mlroseplant

On 3/29/2020 at 5:08 PM, Puffer said:

In one sense your work with moving the mirror reflects well on you - but, on the other hand ...     

Did you get any reaction to your footwear at the supermarket?

Nope. I rarely get any discernible reaction anymore wearing such a tame outfit these days. I guess the only way I could make it any tamer would be to wear wedges!

As far as the actual photographs go, I don't like taking any of them. Perhaps it shows. Now that I look at the last one, it's goofy as hell. I am trying to show off the heels, but it's awkward. I don't actually stand like that in real life.

17 hours ago, hiddenheels said:

That's a nice casual look! I also would be curious about reactions...

I live in a small community. I think after all these years, people just know me, even if they don't "know" me.

18 minutes ago, p1ng74 said:

You don’t play organ in your stilettos?  I’m disappointed :p. 

I love this piece, and the organ playing is fantastic.  It’s a transcription of Vivaldi’s Concerto for 4 violins, which I had the pleasure of playing in high school.  

I play a little organ, and men’s shoes are simply too big and clunky for organ playing, even in size 9.  What shoes do you wear?  I haven’t gotten around to getting organ shoes yet so I’m playing with no shoes.  Organ shoes have a bit of a heel to make heel and toe technique easier, and also have felted bottoms to not scratch the pedal board.  For that reason we would never allow stilettos on our organ lol.  That said, it appears this organist is playing with toe only technique, which I understand is appropriate for the baroque style here.  I also play toe only, but that is due to me being a beginner and I haven’t learned toe heel yet lol.  

No, I don't play in stilettos. I tried that once, and it made my bad playing even worse! My keyboard skills are not that great, but I started on the organ at the age of 50 because there was a need for it. I also started off playing barefoot, but I bought some organ shoes after a couple of months of practice, and it was like I gained six months' worth of skill pretty much instantly. The thin felt bottoms allow you to "feel" where you're at (well, if you're any good, haha), but allow you to play the interval of a third in a legato style. The hollow spot just forward of the heel is barely big enough to clear a white key.

My organ shoes are TicTacToe brand, as I did not care for the styles that Organmaster offers. I wound up buying the female oxford, which not only fits my narrow foot better, but I actually don't mind the look that much. I managed to find a video, and took a screen shot, which just happened to show the shoes I came in on sitting on the floor beneath the organ bench. I know this wasn't done on purpose, because obviously, I did not shoot my own video. I think my wife actually shot this video, which explains why it starts 2 seconds too late and ends before I am actually done.

I have to play exactly once a year (by that I mean I have to cover an entire service) because our organist is so reliable that she never misses. Ever. Except that she goes to visit her mother in Korea once a year, and is gone for one Sunday. So I pretty much have a whole year to prepare. It about takes me that long! Only I don't have to play this year because COVID-19 put the kibosh not only on her travel plans, but also on church services in general.

The more time I spend at home, the more difficult it is to come up with anything to report. I did have to go to the supermarket yesterday, and though it was a blustery, gray day, by golly I was going to wear some sandals outside. I obviously did not dress up at all, sticking to the most basic formula of t-shirt and jeans, but I wore my new pair of BCBGirls "Bonny" sandals, which I bought to eventually replace my old pair, which has been pretty much beat to death. Now it's all coming back to me, how LONG it took to break in the original pair. This is one of those situations where I kept a pair of shoes which was not all that comfortable just because they were super cute and I couldn't bear to part with them. Eventually, somehow, they became not only wearable, but suitable for all day walking, as I proved a couple of summers ago during my trip to Chicago. Now we're back to Square One, and I had better get these slowly broken in before the old pair fails completely, as I'm sure it will one of these days. While the leather on the new pair is still incredibly stiff, I didn't get any blisters or weird marks on my feet even though I had to park far away from the entrance to the supermarket.

