mlroseplant

I have replaced quite a number of heels and a few soles in my day. Here is what I have found: Like Krenzer said, stilettos wear out very quickly--I typically get 6-8 miles out of a stiletto tip on concrete. Mind you, I'm talking about a hard rubber replacement, Vibram or some such thing. The plastic tips that often come with new shoes from the factory wear out even more quickly than that. I've ground down a pair of stock tips in less than a mile on one occasion. That was very disappointing. To be clear, and to compare apples to apples, what I'm calling a "stiletto" is a shoe where the bottom of the heel, the part that touches the ground and gets worn out, is no more than 9.5 mm (appoximately 3/8") across in width. Often, it's even thinner than that. Most of my stilettos are 8 mm (5/16") thickness, or very close. My thinnest heels are about 6 mm (1/4"). Those have never been worn for anything but incidental outings (for example, walking from the car to the church or grocery store) and I STILL had to replace the heels after a couple of years.

For this reason, I quit wearing stilettos to actually walk in several years ago, much as I do enjoy it. Running errands--going to the grocery store, the post office, the barbershop, church--sure, I'll still wear stilettos. Going for a purposeful walk just to go for a walk, I've switched to slightly thicker heels mainly. If you go to a slightly thicker heel, at least 16 mm (5/8") across, you get several times the life on the heel tips. I don't keep as careful records as I used to when I first started heeling, and I do a lot more "incidental" heeling these days, in which case the miles don't get recorded, but it seems like I get anywhere from 30-50 miles (48-95 km) out of a good Vibram heel before it needs to be replaced.

As far as soles, I've only ever had to replace the crappy thin leather coverings that often come on women's "mid-level" shoes. Why you would ever slap a thin piece of leather on the bottom of a platform shoe is beyond me, but they do it, and they inevitably wear out quickly, or get trashed if you're caught in a rainstorm. Same if you have to ever walk in snow. Dumb, dumb, dumb. I used to be all about leather bottoms, not anymore. They're fragile, and they're a pain in the butt. The leather on men's dress shoes or finer cowboy boots is completely different. It's actually got some thickness and stoutness to it. I've only ever worn through a men's leather sole once, and it took me 10 years to do it. I've never worn through a man-made sole in any of my high heels, though I've tried pretty hard.

As with anything, your mileage may vary. I weigh less than 65 kg, but tend to walk pretty aggressively. All of the numbers I have presented are merely anecdotal, but they are based on my actual personal experience, and I have recorded every repair I have made in the last 8 years.  I hope you enjoy your boots for another 10 years!

16 hours ago, kneehighs said:

 To be clear, I'm not sharing their user names anymore b/c I suspect some here then go onto IG and contact the same girl.  You gotta pay your own dues if you want the girl(s) mates!

Wasn't me! I suspect you knew that anyway. BTW, how does the "no tables" thing work in practice? You just have to hold your drink and/or food the whole time?

3 hours ago, Puffer said:

This promo video for Louboutin 'Trouble in Heaven' perfume is worth watching!   (I have to say, however, that I prefer women with a few more curves.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_6MZW-2OaU

Yes, that's a good one! I ran across this a couple of years ago, and I hold it up as an example that one can, in fact, move fluidly and gracefully in extremely high heels. I realize the whole thing is slickly done and highly edited, but I would point out the area of 0:23-0:25 as a great example of "how to walk in heels." Yes, it's not much, and it's kind of a highly stylized Latin ballroom dance walk, but evidently it can be done. I would really like to see this model/dancer walk across the room or down the street normally in 5" heels, just to see how it's done! It could be very instructive. It seems unlikely that it will ever happen.

Here is another one that is not too bad for walking technique in real life: On edit, I would however, recommend muting the sound, but that's a matter of personal taste.

I replied two days ago to a high school classmate's Facebook post, which was captioned "Where are you on this scale?" I replied, "Two children, but I still wear the 'single' shoes." That shut the thread right the f*** down. Crickets. I seem to have that talent.

It may not technically qualify as foot jewelry, but I took these BCBGirls sandals on their maiden voyage this morning. I managed to get one mile in before it started raining. I've had them for some time, I've just never worn them out before. They have these odd little medallions on the buckles for the back straps. I had originally planned to cut them off, but I have changed my mind. They give this oddly satisfying sensation against the side of your foot with every step. By the way, these shoes don't bite. No blisters, no funny marks, no nothing. You just never know until you walk a couple miles. I am provisionally approving them until I can do my two mile test.

