is not surprising that more than 50% of my collection are mules/slides. I simply love this style, especially in sandals. To me, one of the happiest sounds in this world is the "slap/click, slap/click" of a backless high heeled sandal, whether on my own feet, or somebody else's.

 

I am curious to know about other people's shoe inventories, and if there is a particular bias in your collections.

 

P.S. As an aside, my user name should actually be Melrose Plant, a now disused nickname I picked up at work a number of years ago. I have noticed that a number of people have taken to calling me "Mlro" or "Miro." I use the name mlroseplant because melrose plant was already taken or was not allowed for some reason or other. Of course, Melrose is not my real name, but I have been known as Melrose on a number of jobs over the years.

Attached is a picture of my partial collection of heels. I intend to build more shelving to accommodate the remainder.

 

 

 

 

I agree the system could be more standardized and consistent, but there is still one more variable that can't really be taken into consideration without it being cost prohibitive--toe length. I had to reject a new pair of shoes recently because, although the length and the width were perfect, the point at which the shoe began to slope up to the heel was a severe mismatch for my foot. What a bummer. Even when you win, sometimes you just can't win.

As I am very slight, they are not for me, even if I liked them.

For me, it's all about the heels. I can't ever imagine buying a pair of ballet flats. However, I do own a couple pairs of sandals with thin soles and thin straps. Those are mainly to be worn with shorts, when I don't feel like dealing with the attention that heels with shorts bring.

Thanks for the comments, fellas. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending upon one's perspective about these things), there really isn't much to tell. We talked, we ate, the kids played. My photo was the most unusual thing about the evening, and these folks are so used to it that it's not really a big deal any more.

ebay

What is the brand and model of those?

We had a few families over for dinner today, to celebrate the New Year. There were many items of interest, but this photo is the one that is relevant to this forum. Just for your edification, the woman in the short skirt is a bit of a high heel poser, but the woman standing next to me is a serious high-heeled gal.

Actually all this is an illusion.

 

Yes, Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world but the idea that it is the only place to wear what you like is the illusion, which I doubt the city fathers would move to dispel.

 

I'm betting you could wear your heels outside your own front door with exactly the same reaction as you'd get in Vegas. When I tell people this they say "you don't know my neighbours/village/city!". What I'm saying is, neither do you.

 

Many years ago I met a guy who complimented me on my nerve to wear 1.5" heeled cowboy boots. He then confided that he had a pair too but he didn't have the nerve to wear them, even though they were men's boots!

 

The point I'm making is the only thing stopping you is what's in your own head.

 

I once knew a lawyer in the capital city close to where I live who was within her professional circle famous for her long hair, short skirts, and high heels. This was about 20 years ago, during the awful Grunge period, when you rarely saw ANY high heels on the street. This lawyer knew that I had a thing for her shoes, so the subject would often come up when we would chance to meet, which was rarely.

 

To make the story shorter, I'll get right to the relevant part. She mentioned to me one time that she owns several pairs of shoes that she would never consider wearing in Iowa, those were for Vegas only. I always wondered about that. My imagination was not very good at that time, but I'll bet that now, 20 years later, whatever those Vegas shoes were would probably not be all that shocking, even on the streets of the Midwest (U.S.). The lawyer's trademark 4 inch heels, which, 20 years ago, seemed so shockingly high and daring to be worn in a professional setting, wouldn't even warrant a glance now.

I notice that they had "heel-less" heels long before Lady Gaga, or whoever, and without platform. What is more, every one of the shoes shown seems to be at least a little attractive. That's not true today. To be fair, these are stylized drawings rather than photos (which in itself is vintage groovy). I wonder if the actual shoes lived up to the illustrations?