Also, I finally repositioned the mirror in my dining room as I had been promising my wife to do for about a year. Good news: It IS better for actual use in real life. Bad news: It is now much harder to take selfies with. I'm going to need to come up with something different. The quality of my selfies has gotten even worse than before. I didn't think that was possible!

I opened up You Tube the other day, and somewhere at the top of my feed was this video. Given the sorts of videos that I usually watch, I didn't really think anything of it. Bach's Concerto for four harpsichords, which, if memory serves, is a transcription of a Vivaldi piece or something like that. This arrangement was for pipe organ. So it's an arrangement of an arrangement. Hmmm, mildly interesting, I thought. I clicked on it. The video started to play. I was listening to it, not really paying close attention to the screen, and was enjoying the recording, when I thought I noticed something out the corner of my eye. Wait just a minute.  .  . Did I just see what I think I just saw? I backed up the video. No way! I did just see what I thought I saw. Check it out:

Yeah, the streets are pretty empty here too, especially first thing in the morning. I know I'm not among the commuters anymore! But I'm long past butterflies.

It's interesting that I sort of vaguely know who some of these girls are. I'm not a huge Instagram user, but I guess due to my viewing habits, there is a certain "genre" of pictures that appear when I do a general search, and I can remember this Brazil on Heels gal. Of course, I never message anyone, nor would I want to, but you have fun with that! I will be content to either enjoy or grimace at what people are willing to share publicly.

1 hour ago, ohnoberty said:

Very nice! they don't look that high from the angle of the photo, but it's obviously just an illusion, as is often the case.

 

Heh, heh, we've had this discussion before on JeffB's page. It may be that the angle of the photograph does have something to do with it, but by the time you get up to size 13, numerical heel heights can be deceptive. A 3 1/2" heel in my friend's size of 5 1/2 U.S. women's is a decent amount of steepness, not crazy, but definitely a "high" heel. The same 3 1/2" heel height in Jeff's size is practically a kitten heel! I think that's another part of what may be going on with this photo.

12 hours ago, KneeBooted said:

With all of this time off I think I may get a few items to try some different looks although I only have khakis and jeans for bottoms. I’ll try to post what I find and will welcome feedback

That's really all I have as well, so let us know if you find something that you really like. I did experiment some while the wife was away n VN, but the reaction was so negative when she got back that I haven't worn hardly any of it since, and now it's getting to where I won't have to worry about it until next winter anyway.

11 hours ago, Cali said:

The trouble is all you have now is on-line shopping. I like to touch and try things on first. However, I have been taken advantage of some of the special offers from Express, DSW, .....

Just remember to quarantine the packages (outside the house) for a few days after you have spray the outside. Then open them up.

Don't be afraid to try new looks things, you can always return things (except clearance items).  I went out to get something today and got compliments on my sherpa. Both women and men love AND want it themselves.  It was a new look for me. last fall, I took a gamble and bought it and it has turned out great. And faux leather pants were another gamble. One fits great, the other just alright. Unfortunately the one that is just alright was a clearance buy, no return.

I too, like to live.  .  . DANGEROUSLY. Remember the line from Austin Powers? Seriously though, since I order most of my stuff online, I am used to the gamble. I guess it's part of the fun. I have been sorely disappointed sometimes, but really thrilled sometimes as well. I have not kept accurate statistics, like @JeffB would do, but my rough estimate is that 75% of the stuff I buy online works well. Another 10% works OK or is marginal in some way, and the rest either has to be trashed, donated, or resold, depending upon the price range. It's not that I'm afraid to go into a retail store to try stuff on, it's just that I don't really want to. I guess you can say that other than church and work, "Shelter-in-place" is not really a huge lifestyle change for me!

I have just made a discovery within the last few minutes. Being as I'm stuck at home, like most of everybody else, I decided I'd better step up my game and at least walk around the house in some steeper heels than what I usually wear at home. So I got out my Steve Madden "Barbb" mules and gave them a spin after a winter of idleness. Now that I'm paying attention to such things, I found that they sound quite wonderful on my wooden floors, sounding crisp with little to no thumpiness.

