mlroseplant

I got smart this time, and did not read the comments section. Still I wonder. To my way of thinking, these people are not really radical at all. Other than the fake eyelashes (yuck on anybody), and the ugly-ass heels, he's not that much different from me. She claims to present masculine, but she's not that serious about it. Tomboyish, maybe? Not seriously masculine.

41 minutes ago, Shyheels said:

I suspect that all or nearly all of the movement there will be towards women wearing the burgundy trousers, not the other way around. 

In real life, yes, that's what it's going to be. My ex-wife, who is by most standards a girly-girl, worked for American Airlines late 1980s - mid-1990s. She almost always wore pants, even back then. She wore heels with the pants, but pants nevertheless. I guess I did not realize that female Virgin cabin crew, up to now, were required to wear skirts. I don't know why you'd ever want to wear a tight skirt to do that job, but I sort of understand. People wonder why I wear heels to work a farmer's market. That doesn't make a bit of sense, either. It's probably because I can, and we may see a bit of that at Virgin as well.

And now for the other bit: I do not know why I even bother to read the comment section on any video ever. I should know better than that. Here is my take on the whole thing: When people see me, even if they happen to see me in Dahlonega, Georgia (super conservative area of the USA), they generally do not freak out. If I were to announce my putative presence in Dahlonega, GA with a video, and somehow it got broadcast to the locals, there would a lot of people freaking out. I think Virgin would have been better off simply implementing the policy without comment.

I haven't posted on here in a while, as there seems to be little interest. I really don't blame people, I've got nothing new to say, and perhaps that's a good thing. It means I am able to lead a normal life wearing heels, and there are a finite number of things to say about that.

There was a radical change in the weather here in Central Iowa this past week. It seems like one day it was in the 90s for temperature (close to 35º C), and a few days later, it dipped into the mid to upper 50s (around 12-15º C). As a result, I wore long pants and long sleeves to the farmer's market, and I'm glad I did. It started out a little hot, and I was thinking I could have worn shorts, as many of our customers did. However, our customers didn't have to stand outside in one spot for five hours, and by the time eight o'clock rolled around, I was quite appropriately dressed.

If I had to do it all over again, I'd have probably worn my ankle boots or knee high boots. I wore these oxfords, which are my oldest continuously serving pair of shoes, because I knew they wouldn't bite me back, and they didn't. I did not bring a pair of backup shoes or load-in/load-out shoes with me. The little bit of ankle showing I feel interrupts the visual line. I got only one comment on that evening, and it was a "I don't understand how you can deal with heels that high" kind of comment.

I doubt that anybody is envious, but my neighbors keep their pie holes shut, probably because my wife is always giving them egg rolls.

Super casual? I do not think so. You should see some of the shit people wear at Walmart here on this side of the pond, and then you will know what super casual is. Think baggy shorts that come to the knee paired with flat athletic slides and white socks. On the other hand, maybe you're right. Cali's outfit might be super casual. What I'm describing should be called super AWFUL.

5 minutes ago, Peeptoe said:

I have a pair of Hazel pumps which are very solid. So I may take a chance solely from brand reputation.  But you are correct, the only way to know for sure is to try them on. 

If you are familiar with the brand, I think you are good to go. It's not a 100% indicator, but in my experience it is highly indicative. This works both ways, both good and bad. Bad experiences I've had are with Michael Kors and Vera Wang. Neither of these brands seems to be very sturdily built. Old Nine West is good, new Nine West is hit and miss. I could go on.

Like I said before, the two pair of Sam Edelman I do have, you could probably use as jackstands for your car, but they are chunky-ish clogs. As far as I know, it's a decent brand.

Gee, I guess I am not a REAL man of many clogs, I only play one on TV. I have only 10 pairs of clogs , and 3 of those you might not consider to be true clogs, but are merely clog-like. I found a picture of one pair, and the date range on this photo is pretty easy to guess, ha! These are BCBGeneration "Milliard." I have them in brown and black. They are very comfortable, but after a while they stretch out enough to where you've got to use some sort of fitment aid to keep your foot from sliding forward too far. Checking my records, I've worn the black pair enough to have had them reheeled.

