mlroseplant

I played hooky yesterday. Not really, it was a planned day off from work, but still, it felt kind of weird not going to work in the middle of the week. What I did first thing in the morning was walk, despite the less than nice weather conditions. Even though I recommend regular and long distance walking as an essential part of developing stamina in heels, for whatever reason I have only ever walked more than 5 miles at a clip in heels 4 times in my life, yesterday being the most recent. As it turns out, I walked a 10k, or just a little over 6 miles. I can't say it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience, as the last couple of miles were a total slog. The good news is that my feet and ankles didn't hurt when I got done, but the rest of me was totally exhausted. And that was with the wind at my back on the second half of the excursion. Which means that either I shouldn't ever do that again, or I should do it a lot more often. The accompanying picture is not from the day of, but it is very close to what my outfit was, and the shoes are correct.

It just goes to show that foreigners (and I understand you spent substantial time here, but still.  .  .) know more about American history than Americans do. And that ain't no sh**.

Since this is a thread where anything goes, I will tell you the story about my whiskers. They are meant to be in the style of U.S. President Chester Arthur, our 21st President from 1881-1885. Back when presidents had facial hair. President Arthur is one of those presidents nobody has ever heard of, possibly but for the mustache with side whiskers, but I am a student of many things obscure, so naturally I know more about President Arthur than most people.

My wife does not like the whiskers, but I think it's mainly because they make me look old, and she is not wrong. However, the overall reaction to my Chester Arthur has been overwhelmingly positive, much more so than on this forum. I have gotten compliments from family, friends, coworkers, and even total strangers. It's kind of weird. If the situation warrants, I am happy to give a mini lesson about a relatively boring time in U.S. history.

Here is an image of President Arthur, along with a closer up shot of me. It's probably the only selfie I've ever taken that has come out ok on the first try. This selfie was originally taken for a completely different reason, but it happens to work out for my purposes here.

It has evidently been about a month and a half since I posted any pictures of me. Today was the first day in a while that I actually didn't feel like immediately rushing indoors to escape the cold. Spring is not here yet, but it is just around the corner. I need to start my seeds for my garden here in a couple of weeks.

Pictured here is my Zara suit. I have no idea how much the thing cost, because it was a gift given to me by my nephew. It's not really a formal suit, it's made of softer, more flowing material than most traditional suits. I like the fact that the pant legs are cut a little bit on the narrow side, the better to show off my Steve Madden "Klory" pumps, which got their first proper outing today.

Also featured here is my experiment with facial hair, which is really the first since I started wearing heels. I wondered if it would look too out of place with the rest of my wardrobe, but it seems to be just fine, at least for the winter. I am committed to it for at least another month, after which I'll probably shave it, as I don't see the white mustache and side whiskers going well with shaved legs, short shorts, and sandals.

I guess I am largely back, after my hiatus from serious heeling. Although it's still at the limit of what I can walk in semi-gracefully, I wore my Steve Madden Klory pumps to church, which sport 4 3/4" heels. The day was a little bit hectic, which means I didn't even think about my feet until I was loading up my car after the service. I will not claim that my feet were not tired (I spent about two hours in these shoes), but it wasn't like I tore them off my feet the instant I got back home. I would liken it to having a good workout at the gym. It's achy, but it's a good kind of achy. Maybe next time, three hours will be possible. My entire outfit is chronicled elsewhere.

At the present moment, I am "down" to 101 pairs. I got a couple more pairs of sandals, but I had a pair of oxfords break on me, another pair of what I call "faux" oxfords sort of break, and I got rid of a pair of shooties that I finally admitted are just too damn big, no matter what I do. I've also had a couple of recent purchases that haven't worked out from the get go, so they never counted in the first place.

I'll elaborate on the latest pair that didn't work out. They are Steve Madden single-sole sandals in nude patent with 4 1/2" stiletto heels. I ran across them on Poshmark, and "liked" them, so I could find them later. After 24 hours, I decided I could live without them, since I already have something somewhat similar, but the seller kept sending me offers to lower the price. Eventually, I caved and said ok. So for a total of about 18 USD, I have a pair of Steve Madden sandals that look pretty decent, but do not fit right. For one thing, they're size 9, which I can rarely get away with in sandals, but not that often. In this case, they are pretty tight over the top of the toes, and yet there is way too much real estate between the ends of my toes and the end of the shoe. If I were to somehow fix this, then there would be way too much space behind my heel, which looks equally bad.

I should really go through and make some hard decisions about how to get the number back down to under 100, simply so I can get everything off the floor. It really shouldn't be that hard.