13 hours ago, Heelster said:

Well - - Nice outfit - - - Not good for anyplace I can get too

VFW, American Legion, The Elks - - - - Yep - - Out in the stick !!

And now we are under lockdown - - - - The bar of George Thorogood.

 

Do you have to maintain a 6 ft. distance between you and both of Johnnie Walker's brothers?

It is interesting to note the similarities and differences between the current situation and the Spanish Flu pandemic. It does seem that the communities that instituted a fairly strict lockdown policy fared rather better than those which did not. And to think that back in those days, there was no way to cross an ocean without getting on a ship for a number of days or weeks!

2 hours ago, SF said:

Bars and Clubs???  ha ha ha.....   I quit going to bars and clubs 20 years ago..  I'm too old and (according to the wife, no fun anymore - smile)....   But, I still do proudly wear high heels when out to dinner, shopping, social events and otherwise having fun.  Except for the past two weeks, ugh.  Of course I'm making light.  Have fun in the bars and clubs, but NOT until we get past this wuhan virus mess.  Stay isolated, Stay safe....  sf  

A man after my own heart! The only time you'll ever find me in a bar is if we're working 8 hour days, and the lads and I stop after work for a quick one (and I mean ONE, we all have families and obligations) after work on Friday. Guess THAT won't be happening for a while. I cannot imagine wearing something that outlandish.  .  . ever. But then, I'm oldish.

19 hours ago, p1ng74 said:

There is always the option of layering.  I know it will be hot and layering seems counter intuitive but if the pieces are light it can be way more interesting than wearing a t-shirt.  Something like what I tried here, but with lighter summer pieces underneath:

I wouldn't rule out tank tops and crop tops.  The more progressive fashion outlets have some pretty cool sleeveless pieces now, like this

https://www.differio.com/sleeveless-denim-jumpsuit.html

And crop tops are trending for men:  

https://www.today.com/style/crop-tops-men-asos-selling-them-people-are-confused-t155200

 

 

 

I agree, it's a more interesting look than t-shirt and jeans, and it's probably more functional as well, from a sun exposure standpoint. Believe me, if I have to spend entire days out in the sun, either working construction or mowing lawns, my look is not too far off what you have modeled here, minus the heels and the apron, and plus a face mask or bandana and gloves. I even have a hat somewhat similar to that, although mine is much more clearly an "Amish style" hat.

However, I was simply lamenting the fact that women are allowed to show more skin in more venues without anybody thinking anything of it. Shirtless dudes aside (and outside of a beach or swimming pool, where have you ever seen a shirtless dude who looked classy?), women can get by with so much, either in a formal situation or a casual one. And they don't necessarily have to be super fit, either! It's helpful, but not necessary.

1 hour ago, pebblesf said:

I like both those styles pictured in the attachments, but couldn't pull off either of them....I still like Kneebooted's basic black oufit.   

See, I could pull off either of those styles with very little effort, I just don't want to. On the first link, it looks like the dude wants to f@#* somebody up real bad. I do not care to project that image. The second link shows items that are simply too extreme, especially the second image, the long sleeved crop top. Actually, it's not a crop top. It's a long-sleeved t-shirt that is missing the "shirt" part of it. Might as well just wear welding sleeves with no shirt, then you're back to looking low-class, only with weirdness. And there's no way I'd get my nipples pierced. I don't even like anybody touching my nipples, much less somebody putting holes in them. If I were going to wear crop tops all the time, I'd get my belly button pierced, because I like the look. Why should it be for girls only?

On the good side, if you hunt around the comments on the second link, there are some images to be found where I think I might be able to get away with wearing some crop tops. The image I posted is something I could possibly see me wearing, IF I were willing to do a LOT of shaving. Let's ignore the model's cargo pants, which are horrible, but otherwise this guy looks pretty normal like me, no wild, radical hair, no extreme tattoos, no badass pretensions, at least as he is presented in this ad.