Many of you are familiar with the following commercial, which came out about 5 years ago. The relevant portion of this is at about 0:23, which is screen shot at the end, along with my photos:

This model appears to be wearing CL Merci Allen, but perhaps a custom pair, because I've never seen this color before. In any case, if she were my size, those heels would be somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 1/4 - 5 1/2" on a size 40 or U.S. women's 9. Notice how she is able to take a reasonably big step and still keep her knees perfectly straight. This is one of the main keys to looking good when walking in heels. We wish we could see this model walk for a distance in these heels, preferably outside, to see how that would actually look in real life. Unfortunately, we get about one second of walking, and several more seconds of dancing in a highly edited package.

After reviewing this commercial, which I had forgotten about for several years, I decided to see how I would fare in a similar situation. So I made videos of me walking in various heights of heels, just to see what is possible for a normal person. There is nothing scientific about this, it's just for fun, and for self-awareness.

The first thing I noticed is that due to the shape of my legs, my knees don't straighten out quite as nicely as the model's. Even if my knees are locked, they are still sort of more prominent than the model's. Nothing I can do about that, but I have found in my research that it doesn't matter if you don't keep your knees perfectly straight as you take that forward stride, they just have to be pretty close. A few degrees of bend is acceptable. 10 degrees of bend is unacceptable.

The pictures at the end are as follows: Screenshot of the model in her 5+ inch heels, me in 3" heels, me in 4" heels, me in 4 3/4" heels, me in 5+" heels. I've got the lower heels handled as far as ankle flexibility. I did better in the almost not quite 5 inchers than I thought I would, but this is an encapsulated, relatively controlled moment, and I won't be wearing these in public for a while, if ever. The super high ones, well, you see the best I can do. Not good enough. Anyway, I thought it was something fun to share.

I can't really help you out directly for a couple of reasons: First, I am 2/3 of your weight, and second, the two pairs of Sam Edelman shoes I own are both clogs. Very high clogs, to be sure, but not dainty stilettos. The clogs, by the way, are very sturdy, and could probably withstand twice the force I put on them without flinching. What I can tell you for sure is this: The thickness of a heel does not necessarily indicate its sturdiness. I have a number of pairs of very thin stiletto heels which are rock solid and do not visibly move when I walk. On the other hand, I've got some block heels that absolutely do move, and give you that sense of dread that something is eventually going to give.

I am a man of many clogs. Clogs are basically the way I entered the world of high heels. While they do not figure as importantly in my life as they used to, I still wear them regularly in the winter. What do you find attractive about clogs?

It all depends on what you're going for. There's lots and lots of bad advice out there on Youtube, with a sprinkling of good advice. I think it would be very disappointing to pay money for a class, only to find out that they are emphasizing modeling, which uses a sort of walk you would never use on the street. To answer the actual question, yes, they do exist, but whether they'd actually do you any good, that's another question.

On 9/15/2022 at 6:51 AM, Jkrenzer said:

Just got these very light, almost white, mules.

Are these more Hey-Si-Meys? Or have you found another acceptable Chinese manufacturer?

6 hours ago, Rockpup said:

Not exactly on topic, but for $75k you can buy a lot of heels.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/leg-lengthening-surgeon-says-software-165430529.html

Something about that just sounds nuts. I'd kind of like to see the finished product proportionally. So you lengthen one bone (well, two) to get all your additional height. That just doesn't seem like it would be satisfactory, either from a physics or an aesthetic standpoint.

3 hours ago, VirginHeels said:

Someone decided to queue wearing heels for like 13 hours!!! Most others feet would have gone in that time!!!

