mlroseplant

Oh, there definitely is, but it is not law in and of itself. Individual cities and municipalities have to adopt it in order for it to be compulsory, which many do. But they certainly don't have to. Even then, it says it right in the NEC several times that the AHJ, or Authority Having Jurisdiction (i.e., as a practical matter, your local inspector)  has the final say. They can waive stuff that the code requires, or make up stuff that's not required. 

Ok, it's a little off the subject, but I've never held that against anyone. The pipes that you see in my picture are 1 1/2". Since I'm not a plumber, I can't tell you what the rules are for sure. I suspect that each municipality has its own rules here, just like with electrical, thought that is slowly becoming more unified as time passes. 

What I CAN tell you is that I suspect it's code to use at least 1 1/2" once you get through the P-trap of any sink or basin. 1 1/4" is often used for the trap itself, but I've never observed an installation (a residential one, at least), that did not convert to 1 1/2" pretty quickly. 

I might have to give that stuff a try. I don't really need it for actual blisters, but I do often require something over my bone spur when I wear my work boots. I can never really predict when it will bother me. Sounds like this tape might work a little better than the Bandaids Toughstrips I usually use. Sometimes they last a whole shift, sometimes they don't. Does it leave adhesive on your skin when you remove it?

6 hours ago, Puffer said:

Interesting statistics.   I'm glad you added the penultimate one, as it is really the net heel rise that matters - one may have a pair of 6" heels with such a big platform that the effective rise is almost trivial.   But what about the 'missing' 16%?

I could have kept going, but I quit at an arbitrary point because I thought that perhaps my story was growing tiresome. However, since you asked, I figured it up slightly differently this time and divided it into the following three groups: < 3 3/4", 3 3/4 - 4 1/4", and > 4 1/4" difference in heel to forefoot height (no ballet heels for me, haha). In quickly doing the original number, I realize that I forgot to include a duplicate pair of shoes, so the original number is off a little bit.

<3 3/4" = 11, or 19.6%   3 3/4 - 4 1/4" = 32, or 57.1%   >4 1/4" = 13, or 23.2%

I realize that these do not add up to 100%. Rounding, you know.

While figuring up this statistic, I thought of some others, such as are my summer shoes less steep than my winter shoes? That's my unscientific impression. Statistically, that impression is not based upon fact. Or is it? Although my sandal steepness figure nearly matches the overall figure, because my sample is so small, I have about 4 pairs of steep but short (i.e., 4 1/2" heel with no platform) sandals which skew the statistics. That leads me to wonder what I tend to wear every day on average. Unfortunately, I don't have the proper data to tell you. My impression is that my heels have gotten somewhat steeper for every day than they were several years ago.

It has been long overdue for me to do a shoe inventory, and today I did a fairly complete one, even adding a measurement that I had not kept track of before--heel diameter in addition to height. Strangely enough, my total number of shoes has not gone up by that much, but as I've mentioned elsewhere, I've had quite a few catastrophic failures in the last year, most of them sandals. As a result of this, plus the purchase of several close-toed clogs recently, my sandal percentage has actually gone down since the last inventory, which was evidently in May of 2017.

So here are the hard numbers:

Total number of shoes: 56 pairs (counting only heels, and not counting my 2 pairs of wedge sneakers).

Sandals: 28 (50.0%). Mules, both open- and close-toed: 31 (55.4%). Boots: 8 (14.3%). Lace-ups (Oxford and Derby types): 5 (9.0%). Wedges: 8 (14.3%). Stilettos: 22 (39.3%).

Furthermore, I broke it down into heel height categories. Up to and including 4 inches: 4 (7.2%). 4 1/8 - 4 1/2": 7 (12.5%). 4 5/8 - 5": 25 (44.6%). Over 5": 20 (35.7%).