In the end, I'll probably still go with @KneeBooted's t-shirt and jeans. Or shorts. As if shorts and high heels isn't radical enough.  That other stuff might be interesting for now and then, but probably not for every day.

14 hours ago, Gudulitooo said:

I am ashamed that our governments reacted that way.

They are hiding like rats.

There is no need to insult rats like that!

15 hours ago, KneeBooted said:

@mlroseplant I usually look for t-shirts at Old Navy because they routinely go on sale for $6/each. But I never buy women’s shirts from there because to buy a size to fit my chest area, the bottom of the shirt is too wide. I.E. they don’t make slim fit shirts.

https://www.target.com/p/women-39-s-slim-fit-short-sleeve-crewneck-fitted-t-shirt-a-new-day-8482-black-l/-/A-77863726

That is the link to the shirt I bought. Yes I get crew neck because to me the v-neck on most women’s shirts comes too low. 

I used to try and avoid the basic t-shirt look for warm weather, but lately I’ve been finding that I prefer short sleeves to long sleeves. If you have any suggestions for ideas to look at, I’ll glad welcome them!

Wow, that model is cute! I'd buy that shirt based upon her alone. I'm only about 80% kidding, I'm kind of stupid that way sometimes. It's hard to come up with anything interesting to wear in warm weather for us guys. There is plenty of stuff, but even I may not want to push the envelope that far. A V-neck t-shirt, like you say, is hard to pull off unless you shave or are naturally hairless. Anything scoop neck or boat neck has the same problem. We can't really do tank tops because it always winds up looking low class on a guy. There's a reason they call 'em "wife beaters." We can't do strapless anything, we can't wear crop tops. Maybe a tunic? Been thinking about it, but it will probably wind up looking odd. Beyond that, you're into sundresses and such, and that's a whole different ballpark. So yeah, we're back to your basic cotton t-shirt.

9 hours ago, RonC said:

I like the stability and comfort of commercial type carpet - no pad beneath - over a concrete floor.  Offers just a tad bit of padding for the ball of the foot while still being firm when stepping with the heel.  I don't mind concrete/asphalt, and most tile is ok as well.

I can surmise from your answer that the aural components of walking in heels is not part of your equation. I have to admit that as the years have passed and wearing heels has become ordinary, the exact sound of my heels or even the presence of sound has become far less important to me. There is a spot just off our town square where the buildings sit just right, and if you walk in that area when it's quiet, such as at night, the sound of your heels reverberates in a wildly impressive way for about half a block. If there's any traffic at all you don't really notice it unless you're paying attention.

The carpet in the sanctuary of our church is disconcerting to walk on. It must be a fairly durable wool-something, because the stuff was installed about the time I was born, and it's still serviceable but slightly raggedy, and I hate to walk on it in heels. I have never felt like I was going to fall over, but I've never felt really graceful either. It's very squishy.

16 hours ago, KneeBooted said:

Well we are dealing with Shelter in Place here in the Bay Area which means stay home unless you’re essential for work or have a darn good reason to go out.

Aside from that, I took a couple of days off so that we could work on potty training our son.

This extra time leads me to start shopping online...

So in an effort to find some more shirts, I went back to browsing the Target app and found some t-shirts that were Target’s in-house brand called A New Day. They were on sale for $5 so I figured what the heck.

As a trial though, I only ordered black. The fit seems a little tight but good. I think the next size up would’ve been a bad fit.

I put together with it my skinny jeans from American Eagle and Nine West knee high boots.

I don't think that t-shirt is too tight right now. After it's been through the wash a few times, it might possibly be. I would personally send that thing through the washer and dryer several times before ordering a boatload of t-shirts in that size.

I just looked at the Target website, and wow, there are so many choices as to fit, neck, &c. Which particular flavor is the t-shirt you are wearing? I notice right away that the sleeves are somewhat longer than what you often get with a woman's sized t-shirt. Crew neck, obviously. I am getting to the point where a lot of the t-shirts I bought several years ago (and I bought a ton of 'em in many colors) are getting raggedy enough that they've become work shirts. However, the t-shirts you can now get at Walmart, where I've gotten mine for the past several years, have gotten so incredibly low-quality and thin and not 100% cotton anymore. So I'm looking for another source.