21 hours ago, Cali said:

Jumping is not the problem, its landing on a surface that can handle it. Only got hurt twice by jumping, but never from the roof, two story house. It's more sports, like sliding into third and getting your cleat caught in the netting they put in sod, or back packing 10 miles in the Sierra wilderness and the rock ledge you are hiking across decides to give way. I stopped ski jumping after I caught a friends head between my legs.  I not a couch potato.

This reminds me of a song from the late, great Jim Croce. Hope the humor is received in the manner it was intended:

13 hours ago, Cali said:

An Injury? Oh I wish that was the case, I'm missing bits and pieces all over the place.

Were you the kid that jumped off the garage roof with an umbrella as a parachute?

3 hours ago, Cali said:

 

It's because you don't have a body that contains many pieces of titanium, polypropylene, nylon, teflon, .....My hand was experimental surgery, one of the first of it's kind in the world when it was done. It was after the first experimental surgery failed, at that time only 2 of the 28 surgeries of that version failed. The damage was too bad to begin with.

Just to be clear, I was aware that you had an injury in the past, the exact details of which I of course don’t know. However, the humorous way in which you referred to it gave me a bit of a chuckle. 

I think the first method may work ok, given enough time, which you obviously have. However, I cannot understand how actually wearing the boots after you get them soaked could possibly do anything but stretch them out further. I mean, unless you sat in one spot and didn't move for several hours. I would just try letting them dry without wearing them. Possibly put them under an incandescent lamp to provide a minimal amount of heat. I think you are right to be reluctant to use a hair dryer, even on low.

21 hours ago, Cali said:

 

.  .  . since my hand contains non-OEM parts .  .  .

HA! Never heard it put quite that way before.

13 hours ago, RonC said:

I had a chance to wear the b.o.c. Apple wedges pictured above for some shopping today.  While I have had a couple pairs of wedges in the past, that was prior to me taking my heel wearing public, so I never really had much real experience walking in them.  I now understand when the ladies (and guys here) talk about the greater comfort of wedges despite their height.  These were very comfortable and stable to walk in despite the 4" heel height (mitigated I admit by a small platform under the forefoot).  Typically, after an hour and a half of shopping and walking about, my feet would be aching and feeling a bit numb,  I had next to no discomfort and could have kept going for some time yet.  I could feel the height and enjoyed that, but didn't miss the discomfort.  Might not be the last wedges I ever own!

I'm glad you actually got a chance to get out in heels! I think they're a classy casual look.

I haven't even looked at shoes for weeks, much less bought any. I wonder what is wrong with me?

Every time I see the ad on here that advertises a t-shirt with a vintage car on it that reads,"I'm not OLD, I'm a CLASSIC!", I cannot help but notice that it's always modeled by a 20 year old hot chick.

Yes, these are completely random thoughts. I have become Virginia Woolf.

@Logjam, thank you for answering my question. Now that you say that, my present recollection has been refreshed (as they say in legal circles), and I went back to the "Infirmary" section to reread your post explaining your circumstances. I think no one answered your question back then not because no one cared, but because we just didn't know. I for one still know hardly anything about the ins and outs of artificial nails, much less using them to improve actual deformities.

@RonC and @Cali, I have gotten lazy about doing the Vicks VapoRub and tea tree oil thing, and my fungus has come back somewhat on one little toenail (out of 3 that were infected). I think that if you're going to go that route, you just have to keep doing it for the rest of your life. I guess it's like brushing your teeth! Another thing I have discovered about the tea tree oil, which I don't mind the smell of so much (I have much more trouble with Lavender), is that after extended periods of use, it stains your nails yellow, which is exactly one of the things that makes the fungus objectionable in the first place! It is easy enough to remove, but does require a light abrasive. You can't simply scrub it off in the shower. I think I'm going to drop the tea tree oil and go with the straight Vicks, and see how that goes. That is what my podiatrist recommended anyhow, although he did say that the tea tree oil couldn't hurt, and might help, but there have been no studies on it, unlike the Vicks. Luckily for me, I don't own any sandals which show that toenail anyhow.

7 hours ago, Logjam said:

In the past, after a couple of months, the artificial nail would loosen on its own, and either fall off, or at worst, lift off with just a bit of gentle prying by the tech. But whatever the last tech did, the nubbin was not coming off. And, I was pretty desperate for foot care in general, not just nail care.

i was in the process of finding and trying a new tech when the shutdown occurred, and since I had not heard back from the new tech, I went for the backup generic nail shop. Hopefully, the next time I need that nail replaced, I’ll be established with a new tech who will use a less destructive method of removal.

Ain't none of my business, of course, but the one thing I don't quite understand is why you have an artificial toenail in the first place. Do you have damage to your natural nail in the same way that Cali has damage to a couple of his fingernails?