 

Given the angle of the foot because of the huge platform, I can sort of see it being possible. After 13 hours of standing, you're likely to be miserable no matter what. My feet are getting tired just thinking about it. I typically do not have to stand more than 5 hours at a time, and even then, I take a few minutes to sit down and eat something during that time. I cannot imagine 13 hours.

12 hours ago, bambam said:

I don't see any significant difference in heel height, the Vala may be a hair shorter, but the daisies are SOOO much more comfortable, I really think the Vala is trying to be a Loubatin, so, not comfortable for a human at all...

It's amazing how the time has flown. I never bought, and am no longer considering the Vala. I found the Klory instead, which is much better looking, and seems to wear and walk about like the Daisie, even though it is actually a little bit higher (not much, less than 1/8").

20 hours ago, kneehighs said:

I agree with all these well thought out points.  They address challenges on a micro scale.

For me, I was addressing a broader macro scale cultural and economic momentum that encourages men in heels. 

I get what you're saying, but it is very difficult for many of us to ignore the details, and that's partially because we're already reached the Promised Land, to some degree or another. I do not personally know what it feels like to want to try some kind of style, just because it's in style. I'm trying to imagine a guy buying heels for the first time, saying to himself, "I'd kind of like to try that," having larger than woman-sized feet, and purchasing a pair of these Asos shoes. If they fit ok, he might like them, and purchase another pair at some point in the future. If they don't fit ok, he might well say, "Now I understand why women always bitch about their shoes. I can see that being able to wear high heels out and about is pure fantasy." And then never buy another pair again.

I realize that reviews are not the end-all solution to this problem, but they certainly do help in many ways. Some of this micro stuff is going to end up driving the macro world in the end, at least in the long term. If only one of us could be there to guide every potential newcomer to heels down the slippery slope of an inclined footbed!

I say that I can't wear high heels to work, but I guess I forgot about my side gig, selling egg rolls at farmer's markets. I didn't used to consider it "work," as I was just helping the wife out a little bit, but now it's become more of a big deal, and I'm an essential part of it. We even bought a cargo van recently specifically for the business.

I haven't worn true flats yet this year to a market. My "backup" shoes are 2 inches, and I've only had to wear those once when the sole fell off my higher heels. These BCBGeneration thong type wedges actually work well on grass, too.

19 hours ago, Jkrenzer said:

Old pumps today. Melrose, you'd like these. Steve Madden Darrt.

These actually have a thin extremely well hidden platform. 

I have actually got my eye on a pair, on the strength of your previous post. The only problem is that they are 9 1/2, and I usually take a 9. However, everything else this lady is selling is a 9. Do they possibly run a little small? Have not yet found a pair in a 9.

Thanks, guys. I figured there was nothing wrong with the look, it's just that I'm the type of guy who will wear sandals until it snows, or maybe even after it snows. My body parts get cold in this order, roughly: Legs first, I have never been able to wear shorts with a jacket, I'm much less cold with long pants and short sleeves. I will wear leggings underneath my pants with a short sleeve shirt. Next to cover up in the fall are my arms/upper body. Last: Feet. I don't know why my feet don't really get cold. Yes, they do eventually get cold in extreme weather.

I guess I have three distinct ways of leaving the house: If I'm going to work, I'll be in my construction garb. If I'm working at home on a physical project (automotive, yardwork, etc.), it's basically the same minus the helmet and high viz stuff, and probably ratty tennis shoes instead of work boots. At all other times, it's some sort of heel 99% of the time. This is true for casual or dressy occasions, true for going to the grocery store or going to a fancy dinner. I never carry "backup" shoes (with one important exception), I never keep shoes in the car, or store them anyplace else but my house. I've had enough shoe failures over the years that I probably should keep a backup pair in the car. I do keep snow boots in there during the winter.

I decided to post here because I recently took several pictures of my new Steve Madden "Klory" pumps, and I happened to be wearing shorts. I am normally loathe to wear closed-toes shoes with shorts--this was for modelling purposes only--but I don't think the combination looks horrible.

