mlroseplant

9 hours ago, chesterx said:

Yes they are in a size 12W. I have never been "fitted", so I dont know my official size, but I seem to fall between 12/13, which is why I can fit into a 12W, although I have a couple of shoes that are a bit tight, but this brand fits well in 12W.

Today started off with getting my car inspected. I knew the guy that owned the station so I wore sneakers, then switched to my latest Nordstrom Rack find, a pair of Calvin Klein stilettos. I was a bit shocked when I measured the heel to be 4 1/2" as they didn't seem that tall in store. Cant beat nappa leather though, as it molded itself to my foot, a fantastic fit for a heel this high. Next stop was an afternoon showing of "Midway" at a new AMC theater that opened near me. Walked by several people along the sidewalk & in the lobby with some notices, but no issues at all. Afterwards I stopped for dinner at an Italian restaurant. Again, no issues at all. Was treated like anyone else by the staff. So there I was eating dinner in a crowded restaurant, wearing 4 1/2" pumps, when it dawned on me, I had achieved what I had wanted for so long. To wear beautiful shoes in public like it was no big thing, without the fear & anxiety I used to have when I started months ago. Not sure what is next in this adventure, but I'm sure I will be wearing heels when I do it!

Some thoughts here. First, congratulations on going on a full outing, in stiletto pumps no less! I wore heels lots of places for a couple of years before I felt like I could wear stilettos.

Second, as far as not wearing heels when you know you're going to meet certain people, I still sometimes think about this after doing this 7 years. For example, I have worn heels to the union hall, but only once, and not to a general meeting. I've decided that I don't want to expend the mental energy.

Third, about your surprise that 4 1/2" heels don't seem that tall. That could be because of the design of the shoe. Some tall heels are just easier to walk in than other. However, it's probably mostly due to the fact that you're a size 12 or 13. Put that same 4 1/2" heel on a size 6, and they would be absolutely insanely high for daily use.

I like that little touch of embroidery, too, on the jeans.

Eh, it's actually a beautiful fall day for a change. I'm experimenting with wearing sandals a little bit longer into the season. Girls do it all winter long, why can't I? Plus, I wanted to wear the new sandals before the snow flies. Now? It's time for a costume change before the "traditional" service. Any rock star worth their salt has to have a costume change between sets! =)))))

Aaaaaaand.  .  . Presto change-o!

8 minutes ago, Cali said:

How did the sandals go over with the choir?

Nobody said anything. I wouldn't really expect them to. 

This morning, I sung in the choir at the "contemporary" service. If we sing at this service, we usually don't wear choir robes. Also, I feel more comfortable wearing more casual clothing during this service, so today I experimented with something I like to call "grayscale." I wanted to wear my new gray sandals, so I found matching gray pants, a white sweater with gray accents worn over a gray t-shirt. I'm not sure about this look, but it's a look, I guess. I didn't have a lot of time to futz with it a whole lot. Why do I always seem to be in a hurry?

21 hours ago, Heelster said:

Both eBay purchases ??

I kinda like the gray ones. Would love to find something like that at a retail establishment - - - not likely near me.

Yes, both ebay. I should have stated that in my post. See my thread for additional updates. I buy the vast majority of my shoes on ebay or Poshmark. It's not that I'm nervous about going to a retail establishment, it's that I just don't really like making a special trip to go shopping if I don't have to, and I'm a normal women's size 8 1/2 or 9, so I can get away with buying online 80% of the time.

9 hours ago, Pumped said:

Just bought these the other day,

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N43XKDS/ref=twister_B07SMTV3B6?th=1&psc=1

 

Rather like those. Not really my thing, but I can appreciate them.

On 11/19/2019 at 3:06 PM, RonC said:

Not really a boot, but not a shoe either.  I guess these would be called a "shootie"?  I purchased these about a week ago.  $20 on the sale rack at Shoe Carnival.  When I them on in the store I thought they would be quite comfortable.  However, when I have worn them out and about, they start to hurt, especially my right foot, after about 15 minutes.  My right foot is about a half size larger than my left, but I was kind of surprised at this based on how they felt in the store.  They are Vintage 7 Eight brand, but there is no style name noted.  The heel is 3.75 inches, which is a very nice height for me, and they are quite stable to walk in.

