mlroseplant

2 hours ago, pebblesf said:

OK, well there has certainly been many responses to your original post.  I don't know your age, but can say that you look just fine in this picture.  You have a nice figure and have taken good care of yourself, so your age really is not an issue. 

I guess I should have divulged my age from that start, as it kind of defeats the purpose of the question if I don't. I'm closer to 49 than I am to 48. 

I finally got a picture taken of the outfit that prompted this thread. Certainly a much more casual and less flashy outfit than CAT's. 

On 9/9/2016 at 9:33 AM, Thighbootguy said:

Great T-shirt slogan too.

I thought so myself! I wonder how many people really appreciate it in the way that we do?

If that's the case, then I'd have to put myself at a 5. 

Thanks everyone for the interesting and thoughtful replies. I had no idea there was this much interest in the topic. Alas, I don't have any pictures to post of the sort of outfits I wear personally, but maybe I'll get some taken this weekend.

Several people have touched on this subject recently, so I thought it might be interesting to start a thread about it.

The question is, how old is too old to be wearing very short shorts, or short skirts? In addition to the recent discussion on this forum, the thought occurred to me that most of the women who dress the way I do are much younger than me, and most certainly if they are white, like me. I do occasionally see Asian or Latina women my age who will show a whole bunch of leg while wearing high heels, usually (but not always) to great effect. When I look in the mirror dressed in short shorts, I think I look pretty good. In fact, I feel I look much better than I do wearing shorts any longer than mid-thigh. It's because my legs are so short that I can't afford to break the visual line with longer shorts, or my legs look really short. My favorite inseam length for shorts is in the 2-3 inch range, just for reference.

So the question is, is there a point where you have to hang it up, and be resigned to wearing long pants (or longer skirts) for the rest of your life? If so, how do you know when you've reached that point?

On 9/1/2016 at 10:50 AM, RonC said:

Not sure if Mr. Louboutin has made exceptions to that rule, but some of his heels look really high.  To my eye, the line gets crossed at anything much above 4".  But we all have our likes and dislikes!  

Yes, everyone has their own taste for sure, and for many, it evolves with time. For me, at this present moment, anything less than 4 inches in my size 9 looks short and stumpy to me, especially if it has any sort of platform. Maximum height that looks "right" to me is about 5 1/2", with a very few exceptions. Having said that, my skill set does not extend to actually being able to function in 5 1/2" single-sole shoes, and probably never will. However, I like the look of a 5 1/2" heel, so many [make that "all"] of my shoes in that height range have a 1" platform, give or take 1/4". Even these require constant practice, as I discovered last week when I pulled out some sandals with a 4 1/2" difference between the toe and the heel. I have been lazily casual this summer, wearing a lot of wedges with much less steep angle most of the time.

Having just done a shoe inventory, 90% of my collection falls between 4 1/2" and 5 1/2" in heel height, with a definite cluster right around 5", give or take 1/8".

Those are definitely good ones! I'm not familiar with "The Fly" or that scene, however. Olivia Newton John in "Grease" is easy to find on YouTube. The opening scene from "Roadhouse" is a little tougher. I haven't found it on the internet yet, but I have a VHS copy of the movie somewhere in my basement.

7 hours ago, Sydheel said:

 The main thing in your plan that wouls stop me is that i cant dance for crap. 
 

You would think that guys who make it their business to learn to walk in high heels, knowing that they have to be way above average to pull off the look and have the confidence, would be able to dance naturally. However, that is not necessarily the case. I can't dance either. In my younger days, I always made sure I was in the band for that very reason.

I went out for ice cream with my family the other night, wearing high heels with shorts (it's actually beginning to sound a little bit boring, isn't it?), and I witnessed the most amazing thing: Five teenaged boys sitting at a table.

...

...

...

...

OK, that wasn't the amazing part. The amazing part was that NONE of them had a phone out the entire time I was there. They were just talking and laughing with each other, and, as a added bonus, none of them seemed to be laughing at ME! I was mostly surprised about no mobile devices produced among five boys in about 20 minutes. You don't often see that these days.

On 8/31/2016 at 4:21 AM, Thighbootguy said:

Great look JeffB.  The longer skirt suits you well and the necklace completes the image.  I fight a constant battle between dressing in age appropriate outfits (longer skirt, lower heels) and my "way too young" mental image (mini skirts and thigh boots).  I do suffer with the Peter Pan syndrome.  I am comfortable with either presentation but the age appropriate one is generally more accepted.