At the same time, I'm trying to do something to get out of the jeans and t-shirt rut that I find myself in when the weather gets too warm to wear long sleeves. I just don't know what to do, t-shirts and jeans (or shorts) are so easy and unisex. I guess I could probably count days in the hundreds when I have been out dressed exactly as you are in this photo. Well, except for the boots. If it's warm enough to wear just a t-shirt.  .  . I don't even have to say it, do I? HA!

Concrete is definitely good for the sounds, but it's hell for wearing out heel tips. Any kind of tile is nice, too, but some heavily polished floors can be treacherous! I agree with you that wood, while certainly loud, yields an unsatisfying thumping noise. A lot of it depends upon the size of the room in which you are walking. I used to have to regularly go into a certain government building that had marble flooring, and the noise from walking on it plus all the reverberation bordered on obnoxious!

I do two exercises mainly, one involves the use of a golf ball. One of my projects from years past was built on an ex-golf course, so in the course of construction, we found 5 gallon bucketfuls of golf balls. Naturally, I have quite a few around still, and even if they were good enough to play with, I have more than I will ever use in a lifetime, unless I seriously take up the game in my eventual retirement.

At least twice a day, or whenever I have a minute, I sit in a chair, or wherever is handy, and first roll the golf ball underneath my feet slowly, from front to back, to massage the plantar fascia. Then I pick up the golf ball with my toes and hold it for several seconds, maybe longer if I'm in the mood. I found it impossible to do this at first, but slowly over time I was able to master it. Then I set the golf ball down and pick it up with the other foot. To make this exercise much harder, try to point your toes while holding the golf ball. Then I roll the golf ball on the bottom of my foot for a while. Repeat as desired. This has helped me enormously in my construction job as well as helping my endurance in heels. I used to suffer from a lot of foot pain in a way that I don't anymore.

The other exercise I like to do while I'm "doing nothing" is to sit and trace out the alphabet on the floor with my toes. This is much more tiring than it sounds, and is mainly for ankle strength.

The third thing I do, and it's more of a stretch than an exercise is as often as I can, when I have to go upstairs, where it is required that one remove his shoes at our house, is I will stretch out my calf with my bare foot flat on the floor while simultaneously curling the toes of the opposite foot underneath, almost like a ballet exercise. I've never quite mastered that walking on your curled-under toes thing, and at my age, I'm not even sure that's a great idea anyway, but I guess that's what one could work toward, while simultaneously making sure calves and achilles tendons don't get too tight from wearing heels often.

I hope this helps. Ha, this just reminded me of a coworker who must say at least once a day, "Hey, I'm not saying it's right, that's just what I do." I miss going to work already.

I find it somewhat heartening that the foot exercises I have devised for myself actually do some good. In the past year, I have become rather lazy about keeping up with them, and I have paid the price. When I wear my steepest heels, I find that if I wear them for more than a couple of hours, my left foot cramps up quite painfully, and the right doesn't feel that great. This doesn't happen right away when I'm actually wearing the shoes (thank goodness!), but maybe several hours after I take the super high heels off and happen to move my foot in a certain way. It's debilitating for several minutes.

I have been really good about doing the exercises at least twice a day for the past month, and guess what? I got by with wearing my House of Harlow oxfords for about six hours last Sunday, much of that time standing in one spot. No cramping. This is the first time I've actually worn them outside, and I questioned the wisdom of doing so, but I figured what the heck? They're pushing past the point of 4 1/2" difference between heel and toe, which is about my limit for actual real world use.

9 hours ago, chesterx said:

Seems to me people today are just lazy. Virtue signaling is the laziest form of social warrioring. Catch phrases make virtue signaling even lazier...