To me, those are clearly shoes, as they are cut well below the ankle. The only reason they might be kind of boot-ish is that they come up much higher on the foot compared to most women's shoes. If you looked at it from the perspective of men's shoes (think of any men's dress shoe), they are clearly shoes. I dig 'em, by the way.

As I posted in the "new shoes" section, I got new shoes for the first time in six months. Nothing I completely love, but I think I like both pairs. I have taken the DVF clogs for a one mile spin, and can report that they are most probably full-time wearing/walking shoes. In my experience, you don't really know until you've gone a full 2 miles, but there are no signs of any faults after one mile. I have yet to wear the Michael Antonio Studio mules outside, so I can't comment on those yet. They are flawless and comfortable, but are obviously very cheaply made, despite being actual leather uppers, and I don't have high expectations about their durability. I will repost a couple of pictures, but won't recap everything in detail.

The first full day I had the new shoes, I had the opportunity to wear them somewhere, but I didn't instead. I had to go to a committee meeting at our church, and I thought about wearing the new olive green clogs, but instead I chose my Guess oxfords instead, which I always say I should wear more often, but they are just funky enough that I don't wear them very much. They're not dressy, and they aren't casual. At any rate, I chose to wear them on that particular night, and to most people they are impressive because they're visually quite high, at 5 1/4 inches, and have patent leather heels and platforms. With a 1 inch platform, that still makes 4 1/4 inches of difference, but they don't feel it. I wore them with skinny jeans and a lightweight, high-collared sweater which covered up the work t-shirt that I had underneath.

During the meeting, one of the women there commented that she didn't understand how I could wear such heels. I replied that life is too short to be wearing flats. She retorted, "Absolutely not! Life is too short for heels! I'd fall right over in those!" Later on, I made a particular show of vacuuming the floor in heels (our activity that night, preparing candles for Christmas Eve, made quite a mess). "What, you don't do this at home?" This lady and I have a jovial, but somewhat adversarial relationship. And the fact is, she does very occasionally wear 2 inch heels, especially boots. Nothing you might probably break your neck in. Additionally, I suppose I should add that this woman is 65 years old.

I guess the point is that not all of my received comments are "Oh, I just love your shoes!" But neither are they, "Well, that's just wrong for a man to be wearing heels." I suppose this might put me on equal footing (pun intended) with a woman who wore crazy high heels all the time. I suppose such a woman might get similar comments of disbelief.

7 hours ago, chesterx said:

Today was a milestone of sorts. The office was going to be shorthanded as several people were taking today as a vacation, so I decided to wear my most conservative pair of heels to work. A pair of brown oxford style pumps I got from Payless (also one of my best fitting shoes). I hedged my bet somewhat by wearing bootcut jeans that partially covered my heels. No incidents to speak of over 8 hours, so that's a win. Stopped off to celebrate with a nice dinner, but not before changing into these Jessica Simpson stilettos. Plan to do some more shoe shopping over the holiday week...later..

I guess I started off much the same way with my first public showing right in amongst people I knew. I wore a similar height and shape of heel, and the same style boot cut jeans, so I guess it's a good place to start.

I don't know you all that well yet, so I hesitate to say anything, and I don't mean to sound harsh, but what's up with those socks? They kind of clash with the rest of the whole vibe of the shoes, both in color and in style. If it were me, I think I'd choose a brownish-tone trouser sock, or at least a thin dress sock to wear with such conservative, formal shoes. Obviously, the pumps look just fine without socks!

14 hours ago, SF said:

That's really neat.  My wife would be jealous / not approving.  Does your spouse know???  Have fun....   sf

14 hours ago, KneeBooted said:

Yep I told her. My wife actually suggested that I give the pair I had to my coworker since she is more likely to wear them than I am

I have a similar situation with a female friend (not a coworker). We are not the same size, but our shoe adventures have caused much friction with the wife, to the point that our families have quit seeing each other altogether. Hopefully your wife is actually not jealous, instead of merely claiming to be not jealous, like my wife.