I was curious as to how my style was changing, so I compared what I have now to what I had a couple of years ago, and discovered there really wasn't a heck of a lot of difference EXCEPT for a continuing increase in heel height in general, and an increasing tendency to go for skinnier heels than I had in the past. Unbelievably, I have never had an outright heel failure, despite this trend toward thinner heels. I've had a few heels come loose, but they were easily fixable. OK, except for that one time that my heel tip popped off, and I didn't notice it until I had ground a good 1/2 inch off the heel, walking on concrete. But that wasn't the fault of the heel itself. Skinniest heels I own: 5/16" diameter stilettos. Clunkiest heels I own: 1  1/4" by 1  1/4" block heels.

One last statistic: Number of shoes with a height difference of less than 4" between heel and platform, if applicable: 16 (28.6%). Shoes with a height difference between 3 3/4 and 4 1/4": 31 (55.4%). Oh, and one more thrown in for fun: Number of pairs of shoes I won't wear in public because I really can't walk in them: 2. On a bad day 3. None of them are sandals OR mules.

I like this style in general, but to me the platform is about twice as thick as it should be for the heel height, making the shoes appear very clunky. If that's the look you're going for, that's fine, but the thickness of the platform really makes the shoes unsuitable for anything dressy or formal. 

I've never had a problem walking in a set-back heel like that, which is the opposite experience of many on this forum, but I will offer one caveat: You must be VERY careful walking down stairs in such shoes. Make sure you pick up your feet that little bit extra, lest you catch your heel on the edge of a step and wind up in a crumpled, broken heap at the bottom of the staircase! Hasn't happened to me yet, but I've come uncomfortably close a couple of times, always in shoes with a set-back heel. 

12 hours ago, SF said:

Mlroseplant..... How you??  Thanks for the pics and your thoughts.  Your first high heel in public venture was only 5 1/2 years ago in 2012?  You may have mentioned this before, but did you become fond of gals shoes and heels in 2012, or had you been an "at home, in private" heeler before that??  I assume the latter?  

I have been attracted to gals shoes since I was a teen, and made the "jump" to heels in 1996 with no regrets at all.  Always have worn in public.  I assume like you, if I am gonna spend the $$$ on nice shoes, might as well enjoy them.  I still have my first pair of heeled sandals that I keep for sentimental reasons too!!  

Out here in CA the climate is a bit mild so sandals can be worn almost year round, but like you I do have a few pair of clogs for those cooler days.  I like clogs but my preference is sandals.  

I like your sandal/clog collection, but your heels are to high for me, I keep my heels to less than 3 inches , I am already too tall!!  

Have fun......   sf

 

Thanks for your comments, SF. I will not pretend that I didn't have heels before 2012 that I wore in private, but I really didn't do it too much. My attraction to heels began long before puberty, but I didn't really seriously consider wearing them myself until I was in my 40s. 

Funny you should mention it, I just posted in my own thread/blog a picture of some shoes I will probably never get rid of for sentimental reasons. They were my first pair of truly high (more than 4") heels I bought and wore publicly. I suppose I could wear them as beaters for doing work on cars or construction or something, but I've gotten to the point where I've quit doing that, opting for more practical tennis shoes or work boots for such projects. Still, I'll probably keep them, and my children will have to dispose of them when I'm gone. 

2 hours ago, Heelster said:

Where did you find those???

 

Dude - - where are you finding these clogs??? I've been looking for some like this !!

I found them in the same place I get 99% of my shoes: On eBay. Although I have no problem walking into a shoe store and trying on shoes, I just prefer to get things from eBay. The first reason is price--I can get shoes slightly used for a fraction of the price, and that's ok with me. The second reason is that there is no season to be missed as @Cali alluded to. All of my clogs are non-current models, and are most probably several years old, as I am having that problem with the inner liner deteriorating. 

I have certain searches that I do almost on a daily basis, and sometimes I get lucky and find something really nice like these clogs. I would estimate that I have a 75-80% success rate with eBay, the great disadvantage being that you can't try stuff on. So 20-25% of the time, I wind up rejecting new purchases for one reason or another. It's kind of a game with me. The Sam Edelman clogs fit me so well, and the BCBG clogs are fantastic, too. Sometimes you get lucky!