I imagine this is like wishing for more uniform sizing for the length and width of shoes. We won't even talk about other items of clothing. One might as well spit into the wind.

10 hours ago, Rockpup said:

So, today I hit two florida malls, spending about 3 hours shopping wearing my 85mm (actually 3-3/4") JC pumps. I was feeling it by the time I was done shopping, so switched to a pair of 4.5" for hanging around the house. My goal is to get proficient in the 120mm (5.25") heels so we can go to an event or dinner while walking normally at least.

 

I am guessing that you mean that in your size, those inch translations are the actual measured heel height. It is pretty amazing that you have supplied some information that I have been trying to find for years without success, and that is, "What is the actual heel height of nominal 120mm shoes, such as So Kate, Anouk, et al., in size 40?" I can only assume that you're somewhere close to a size 40.

I knew in my heart of hearts that my Steve Madden "Daisie" pumps, though right at 120mm, did not rise quite literally to the level of the So Kate, which is the shoe they're obviously trying to imitate. I admire your aspiration, but I don't think I'm ever going to get there myself.

11 hours ago, Cali said:

Here's an opinion from a guy who wears them all, from delicate sandals to knee high boots, long pants to short shorts.  Wear tall boots with block heels under your pants is very easy, no harder than booties with block heels.  I think this is starting to become mor acceptable. But once you wear boots on the outside, it starts to change.  And when you wear 4 (net) inch knee high stlettos outside your jeans or with short shorts it gets bolder.  Add in some leggins ...

Is it as bold as stilleto pumps, I have no experiences there.  Pumps hate my feet.  But ankle lenght jeans and this boot (at work) is bold.

Or this knee high

I suppose we could argue about this until the cows come home, but a guy wearing boots on the outside of his pants is a fairly common sight around here. A guy in boots with heels is not. To my mind, it's a smaller step (no pun intended) to wear boots with heels than it is to wear pumps with heels. Maybe guys do not typically wear boots on the outside of their pants out there on the West Coast, and perhaps that is where our differing opinions originate.

16 hours ago, hiddenheels said:

Write more later, but just quickly, the thing is advertised as Leather, it's imprinted inside the shoe along with the size. These heels cost $125CAD, would expect them to be leather. Can you clarify? These are it: https://www.stevemadden.ca/products/vala-black-leather

Well I'll be! They DO appear to be leather. Have never seen such a thing Stateside, and Uncle Google seems to be silent about the matter. Not that I spent a great deal of time attempting to research the matter. I'm curious a bit, but not too much so, because I have plenty enough Steve Madden pumps already. It is difficult for me to imagine a situation where I would be wearing pumps for more than a few hours at a time, so the leather construction is less of a factor for me. However, it's good to know that SM still offers leather pumps to some degree.

6 hours ago, hiddenheels said:

Have serious issues posting photos of myself on the internet, so as much as I would like to share this, I cannot. If I can come up with a creative way of doing so, such that someone close to me would not recognize the photo of me, I will. In the meantime, I'm sorry.

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Had a chance to go to another mall today, was looking for something specific that is only in that mall. Anyway, was way too obsessed with my new pumps to not give it a go. Tried them on in the morning, and was sad to see that they did not fit too well, was a bit too small...? Thought feet expand during the day. I still wanted to try them out, they're so gorgeous. So drove to the mall, same skinny jeans, white top & black jacket. Got out of the car and started walking, no butterflies. Very quickly noticed that the pumps were oh so comfortable! In terms of comfort, they were beyond expectation. I was surprised. Is it because of the leather? I know the shoe must fit properly, but still.. I have other shoes that fit, but aren't this comfortable.

This mall has the same store as where I bought the black Steve Madden pumps I mentioned above. Went to the store, just to check it out. To my surprise, they had a bunch of "nude" versions! Same Vala, leather! And they had my size! I couldn't resist, bought that as well. Haven't unboxed it yet.

Did what I needed to do at the mall, then went to a coffee shop for lunch. The pumps are super-comfortable. I'm happy.

Also happy since there are no more butterflies. Love the look, skinny jeans & pumps. Maybe I'll work up to skinny jeans and boots in the near future!

Three thoughts on my end: 1) I know it's contrary to what every single shoe advisor tells us, but I have always found that my feet are bigger in the morning. I have also found that my feet have shrunk half a size as I've gotten older. That is never supposed to happen, either.

2) I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but none a them Steve Madden pumps are leather. You'd have to go back at least 10 years to find SMs made of leather. They're made to a price point, after all. That's not to say they aren't a decent quality shoe, but they're not leather, as least not the pumps. Some of the sandals might still be leather, but I doubt it.