For the first time in six months, I actually got some new shoes. It was long overdue. I'm done buying more brass instruments and vintage lawn mowers for a while, and I got some overtime at work, so I decided to update the collection a little.

First pair that caught my eye a long time ago was the Diane Von Furstenburg DVF (I assume the initials denote that it's the cheap line) clogs in a sort of gentle olive green. Model name unknown. That's a new color for me, but it is still very neutral, so I would say it will go with just about anything. The ebay seller has been trying to unload these things for several months, and the price came down from something like $60 to $23, so I decided to buy. Heel height is right at 5 inches with about an 1 1/8" platform. They seem comfortable, but I haven't really worn them, so we'll see. At least they fit.

Second pair is something called Michael Antonio Studio, model name Tedrick. They are a medium gray color, also a first for me, at least in leather. I have some gray fabric shoes, but nothing in a leather sandal. I gave a whole 8 dollars for these, plus shipping. The exact heel height on the mules is somewhat difficult to determine due to the design, but is definitely somewhat in excess of 5 1/2", possibly 5 5/8", but maybe not quite that high. Platform is 1 1/2", which is a little thick for my taste, but is not ridiculous looking. Probably because a lot of that height comes from the deeply lugged soles, which is kind of like a mini logging boot sole, and a good portion of the platform is covered by the attachment points of the sandal straps. If it were 1 1/2" of solid wood, I think it would look way too clunky, but it looks all right. These fit me very well, have a soft cloth lining, and I really wanted to take them out for a short spin last night, despite having pulled a 13 hour day at work, but it was pouring down rain, so I didn't instead.

Edit: The photos keep displaying in a random sort of manner, but you'll figure it out.

16 hours ago, Pierre1961 said:

Hello 

if you happen to really hate these Oxford and they are W12 I could buy them. Oxford are my favorite shoes. Round toe box,very high but still decent heel. Perfect for me. 

Pierre

Hello 

if you happen to really hate these Oxford and they are W12 I could buy them. Oxford are my favorite shoes. Round toe box,very high but still decent heel. Perfect for me. 

Pierre

I don't really hate these shoes, but I also don't love them. I assume you wear U.S. Women's size 12 by your comment? Unfortunately, these are U.S. Women's size 9. If they fit you, I would just give them to you, because I know you love oxfords of all stripes.

9 hours ago, Mr. X said:

Nice shoes! You don't often see oxfords with that high of a heel.

No, you don't--outside of the Pleaser-type realm. These are the highest oxfords I've ever run across that don't look sort of fetish-y. If I were willing to accept wearing a 3 inch block heel, I would have endless choices of oxfords.

8 hours ago, p1ng74 said:

A coworker of mine that lives in Minneapolis calls this "responsible fashion".  

I guess that's the one area where I must be practical. I would go to Disney World in ridiculous heels, but I wouldn't be cold doing it. I guess I'd make a terrible Korean chick. In Korea, there doesn't seem to be any such thing as a skirt that's too short, and they seem to wear them all winter long! Even with tights, I couldn't do it.

A short update--my "special" project at work is not yet finished, but some of it has been postponed. I am glad to be home at a normal hour these days, but on the other hand, I wish they would hurry up and get it over with. It is somewhat frustrating to tell the family, "I won't be available to do much of anything but eat and sleep on such-and-such days," only to discover I'll have to make that sacrifice at a later, unspecified date. The overtime money is certainly appreciated this close to the holidays.

I haven't bought any new shoes for nearly six months, so I'm trying to make sure I'm wearing the more neglected members of my collection in addition to my favorites. I have had these Bakers Reissa oxfords for several years, but have never worn them in public. I have taken them for a couple half mile spins around the neighborhood early in the morning/late at night, but the fact is, I can't walk in them properly. There's basically a 5 inch difference between heel and toe, and my graceful limit is about 4 1/2". I can walk in them functionally, but it's not pretty to look at, and I can't go around looking like that. So I'm trying to expand the top of my height range, and I've started wearing them around the house, despite the fact that I absolutely hate wearing fully enclosed shoes at home. OK, I hate wearing fully enclosed shoes anywhere, but especially in my own house. Nevertheless, if I'm going to keep these shoes, I'll need to learn to walk in them, and that's not ever going to happen if I don't wear them.