It looks as though it's going to be a good winter season. I have not one, not two, but five pairs of clogs that I'm very happy with this winter. I have to ruminate about clogs now, because clogs are where I came from in my heeling journey, and it feels like I've come full circle.

I mark two events every year in my heeling experience. The first happened sometime in May of 2012, which is when I wore my first pair of obviously not regular men's shoes in public, and the second occurred right before Thanksgiving of 2012, which is when I got my first pair of proper "high" heels (meaning 4 inches/10cm or more). There was a time when I thought I was over clogs, but they have come back into my life this year in a big way. I have worn nothing but clogs outside the house for several weeks now, since the temperature has dropped. This new crop of clogs is high heeled enough to where I may be able to avoid boots until we get more than 2 or 3 inches of snow!

The first picture shows my five pairs of clogs, along with a number of sandals which I already miss from summer. If I lived in a warm climate, I would wear sandals 99% of the time. Clogs seem like a good compromise for the reality of winter here in the Midwest U.S.A. The second and third pictures are a memorial to my first pair of real high heeled clogs, which are Sbicca Huttons, and are now pretty much beat to death. I really only keep them for sentimental reasons.

Perhaps it's just an illusion, but it looks as though you have lost weight in the last year! In any case, your "costume" seems like it could be an actual, serious outfit.

Mr. X, your heels are higher, and your blouse is shorter than Taylor Swift's. Good job! Maybe I can now forgive her for adopting and promoting the ridiculousness of high-waisted shorts. I think that trend is largely over, thank goodness! One question though, if I may. with a blouse that short and leggings, how do you deal with modesty issues in the groin area, or do you just not care? That's sort of what prevents me from trying this sort of look.

I own several Michael Kors shoes, and I don't know the model name of any of them. It seems he (they) only put the model name on the box and nowhere on the shoe. If you buy used like me, you'll never know. As an aside, I'm not particularly thrilled with the durability of Kors shoes in general. I've had more of those things break on me than any other brand, and in different ways. I liked the style of several models from several years ago (not paying attention lately), but I am just frustrated when they break in ways that can't be fixed.

WELL! That's always just a very pleasant experience! I've had it happen to me a couple of times with young kids, but in both cases, the parents had nothing to do with it. The worst is with large groups of teenaged boys, though I think times are changing, and I haven't had to endure actual heckling for several years.

The latest incident wasn't really harassment in the true sense, but rather, I think, disbelief on the part of a young kid who happened to see me.  It happened at church a couple of years ago. I was picking up my then 7 year old son from Sunday school, and I heard some little girl say something loudly about a guy "wearing girl's shoes." I guess the girl was about 4 or 5 years old. After she said it several times (to her parents), and I had to pass her on the way back upstairs, I felt compelled to stop and talk to her. I don't really remember exactly what was said, but I do remember questioning her about why she thought my shoes were girl's shoes, and why I shouldn't wear them. Of course she couldn't tell me anything better than "just because," and by this time her parents were obviously mortified that their daughter had caused a bit of a commotion, and told her that I could wear whatever I wanted as long as I felt comfortable about it. As I left her, I told her to go home and think about what I had said, and to have a great day, honey. It wasn't an unpleasant exchange (though somewhat awkward), and I tried to be as kind as I could.

My latest acquisition is yet another pair of clogs (surprise, surprise). In the back of my mind, I think I'm going to avoid wearing boots this winter. This delusion will last exactly until the first deep snow. These are BCBGeneration, model name unknown. They have 5 inch heels with 1 inch platforms. They were incredibly comfortable right out of the box, and there WAS a box, as these have never been worn, but are not factory fresh. See my comments about that in my thread elsewhere on this forum.

To be filed under "Things That Do Not Happen To My Peers." Multiple shoe failures this summer! I lost several pairs of sandals this summer, for one reason or another. In some cases, the strap(s) broke, in another case, the molded unit bottom platform just cracked in half (just as @Jkrenzer promised me it would), and in another case, the steel shank of the sandal just gave way, causing the heel to wobble about sloppily, and making the sandals unwearable. I guess it all comes of wearing shoes which are not really designed to be worn. Or at least they're not really designed to be walked in.