@Logjam, I'm glad you got your problem resolved. I know there are manifold reasons why some of y'all have artificial nails, but all this talk about acetone, Dremel tools, &c. is making me never, ever want to mess with any of it. Thankfully, my natural nails are acceptable, though not exactly beautiful.

22 hours ago, chesterx said:

It sure is. I bought it to help support her channel. Unfortunately, the heels she features are not available to me. It's not the cost of the heels but the lack of larger sizes available in designer heels. Still, I like seeing them modeled. I also recommend trying Cammile1. Her channel is pretty good for heels & fashion, & some of the shoes I could actual wear.

I thought as much. I don't really "follow" either of them, but I check by every once in a while when I think of it, especially Engineering in Heels. Seems like I remember her doing a video a while ago on how ankle bracelets are not durable enough. Didn't she put some kind of a funky clasp on hers? How do you like that clasp? Can you tow a car with it in an emergency?

19 hours ago, Cali said:

You can take the acrylic off yourself.  It just takes time.  You will need foil, acetone base remove and cotton (I use the cotton that comes with some medicine).  Cut the foil so you can wrap it completely around your finger/toe. Soak the cotton in the remove, place it on the nail. I use twister for this. Then wrap the nail in foil.  Wait 10-15 minutes and unwrap. The acrylic should start to lift. Get a pusher and push it, trying to get it to lift. Then re-wrap with more/fresh remover on cotton. Repeat this process and it will come off.  I did one nail this way already.  Its not hard just time consuming.  I have another acrylic nail I'm hoping will last because it "glues" the half-nails together.

 

Hey @Logjam, I've got about 5 gallons of acetone out in the garage (courtesy of the nail shop) if you want some! Shipping might be a problem, though. Seriously, it's probably not a bad idea to try it yourself, because one thing that nail shops don't give you is a lot of time, unless you're at a high-end place where you're paying a boatload of money.

12 hours ago, chesterx said:

I intend to add some bling to my toes with a ring or two after seeing how lovely these anklets look with my heels. I might add some rings to my fingers to accentuate my nails as well. I ordered a sizing band to figure out what size to get, so stay tuned for further developments.

Ha! Now I'm suddenly getting bombarded with ring advertisements! Damn you Google!

What's scary is when somebody asked some question elsewhere on HHP about having trouble receiving something they ordered from Wish, their ads started showing up in my Facebook feed!

As I've said before, I kind of hate the way my hands look, so I'll stick with just a plain wedding band, and even that really should come off for work, truth be told. If a fellow had nicer looking hands, maybe. I do not wish to look like one a them TV preachers. I am once again considering, however, the ankle bracelet thing. I don't know why. It will only cause me trouble. And cost me money. OK, I've talked myself out of it for another 24 hours.

On 5/25/2020 at 3:19 PM, chesterx said:

The other anklet is one I bought from another Youtube gal who shares our love for heels.

That wouldn't by chance be the Engineering in Heels gal, would it?

12 hours ago, Bubba136 said:

A man has to have something to talk about and this is something everyone understands.  Keep talking and we’ll keep listening.  Always a pleasure to discuss something that everyone is interested in and understands.  

12 hours ago, Puffer said:

... and especially when the discussion is led by someone who has an approach that is both empirical and literate.   (Yes, mlroseplant, that means you!)

Thanks guys. And thanks for wading through some of that stuff, because, at least in this format, I tend to write exactly like I talk, with lots of parentheticals and asides. The Long and Winding Road.

On 5/18/2020 at 8:37 AM, bluejay said:

miroseplant, glad that you do your own mani's and pedi's. It saves you money. I've been going to the same salon for over 10 years now. I have the same gal who emigrated here from Vietnam over 15 years ago, doing my nails for all 10 years. She's a great person speaks perfect English and is a true artist in her trade. She has a wonderful family that I have met.

She is totally OK with my heel wearing, as I wear heels to my appointment. We even talk about wearing heels. She also has other male clients that get their pedi's and mani's. Some of them also get color on their toes just like I do.

Happy Heeling,

bluejay

It's official. The nail shop that I have been sort of "associated with" over the last 10 years has been sold, and it's due to the owner's reluctance to return to work during these uncertain times. I haven't actually had my nails done there for oh, probably 8 years, but I always stopped in and chatted if I happened to be close by and they weren't too busy (this nail salon is in a Walmart). I doubt I will be stopping by any more, because there's no one left that I really know.