Hi all, it's time for another new pair of shoes! I am actually several pairs behind, but these are special because I think I have finally found a pair of nude (or beige) pumps which suit all of my needs and desires. Well, except for one, and that comes at a price I'm unwilling to pay.

I had bought a pair of Steve Madden "Daisie" pumps in nude a while back. They were a very pinkish beige, but that didn't bother me. They were super pointy, had super thin heels which approached the 5 inch territory, and were super easy to walk in. The only problem was that the sock liner of the shoe had started to deteriorate due to age and exposure to air. Or sunlight. Or something. I'm no chemist, but the insides of these shoes were peeling off, and it wasn't because of heavy use--there wasn't a mark on the soles or heels. I was/am unable to find another pair in that color and in my size. The other model that is of the same basic idea is the "Vala," but it has an extreme setback heel which I think looks ugly. Naturally, those can be had everywhere for a little bit of nothing.

Anyway, I ran across these Madden pumps on Poshmark which were called "Klory." They looked to be the ticket. High, thin heel, pointed toe, but less extreme than the Daisie. Supposedly, they were brand new. The seller wanted something like 80 bucks for them. "Nah, I'm not paying quite that much for a plastic shoe that I can't try on," I said to myself. "If they come down to 50 bucks, then we'll see." It took a while, but the seller did eventually come down to 50 bucks. I couldn't go back on a promise, so I bought them, and I'm glad I did.

Although I have yet to truly wear them outside, I can tell you that they seem to have all the good characteristics of the Daisies without the peeling insides. Actually, I like them better in some aspects. The not-quite-4 3/4" heel (119 mm to be exact) is incrementally thicker than the Daisie, at 5/16", or 8 mm, but more importantly, it curves inward, toward the front of the shoe, which I find more attractive and desirable than a more set back heel. Fit is what you'd expect from a size 9 Steve Madden, so that was a relief. They seem a little bit steeper than the Daisies, even though the heel height is virtually the same. I'll have to actually wear them somewhere to comment on that, but the heels are rock solid, so any awkwardness I may experience is user error, and not the fault of the shoes. Overall, I am very happy with this purchase.

"Thin" is an interesting descriptor, as they appear to have heels of the same thickness of many other pumps of that ilk. I have personally found that the thickness of the heel (within reason) has very little correlation with comfort or walkability. Having so many people describe it as "thin" makes me wonder if it's a bit on the flexible side, which is not good. You'll have to let us know for sure!

The farmer's market season is rapidly winding down, but it's still shorts weather for sure. That may change next week, or it may not. You never know here in Iowa. The reason I mention shorts is because although I wore some pretty standout shoes last night, my blue Bruno Magli "Kira" suede wedges, I got no comments about them at all. However, one mid-thirty-ish lady gushed about my shorts. I do think they suit me rather well, being short enough without being super tight, and not so short as to be really shocking, but I guess I can't get all that enthusiastic about shorts. Another bathroom shot. I have no place else as a practical matter.

My latest is a pair of JustFab "Loola" mules, which I purchased through Poshmark for the low, low price of $24 plus shipping. They caught my eye because a) they were shiny, b) they were cheap, and c) they appeared to have close to 5 inch heels with no platform, which I have been seeking for some time.

As it turns out, they are not quite a full 5 inches in steepnes, but that's probably ok, since I can almost walk in them. The heel height is actually a full 5 inches, as I expected, but these sandals have what is effectively a 1/4" platform, reducing the difference to a mere 4 3/4". Thickness of the heel is a tidge over 5/16", or about 9 mm.

These are a size 9, which is typically too big for me in open heeled shoes, but I think these actually fit fine. There is some real estate around my foot, but it's evenly distributed between toes and heel, and it's not excessive. I hate to admit it, but I have been buying plastic shoes lately, and these are the latest addition to the petroleum based collection. I haven't really truly worn them out yet, so I cannot comment on the comfort and feel, but they seem sturdy enough for cheap shoes, and they may well help me on my goal of mastering slightly higher heels.