Another problem I have run into lately is buying "New Old Stock" shoes. In other words, shoes that have never been worn, but might have been manufactured several years ago. The shoes I often like tend to have been in style in the early 2010s, and there are still quite a number of those floating around out there, some that are New In Box. However, as it turns out, I've had a problem on several occasions with the skin of a man-made lining peeling off all over my feet, even though the shoes have never been worn. Shoes in my usual price range may have leather uppers, but they often have a man-made sock lining, and whatever they're made of disintegrates and peels off after several years of exposure to air. Not a huge deal, but it's messy and irritating. See photo below for one example of a "brand new" pair of shoes that are disintegrating from Day One.

I haven't done much ruminating lately, so I thought I would check in. I haven't had anything exciting to say since we visited Chicago back in August, but I will say that I have slipped a little bit as of late in my high-heeled conditioning. It is definitely true that when wearing the really high stuff, continuing training is necessary. I wore one of my favorite pairs of loafer-pumps last Sunday, which are on the steep side for me, (5 1/2" heel with 1" platform), and my feet were pretty tired after a couple of hours. Previously, these were good for all day without much trouble. The difference is that I have quit walking much in heels the way I used to. This is particularly troubling since only two months ago I managed a whole weekend in Chicago with a lot of walking, and finished strong with no issues. I still wear heels every day, but I don't actually walk any distance every day like I used to. Time to step up and regain my endurance!

My wife knows about HHP, but she hasn't the least bit of interest or curiosity about it. In fact, I'll bet she could not name this website. 

4 hours ago, Cali said:

I think you missed the point here, I not talking about fashion cycles. The type of shoes that are available cycles, you have fall shoes, winter shoes, spring shoes, summer shoes. New boots and booties come in the the fall.  What's available in May-June-July-August are mostly the left overs. 

Whoops! Perhaps you misread. I wasn't responding to you at all, but rather to p1ng74's open-ended question. But I don't disagree with your point, and I try to exploit this cycle as best I can, buying sandals in the fall and buying boots in the spring. It doesn't always work out as I'd planned, but how many time in life do things work out the same as we've planned?

I picked up a couple new pairs recently, and they are both a departure for me in that they both have significantly higher platforms than I would normally wear. I think I was sucked in by the price and the sheer heel height.

First up is a pair of Sam Edelman clogs in black, model "Flair." Colder weather is upon us in the Northern Hemisphere, and I'm always looking for the perfect pair of clogs to wear during the winter season. I didn't go horribly wrong here, though I wish the platform weren't quite so thick, it's disguised enough that it doesn't offend my eye. They have 5 1/2" heels, and 1 3/8" platforms, giving me just the right amount of lift at this point in my heeling journey. I have worn these out a couple of times, and I can't tell you whether I love them or not yet. I got my normal size of 8 1/2, and they were a little bit on the big side. The addition of some ball-of-foot pads made them fit just right. The pads are not really necessary for comfort, as there seems to be plenty of padding, but they do make the clogs fit me much better. They are pretty easy to walk in, but not the most stable platforms I have ever known in my life. Luckily, I have strong ankles, so this doesn't discourage me.

Next up is a pair of Stella McCartney platform open toed mules, model name unknown. Frankly, I have no idea why I bought these. They are not really my style, and they are so chunky and funky for my small frame, I'm not sure what they would look good with. Furthermore, I did not realize they are not leather, despite being a high-priced designer brand (more about that in a minute). Like the Edelmans, they also have 5 1/2" heels, but with an even thicker, totally exposed platform of 1 1/2". I will give them one thing: They are ridiculously easy to walk in. We will see what happens next summer. Maybe I'll warm up to them. As a footnote, I paid about 50 USD for these sandals, used, not perfect, but in very good condition, just a few minor scuffs. As is usual when one makes purchases online, I got more ads and auctions for the same thing, and one of these auctions wanted 300 bucks for these! What?!?

9 hours ago, p1ng74 said:

LOL this is my first WEEK in women’s shoes.  The learning is already really fun, so this can be a fun year.  