The other problem with these shoes is that they have a very short, rounded toe. I'm not a big fan a-them witch toed shoes, but I wish these shoes had a slightly longer, more pointy toes. The reason is that at this height/steepness, there is not much horizontal real estate being taken up, and you have to wear the slimmest, skinniest pants with them. Otherwise, with any flare or fullness at all to your pants, it looks like you have no feet, or that your toes have been chopped off.

As an aside, I have bought some new leggings. I have yet to try wearing leggings out by themselves, but I use them both for my yoga practice in the winter, and for long underwear underneath basically everything all winter long. I admit to being cold-blooded, and that extra layer on my legs makes a huge difference to my comfort. My trusty three pairs of Hanes leggings are all looking raggedy and terrible, so I ordered two new pairs in a cropped length. I chose the cropped length because I have very short legs, and I was somewhat frustrated by the leggings sticking out the bottom of my skinny jeans when wearing no socks, an unattractive look in my estimation. So I took a chance on these Jockey cotton cropped leggings, size small. It was a good gamble. They fit perfectly. I wish they were a little tighter around the ankles, but I'm not going to fuss about it. I think they are actually supposed to hit you mid-calf, but as you can see, they hit me a little lower, which is exactly what I wanted. I can now wear clogs with skinny jeans and wear these underneath, and nobody is the wiser. I can still use the three old pairs for work, because who cares? I have to go to wool longjohns if it gets really, really cold. That's when fashion goes completely out the window, when I want to come home with all the fingers and toes that I had in the first place.

Congratulations on your recent purchases! They all look great, and I'm sure you'll get a lot of use out of them. I really like the thinner heels, at least for myself. In my fantasy land, I would wear nothing but super thin stiletto heels. In the real world, these slightly thicker, higher-than-almost everybody-else, but lower-than-fetish heel height is so practical and comfortable.

Hi folks, I'm still on a bit of a hiatus, but I thought I would allow myself to pop in and see what was REALLY going on. I also feel compelled to share a story very quickly before I go off to another 12 hour day at work.

It snowed yesterday early morning. It was our first substantial snow of the season--not a lot of inches, but enough to require snow removal, and enough to cause accidents on the highway. So I got this text from my wife saying that we had bought my 10 year old all these new clothes and shoes, but had forgotten about snow boots. he evidently couldn't even get his foot into the ones we bought him last year. He said, "no problem, Mama, I'll just wear your boots for today until we can get some new ones for me." Evidently, he actually wore these things to school. Although I came home very late last night, you'd-a-think if something really awful happened, I'd-a-heard about it.

These are not particularly exciting, but I'm thinking in my day, if a boy wore those to school, it would have been social suicide. If I hear anything more, I'll let you know.

Guys (and the occasional gal), I think I'm going to have to take a break from HHP for a while. I've got a special project coming up at work soon which will consume most of my waking hours. It's not like I'm swearing it off like a bad habit, I'll still be around, but I cannot allow myself to spend this time here every day as I have in the recent past. I shall miss you all for a little while. It's not all bad, I could really use some overtime before the holiday season. I shall miss my family as well. Luckily, it's for a finite amount of time.

19 hours ago, Cali said:

I love the "retro chunky heel look". I have several heels in this style...these looks like my Freebird Cantis. I wear mine without socks and pants with thinner legs.

See, I'm just the opposite. I just cannot abide that style. In fact, I bought a pair of sandals last year that were in that same genre, and I just don't like the way they look on me. If you wore size 8 1/2, I'd just mail them to you. I think you'd totally dig them.