3) I know I'll catch a lot of flak for this, and that's fine, but I have never understood this "moving up to boots" business. It seems to me that boots are the easy ones to wear as a guy. It's the pumps and sandals, the more delicate footwear, that is a step up in boldness. Of course, some people actually like boots. Some people are very enthusiastic about boots. I happen to not be one of those people.

17 hours ago, hiddenheels said:

Cool! Should try that... Myself, I try to go to stores/malls, where some (~0? ) people do wear heels, just feels more "normal" to me. Anyway, do need to bring my stamina up. Thanks for the tips.

I get it. Many members here advise to go to a very crowded place to begin one's heeling journey. I, being contrary (you really ought to give Iowa a try), didn't do it that way. I walked my neighborhood late at night or early in the morning until I found my feet. Many would say this is a very unsafe practice for a couple of reasons, but perhaps my particular situation negates those safety concerns.

In any case, I guarantee you I'm the only guy out there walking in heels. The only person out there. Outside of a few special places, churches, weddings, funerals, nightclubs, certain white collar employment, and yes, perhaps shopping malls, you'll pretty much be the only one. Kind of like Tigger.

14 hours ago, Rockpup said:

This color looks amazing, and the lining is also red. Too bad they are $$$.

Yup, those are pretty cool. And it does seem like the coolest shoes are always the super expensive ones.

12 hours ago, hiddenheels said:

So my latest challenge to myself is to wear tight jeans with pumps, as I really like the look. Have previously worn a pair of black jeans and black 5" stiletto pumps, matt black non-leather, a combination I think looks fantastic. I also have a pair of 4" heels, which are leather, and they're super comfortable, but they have a small platform, and are more office-style than elegant. Been complimented when wearing either one! I've been on the lookout for some very elegant, **leather**, black pumps. But have so many heels that I didn't want to spend a lot...

Was at a department store a few days ago, just browsing around, lots of clearance stuff. Checked out the shoes, not expecting to find anything, as it's a pretty lame dept store otherwise. But my eyes caught one (and only one! how sad) shoe with ~4" heels. It was a very attractive looking pair of pumps, black, leather. These ones specifically:

https://www.stevemadden.ca/products/vala-black-leather

Not sure why that store sells shoes from all sorts of different brands, but whatever. Clearance, ~$90, plus 30% discount. Awesome! But only had like 2 sizes, nowhere near close to what I need. Disappointing.

The shoes looked so gorgeous, couldn't get them out of my mind, but didn't want to pay the full $125 (from the link above).

A few days later, visited another store from the same chain, hoping, maybe. Found the heels, but not in my size.   On my way home, drove by another store from that chain, and after some searching found the shoes, those shoes, and they had 1 pair in my size! Quickly tried them on, perfect fit, and bought them... Was ~$70 all in. Probably my most expensive purchase in a long time, but it's exactly what I was looking for. 4.5" heel, matt black leather, pumps. So am happy! Won't have a chance to try them outside for quite a while though.

If you're ever in the market again, Steve Madden has another model called "Daisie," which is very similar to the Vala, but without the severely set back heel. Highly recommend, and you can usually find any number of these on Poshmark for quite a bit cheaper. Most people selling them either never wore them, or wore them once. I mean, let's be honest--they are beyond most people's skill set.

Try looking for jeans on Poshmark, too! There's a ton of 'em really cheap.

21 hours ago, Shyheels said:

Three miles an hour is no mean pace - it’s average walking speed for most people so in heels I’d say it’s quite good. I know what you mean about lippery conditions. I no longer go out for spins in my bike when the roads are covered with heavy frost. I don’t bounce the way I did a few decades ago.

I am not one of those people who likes to walk super fast anyway. Four miles an hour, or 15 minutes a mile, is not pleasant for my short legs. If I need to go that fast, I'd rather just run. In four inch heels, for me a reasonable pace is right at or right under the 20 minute per mile mark. For mid-heels or flats, 17-18 is all right. 22 wasn't bad for the circumstances.

11 hours ago, hiddenheels said:

Out of curiosity, what sort of shoes are these? Also, is this in a park or city-blocks? Just wondering so maybe there's something similar here that I could do.

On this particular occasion, I was wearing my Nine West "Sizzle" oxfords. This first picture is not a picture from that morning, but it depicts the outfit and the conditions very well.

As to where I walk, I simply walk around my neighborhood. I live in a small town (pop. 15,000) in the midwest U.S. The second photo shows a street close to my home. Our city requires the homeowner to maintain the sidewalks (or pavements, if you must), so most are in reasonably good shape, but there is just enough irregularity there to make things interesting. Add in a touch of snow or ice, and it can be really interesting. Good training for the real world!