I have been thinking about this a lot lately. Maybe it will be a future subject in my thread.

Nice look, Jeff!

6 hours ago, Shyheels said:

Does everybody have to take off their shoes and put them separately through the detector in the US? Over here you need to do that only if you are wearing boots, hence my earlier comments.

Yes, all shoes of any sort (including sandals) must come off and go through the x-ray machine in the U.S.  In Asia, I've never had to take shoes or boots off at all.

I agree, this is pretty darn cool, but there's one thing I can't quite understand, and maybe someone could explain this to me: How is the way this man is dressed inspiring to a young gay boy? I am often seen out and about dressed not-too-dissimilar from this man. Could I in fact be an inspiration to a young gay boy, even though I am not gay? It seems like sexual orientation is getting confused with mere fashion choices.

On August 24, 2016 at 6:11 PM, Bubba136 said:

We haven't heard in a while you commenting on your wife's attitude on your openly wearing stilettos heels.  Has she accepted this or just reached the conclusion that there isn't much she can do about it?

Probably a little of both. When we do have conversations about it, they're generally negative, but they are becoming increasingly rare. We're just happier in general these days than we were 4 years ago. That probably has a lot to do with it. 

13 hours ago, Thighbootguy said:

But I'll bet you gave them something to talk about.   But maybe you also gave them something to think about.

In my area the stereotyped image of a motorcycle rally is not the family gathering you described and never having been to Iowa the only image I have of an Iowa town comes from the musical "Music Man".   However, if you can attend a gathering wearing Sbicca wedge sandals and only generate "quite a few stares" then both of my mental images are wrong.  Sounds like Iowa is a good place to be.

The "Music Man" is closer to the mark than one might think, at least in the small towns. "Iowa Stubborn" is close to my heart. It's largely accurate!

This week I reached a milestone of sorts. Not a statistical milestone, but definitely a symbolic one. A little over 4 years ago, I ventured out for the first time in heels into a truly public forum--Bike Night, which is a monthly motorcycle rally in our town during the summer months. I have told that story elsewhere on this forum.

Last Friday night, I actually wore shorts and heels to Bike Night, which was a big mental hurdle for me. I have no idea why I have such a hangup about it, but I know the look is not for everyone. Anyway, the worst I saw was some lady with her family laughing pretty hard, and it was pretty obvious that I was the cause of her mirth. I saw a lot of phones out, but when I looked discretely, I couldn't actually catch someone videoing me. Iowans are generally polite that way, lucky for me. I ran into a coworker who seemed to have no reaction at all to my attire, despite the fact that we conversed at great length, maybe 30 minutes or so. I've never seen him outside of work before, so either he really didn't care that much, or his surprise was dampened by previous reputation (some might call it gossip).

Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures. That's one thing that guys generally don't do--stop and take several dozen pictures of ourselves in the way that girls often do. My outfit was nothing really special, though. A simple turquoise colored t-shirt with plain denim shorts (about a 2" inseam) and Sbicca wedge sandals (about 4.5"). I didn't go all the way by wearing stilettos, but you could definitely tell I was wearing substantial heels. I got quite a few stares, but that's to be expected. So it was a nice outing.

On 8/12/2016 at 5:51 PM, xlheel said:

A few of my heel choices

I've always had a thing for oxfords, and I currently have 5 pairs. I'm always looking for just the right pair. If I were willing to accept a lower heel height, say 4 inches or below, I would probably own twice that many! Nice shoes, by the way!

On 8/12/2016 at 4:43 AM, Gudulitooo said:

Maybe we can find a little inspiration on lookbook, after all it is its role.

For the very slim and petite sized guys, it seems that a number of Philippine guys have ideas, for example

http://lookbook.nu/jeroy

http://lookbook.nu/look/4159410-Kenneth-Cole-Handbag-Forever-21-Highwaist-Belt

One is disturbing, while he never wears high heels, his photos look like he is: http://lookbook.nu/look/8331903-Tan-Suede-Boots-

Some are doning the "agender" or "androgynous" look

http://lookbook.nu/look/4021096-All-Saints-Shirt-Topman-Jeans-Where-Have-You-Been

http://lookbook.nu/look/3267589-Deepstyle-Jeans-New-Look-Shoes-Blazer-I-Like-Boys-In-Heels-3

For men that are a bit less slim

http://lookbook.nu/look/6200919-New-Look-Heels-H&M-Skinyn-Grey-Jeans-Asos-Leather

http://lookbook.nu/look/8220851-Weekday-Turtleneck-Bershka-Skinny-Jeans-New

Or normal

http://lookbook.nu/look/7913768-Zara-Eyewear-H&M-Black-Jumpsuit-Moschino-Bangle
http://lookbook.nu/look/7794670-Zara-Aztec-Blanket-Cape-H&M-Skinny-Denim-Mango

http://lookbook.nu/look/6342228-Black-Doesn-T-Crack

And for the guys that are more into dressing like girls

http://lookbook.nu/look/6710572-Fall-The-Season-Of-Fashi

 

Don't know if it helps. Many people try to harmoniously blend in heels for men. Of course you will not find black stilleto pumps.