13 hours ago, pebblesf said:

Perhaps, but not likely, I'm betting the word it out.  On the other hand, I'm trying to remember if the person who discovered him was his secretary.  If so, she may indeed to a trusted/loyal coworker who would never say a word...  Hopefully hh_pe will let us know

This brings to mind a situation a couple of years back when I wore heels to an "extracirricular" activity (meaning we were at a bar) with my coworkers at the time. Only one coworker commented, and the boss made no comment at the time, or ever. I heard that people were talking about me the next Monday, but it seemed to be rather limited and never came to anything. Hopefully, this will be the case here.

On 11/1/2019 at 12:46 AM, p1ng74 said:

In short, I feel like platforms, when done in a way that looks good on men, are rock star shoes.  The rest of the look would have to support that rock star aesthetic and personality.  The role that the Kiss platforms play in our high heeled adventures is somewhat tangential, but the original spirit of them does not work against us I think.  Many of us do have heels in a more appropriate style, and use them as a string of continuity in our overall style, rather than shouting for attention towards them...

I guess my thoughts on that are, yeah, you're right, but yeah, huge flatforms like that just look terrible on the harsh daylight of the street, off of the stage.

17 hours ago, Cali said:

Shorts shorts and knee high boots might be an exception. But shorts and heels of any type might also be an exception.

I do not think that short shorts necessarily exist to show off your shoes alone. I have figured out that wearing shorter shorts with high sandals makes my legs seem like they're actually long and nice looking. That's a calculation that goes beyond just the shoes themselves. Boots and shorts? You may be right, because a high boot will cut your legs right in half, eliminating any elongating effect of the shorts. I would never wear such a combination for that reason alone. If a person already has naturally long legs, he might get by with it and look OK.

3 hours ago, kneehighs said:

And yet another pro men in heels article from US Vogue.  Again written by Christian Allaire.  He does a great job keeping up to date on which male celebs are wearing heels.

https://www.vogue.com/vogueworld/article/marc-jacobs-hiking-shoes-rick-owens-heels

Oh yeah, THOSE are cute!

8 hours ago, Cali said:

Working out my Halloween costume, back view. Detail time.

What shoes go with the outfit? Tall boots or high heel calf high or ankle high booties? 

Nylons or no nylons? (BTW my legs are waxed.)

I found this fuchsia jacket, it fits great, now how do I work this into my every day rotation. Who says men's fashion has to be boring

 

Yeah, it looks great just the way it is. Not to be a jackwagon, but what is the "costume?" Looks like normal clothes to me.

12 hours ago, fashionablefun said:

Here's a photo of my own outfit, inspired by @kneehighs photo. I not only went shopping for a new TV in it, but later I went to the mall and, shopped around. Had lunch in the food court, which at the time was full of high school kids. As with looking for TV's, there was no comment on my attire at either location. I believe if you look good and have confidence, it all looks pretty logical. (BTW, the photo is recent, but the shopping was before Labor Day). 

 

Very nice outfit, but you're going to have to do some serious surgery to those shorts. They look seriously stretched out along the inseam. HA!

In other news, it has snowed here overnight, and the temperature has dropped well below freezing. It's too early for this. Time to dig out the longjohns.

18 hours ago, kneehighs said:

20 or 30 miles in what time frame? 

Oh, nothing all that impressive--a few months maybe? I was just expressing my frustration at how many MK failures I've had.

As a short guy with short legs, I have to be very careful with ankle boots. They tend to cut off my line and make me appear even shorter. I prefer ankle boots which are not quite at tall as the ones pictured in the original post, bordering on being shoes. Of course, if they're under boot cut pants, it doesn't much matter the exact height of the shaft.

Michael Kors makes some pretty nice looking stuff, and I'm always tempted, but I won't be buying any more MK shoes. I've had quite a number in the past, and at least in my personal experience, their durability is subpar. I've had more MK stuff break on me than I care to remember. Maybe the boots are better, but the sandals have been terrible for me--straps breaking, heels coming loose, shanks bending--and I'm known for being pretty easy on shoes. I do wear them and I do walk in them, though. If a fellow didn't walk 20 or 30 miles in them, they might be ok.