I am happy to report that after a month and a half of conscious effort to walk in heels more, I can now do my 2.2 mile (3.5 km) loop without really thinking about it. I probably won't do that one very often until spring, simply because it's often cold enough or windy enough that I don't want to walk more than a mile at a time. Last Sunday morning was an exception, with temperatures right around freezing with no wind. My average pace was pretty slow, at around 22:00 per mile, but I did have to be careful of the many patches of ice everywhere that came from the refreezing of the previous day's melting snow. Call me crazy, but I feel this need to keep the rubber side down. I don't get up nearly as fast as I used to.

These look to be in considerably better shape than the red ones. I'm not sure if the red ones are as worn as they appear in the picture, because sometimes photography can fool you.

Take it a little easy on him, it's February, and he's from Canada. I haven't been taking any pictures lately, either. Way too cold to be modeling skinny jeans, especially those with holes already in them! Give us a couple of months.

In addition to our other head-scratchers, 120 USD seems like a really bad price range for Asian customers. I realize that Chinese have, on average, more spending power than Vietnamese, but 120 bucks or its local equivalent seems a bit steep for your average working gal.

22 hours ago, Jkrenzer said:

Red at work. This is a old pair of Italian Heels. Well worn and feel like leather gloves.

Yes, they kind of look like leather gloves, too! How many miles do you have to put on before they look like that? Also, what is the sizing like with Italian Heels? I realize these shoes are old, and your experience may not be applicable any longer. 98% of the time, I take a 40 in EU sizes. So many conversion charts that claim 39 = USW 9, which drives me nuts. I'm sorry, 39 ≠ 9. It just doesn't. It's taken me a long time to figure that out.

I have more BCBG shoes than any other brand in my collection. They seem to fit me well, and they're decent quality. There are three basic levels of BCBG. BCBG Max Azria, which is the expensive line, BCBGirls, which is the cheap line, and BCBGeneration, which is the middle line. I think you will enjoy the boots. Too bad the company is no longer in business.

I know it seems a little strange to our Western sensibilities, but that is the most normal guy I've ever seen in heels who is not one of us. Normal for East Asian advertising, anyway, phải không?

Edit, further thoughts: And do you know why that is? It's because he's selling women's shoes, and and not some super-glam, strange looking men's boot with a big honking heel on it. This has got me fairly convinced that any high heels that are designed "for men" are intrinsically inferior to high heels that are designed as high heels.

And yet a further edit: It seems that, after having viewed that video, all of the ancillary ads associated with this site (hhplace) have now all turned to Chinese. Weird. At least they're not trying to sell me Tevas or Birkenstocks.

16 hours ago, Chorlini said:

The problem with downsizing is that it takes a lot of work and above all energy to downsize. Offering shoes for sale, both here and on the local auction sites can sometimes take forever. And when you try to sell elsewhere it draws in a lot of crazies and low ballers. Sometimes it's just easier to throw your unwanted pairs into a local 2nd hand clothes collection bins. Easy to do with cheap shoes, but what about the really expensive ones? No wonder we get out of control collections. I finally understand women in that regard. It takes zero effort to buy new shoes, it takes quite some effort to sell old shoes.

I used to sell shoes, but nowadays I give them to the thrift shop. It just so happens that when I did my latest shoe inventory and decided to get rid of a few pair, there is this one particular pair of clogs that I just don't wear at all anymore. There is nothing wrong with them, I've just gotten out of the habit of wearing them. So I put them in the giveaway pile. Then I discovered what they're going for on Poshmark. Like 150-200 bucks! I know I didn't pay that much for these clogs, but I guess I'll keep them now. Or actually attempt to sell them.

There is no question that Work From Home is here to stay, because of the many benefits to all as mentioned in depth above. However, it doesn't work for everyone (no pun intended). WFH is not an option for me, both because of the nature of my work and my personality. First, it's awfully tough to build any physical structure from home, and second, I'd be fired within months if I worked from home. I'd never get anything done. I'm finally old enough and mature enough to admit that shortcoming. Luckily, I've got a place to go every day, where I'm not allowed to get distracted, but when I leave in the afternoon, I don't think about the job (much) until the next day. There are definite advantages to having work and home completely segregated. My only regret is having a profession where I can't ever wear heels to work.

I guess it is encouraging to see shoes as well as boots in this ad campaign. I'm not going to give CL himself any crap about doing what is apparently a 180 on his former men in heels statements. Even if you can ignore money/profit motives, you have to give people room to change as the world changes. Having said all of that, there are no shoes or boots featured in this set that I would actually wear.