I am always looking for ideas that might work for me. I feel like I'm stuck in a rut with my clothes. I have all these wonderful shoes and sandals, but I feel like I wear the same clothes over and over again.

One of the problems that I consistently face, at least in the summertime, is necklines that are cut too low for me. Even a V-neck t-shirt won't work for me for two reasons: 1) I am very hairy, and I already spend enough of my life shaving and otherwise removing unwanted hair. I'm not about to begin shaving my chest also. Having a pile of hair sticking out of the neckline of my shirt when I present an otherwise sleek appearance is not the least bit attractive. 2) Even if No. 1 were not an issue, I would have a tan line from work that really can't be avoided, except by drastic measures. Again, I'm not really willing to go that far.

In light of this, I feel my choices are limited when it comes to wearing shirts that lean toward the feminine side. Other than that, I would consider wearing some of the stuff depicted in the slim/petite links.

On 8/11/2016 at 7:12 PM, TXGuy said:

Still working up to being totally out in the open. I don't believe I'll ever get as far as shorts and heeled sandals though.  I do wear sandals at home.

Three years ago, I thought and did the same. Today, I wear shorts and heels out all the time. I do take into consideration where I will be going, but even a woman wearing shorts and heels would likely attract some unwanted attention. Still it's something I never thought I could do just a few short years ago, so you never know.  .  . Keep up the good work!

49 minutes ago, Thighbootguy said:

I don't remember if you wear your glasses out and about but a different style frame would complement the image you present.  It looks like the prices at Zenni Optical have increases by $10 across the board but they are still inexpensive.  Here is my suggestion: Glasses.

I sure hope that this style is coming back into style! The "Buddy Holly" style that has been popular for a number of years just isn't for me.

I'm up to 51 pairs, from 49 pairs about 3 months ago. However, I've finally been fairly ruthless about getting rid of some that I simply don't wear any more. In that time, I'd estimate that I got rid of 5 pairs, and bought 7 pairs. I'm still searching for a few items specifically: Knee high boots with just the right thinnish block heel of more than 5 inches (more difficult to find than you might think), Some super-high wedge sandals that do not have a super-thick platform (frustratingly rare), just the right pair of black patent leather stiletto oxfords, to be worn with a man's tuxedo (still looking), and a certain model of BCBG thong sandals (surely there's a pair out there somewhere).

Continue to keep us updated, Joe!

It has been a couple of weeks, and the situation has improved from "worrisome" to "occasionally annoying." The new boots have definitely helped (I should have bought new ones months before I did). I am still walking way more than I did before, because my crews are so spread out, but after asking, pleading, needling, begging, and threatening, my superiors have finally seen fit to get me a buggy (small all-terrain vehicle), so hopefully the situation will improve even more in the coming weeks.

Everyone's story is so interesting that I want to add the short version of mine! My undergrad degree is in Music, I have a law degree and am a member of the Iowa Bar. However.  .  . I've spent the last 20 years as an industrial electrician, and I plan on doing that for another 20 years if I am able. I have reached a very comfortable financial position (for me, anyway). So yeah, life and career might take you far away from your goals and plans in high school. I am not ever sorry that I spent a lot of time and money on my education. It shaped who I am as a person.

6 minutes ago, pumpcat said:

I meant the pic of you next to the silver car, so we don't get confused. 

Just so no one else gets confused, that's not a picture of Jeff. 

Disgustingly hot here in the Midwest U.S. as well. Outside of work, I never wear anything but sandals, unless safety concerns demand it. I know a lot of people mow in sandals, but that is a terrible idea, attractive as it may be. My favorite type of sandal is the slide or mule, either with a thong between the toes or without. I guess I am a man of extremes--I like either tiny, super flat sandals like those posted by dww, or I like them with giant heels, preferably at least 5 inches. The middle range doesn't do much for me. My wife seems to favor the middle ground, forever wearing 2-3" wedges. It could be much worse!