I have a question for you all regarding the cycling of styles.  From a business perspective the fast cycles help sell more shoes, but do people keep close enough track of the various styles from year to year to the extent that your heels from last year would be recognized as being out of style?  What do you all do with your heels from 2015?  Do they go to the back of the closet because your heels from this year will be recognized by others as being the latest, fancy model, like a new car?  At some point do older styles become vintage, and then more desireable again because of their relative rarity?

And yes I won’t settle for painful footwear. Many people make the same mistake with cowboy boots too.  Most people I meet tell me they would wear their cowboy boots more often if they weren’t so uncomfortable.  In contrast, I am often sad to have to take them off before going to bed because of how comfortable they still are at the end of the day.  I think most people don’t take the time and money to size their boots correctly.  They are a lot less forgiving of size nuances than lace up sneakers.  Same applies to heels.  

I will respond to your last paragraph first, and I agree with you and Cali. There is just no sense in wearing shoes that are so uncomfortable that it's your main thought the whole time you're wearing them. However, I've learned over the years that there's a difference between pain and PAIN. There are a number of shoes I got rid of too hastily because I thought they were painful, when in fact I now know that I just needed to work up to them. Wearing truly high heels is an athletic activity, and a person can't expect to be able to wear very high heels all day long from the outset without a lot of training. Maybe other people have had different experiences, but I know I wouldn't be able to wear higher heels for a long period of time if I hadn't walked a lot in lower heels for a period of years. There is a big difference between your feet or calves feeling fatigued because you're not used to working them that much versus toes going numb and feet bleeding. I think we can all agree that we're not going to put up with blisters and bleeding feet for the sake of fashion, and it's just not necessary.

And now to respond to your second paragraph. In my experience, unless you buy super-trendy, funky shoes, it won't matter a bit that they're a year or three old. Classic styles will always be fashionable, and unless it's something that is just super radical, even stuff that is not the latest trend will still look good for years to come. For example, a couple of years ago, sandals with a closed, block heel and a single thin strap across the toes were all the rage. Although they might not be the latest thing, they still look just fine, and there is no reason to throw them away, or relegate them to the back of the closet. Also, what may be the latest style might not look good on you personally. I would just buy what you like, and not worry about fashion cycles.

On 10/3/2018 at 6:38 PM, p1ng74 said:

You’re right, it is interesting how showing skin on your feet seems to draws more attention to your shoes, especially when the overall outfit is covering most of everything else.  What is amazing to me is about pump heels is that instead of making your feet look casual and naked, they actually look very dressed up.  With a man’s typical outfit, flat loafers with no socks would be glaringly casual regardless of what else you are wearing.  But with pumps, the toes are neatly covered, the shoe is fitted to the foot’s curves, and the feet are elegantly elevated above the dirt and dust of the floor.

I had never really thought about this before, but you're absolutely right. I would never be caught dead wearing men's shoes without socks in anything but the most casual situations, but somehow the cut and shape of a pump makes the look far less casual, even without socks or hosiery.

"Cisgender women are encouraged to wear heels—if rom-com cliches are to be believed, the average girl basically lives in patent black stilettos. The same cannot be said for male-presenting humans.

Even in New York, a city where you can openly sob on the subway and be left alone, people will openly gawk over a man in heels. They’ll catcall. They’ll sneer. They’ll snap not-so-covert photos. “It’s really hard to have to choose expression over privacy or safety,” Han admitted."

Really? New York must be a lot rougher place than Chicago. In Chicago, I had a few stares during my several day visit, and possibly a few pictures snapped (though I don't know that for sure), but no one was rude to me in the least. It was pretty awesome, I got to wear heels all day long for 3 days! That doesn't happen often.

Otherwise, it was actually a nice article, though I do agree with sf that they kind of left out us cisgender men. But I'm not too fussed about it.

Luckily, all of this is irrelevant to me personally, as I am happily married and not looking to be THAT sort of attractive. However, I must've drawn the short straw in the evolutionary gene pool, as my legs are shorter than average. However, they are nicely shaped, at least.