In other news, I had to go to Costco last week, and while we were shopping, I saw a rather mousy looking south Asian lady, nothing about her to catch one's eye especially, except that as we met each other going up and down the aisles several times, I noticed that she was using a smartphone for her shopping list, or so it appeared. That's when I noticed that she had fabulously long nails! Not like 1980s long, but probably 1 cm of free edge showing, quite long for today. They were perfect natural nails, and unpainted. It didn't really seem to jibe with the rest of her appearance. No pictures, as I quit taking creepy candids long, long ago, and I am just not the kind of person to go up to some stranger lady and say, "Duhhhhh.  .  . can I take a picture of your fingernails?" Ain't gonna happen! But I can still admire discreetly from a distance.

I agree with others who say it's probably just bad luck. I have bought literally hundreds of pairs of shoes (and other things) on ebay, and dozens on Poshmark, and I've rarely had a problem with a seller. Even when I have had, it's been resolved quickly.

14 hours ago, RonC said:

I'm sure it's just the angle of the photo but the new pair actually looks smaller than the old pair, which makes the foot slide even more puzzling.

 

Since you mentioned it, of course I had to go put a tape measure to them. I used a tailor's tape measure to ensure that the measurement accurately followed the curve of the shoe(s). Both pair are nominally 8 1/2 U.S. Women's, and both measure 10 1/8" from the extreme front edge to the extreme back edge. Although there is some disagreement between size conversion charts, a size 8 1/2 foot is approximately 9 5/8" long, which works out nearly perfectly when my foot is sitting in the sandal where I'd like it to. When the ball of my foot is sitting nicely in the apex of the angle, there is approximately 3/8 - 1/2" of distance between the front of my two biggest toes (they are nearly the same length) and the extreme front edge of the shoe. In back, my heel is right on the edge of the shoe, or maybe 1/8" forward of that, which is how I feel it should be. Included is a photo as a visual example. Because I like my heel to sit where I do, it also explains why I go down a half size in any sort of backless shoe. You certainly wouldn't want your heel sitting that tight in a closed-back shoe, that would probably be quite uncomfortable.

As to why the new pair requires an insert to get it to fit right, I honestly think it was the way in which I broke them in, and the circumstances under which I broke them in, compared to the way in which I broke in the old pair. My belief is that it has to do with two factors: 1) The shiny gold material on the insole, which looks cooler 'n hell, but is quite slippery when exposed to the slightest amount of perspiration, and 2) When I got the first pair, my toes were not flexible enough to wear them comfortably for more than half an hour. In fact, I came very close to trashing the first pair at one time because I literally couldn't get them all the way on all at once, and even when my feet did eventually slide to the correct position after walking around a little bit, the ends of my toes would often go numb. Somehow, after nearly a year of futzing with them, they became wearable. I believe that this process gave me time to wear that gold shiny stuff down to the point where it wasn't quite so slippery. Whatever is underneath that, that white stuff you can see in the photo two posts above, is far grippier. Therefore, even though the old pair is FAR looser than the new pair, my feet pretty much stay where they're supposed to, even during fairly vigorous walking. With the new pair, other than the leather straps being incredibly stiff at first, I was able to wear them and walk in them right away, not allowing time for that gold stuff to wear through, and causing my feet to slide too far forward because of the relatively low coefficient of friction.

How's that for an over-analysis of a damn pair of shoes? I know you guys must be tired of hearing about these Bonnys. I have made quite a few posts devoted to them. I promise to post about something else next time.

It is funny how two supposedly identical pairs of shoes can be so different. I have been trying to abandon my old pair of BCBGirls Bonny mules in favor of the new pair, but it's difficult. The new pair has now gotten loose enough to where my foot is sliding too far forward in the shoe, on that slick shiny gold material, creating the dreaded toe overhang. That was never a problem with the old pair for some reason. I decided, after some experimentation, to add a pair of cushions, as shown. It seems to have fixed the problem right up, although I have yet to take the shoes for a true test spin. The old shoes are coming apart, and I have to decide whether to glue them back together (again) and get them reheeled. Included just for fun is how much the soles of the old pair are worn compared to the new pair.

15 hours ago, chesterx said:

Another quick outing today to pick up some food. Really only notable because I finally made myself wear these pumps. The color has always struck me as being a bit over the top for public wear. I figured today was a gloomy, rainy day & I wanted to brighten things up a bit, so off I went. Of course, nothing came of it, and my nails as usual got all the attention. I'm so happy the salons are back open again.

The ankle bracelet is a nice touch!

2 hours ago, maninpumps said:

Please read this link https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/blog-bubblers-what-are-they-and-why-use-them-n863 .

I'm not saying that the term hasn't come to mean other things in other circles, I guess I should have made it clear that in my personal experience, I have always known it to mean a drinking fountain. Like I said before, most of the people who would have used the word in that way are probably dead by now. It may be that most people's understanding of the word has passed me by. It wouldn't be the first time.

As an aside, I would think no one would be very excited about drinking from a bubbler these days!