I also find it disheartening that many people seem to formulate or disseminate (or both) their political philosophies largely based on memes. The phrase "social distancing" doesn't bug me that much, I guess it's descriptive and completely neutral. There are some other catchphrases that do bug me, but I won't mention them on here, as we're not really allowed to discuss politics.

I have a few pair that I like to wear around the house, but lately it has been these nearly-beat-to-death BCBGirls Bonny open toed mules. My feeling about these mirrors Cali's feelings about his SMs in a couple of ways. Number one, they're very easy to slip on and off, which is kind of important at our house, as we insist on no shoes upstairs where the bedrooms are. Number two, I also like to wear them out a lot in the summertime, so I managed to find another pair brand new (they are a long discontinued model) a while ago. Fairly recently, I ran across yet another brand new pair for pretty cheap, so I bought them also. Now I have three pair!

On 3/17/2020 at 10:36 PM, vcooper said:

I was going to wear my Dr Martens high heel boots this morning but I knew I was going to buy a box of coke cans today (which luckily there is plenty of hehe) and carrying heavy object in heels can be quite the task at times. Has anybody else here noticed that? 

On 3/18/2020 at 8:17 AM, p1ng74 said:

Wearing heels definitely adds to the experience of carrying heavy objects.  I immediately noticed it on my first trip in 4.2” heels, lifting luggage.  I make a point of practicing and getting used to it.  I admit to never having this kind of appreciation for the effort of wearing heels before wearing them myself.  Suddenly, the chivalry of holding the door open or helping a lady with her luggage doesn’t seem quite so frivolous.  

I got re-acquainted with that feeling just this past Sunday, at our final church service for a while (we are of course closed until further notice like everybody else). I was asked to fill in on bass for the first two services, which have bands. The college student who usually plays with them was gone on spring break. I usually just bring my instrument (which for those of you who are interested is an early 90s Fender J-Bass Plus) and a plastic 5 gallon bucket to carry the necessary cords, music, accessories, &c. Lately, I have also been bringing my newly acquired cornet to play at the third service with the organ. So couple carrying three not really heavy, but awkward, things with my dubious decision to wear my House of Harlow oxfords, which are right up against the steepness limit of what I can walk in anyway, and you get a recipe for looking like a complete dork, which I did.

16 hours ago, RonC said:

Wow, I just checked to see when I joined and it was January 2002 - 18 years ago.  Hard to recall how I found the site, but likely a Google search for men wearing high heels brought me here.  I, like others have noted, found it reassuring that there were, in fact, others that shared my enjoyment of and desire to wear high heels.  What I do find puzzling is how many others have come and gone, even though they indicated they were heel lovers/wearers.  There is nowhere else on the web that I have found that deals specifically with this subject, so if one is a male heel wearer, I can't believe you wouldn't remain active here once you found the site.  With whom do these others share their passion and receive the feedback like we all get from this site.  Yes, there are many here that enjoy a segment of heel wearing that I personally do not gravitate toward, such as those that like extreme heel heights and thigh high boots, but we all are heel lovers and as such have something in common with experiences and information to share, which is what keeps me here!

I think there are a number of factors affecting why people have come and gone. Part of it has to do with the fact that we are pretty much strictly a shoe fashion site, and anything that goes too much beyond that is discouraged or flat-out not allowed. I think a lot of male heel enthusiasts have further interests as well, and we don't allow much of that here. Another part of the turnover has to do with what I will call "Big" personalities. I can remember some characters from the past who were extremely opinionated, not necessarily friendly or polite, and they were either banned or got upset and left the site for good. We still occasionally get guys who want to do nothing but show off pictures of their wives or girlfriends, they never last long. And then there are the small group of guys who have gained enough confidence to go out and wear heels as they wish, and perhaps find the site boring and repetitive.

I find enough interest here between talking about shoes, gender-bending fashion, the occasional off-topic conversation, and the opportunity to show other men that yes, you too can wear heels if you really want to that I keep coming back regularly.

17 hours ago, Cali said:

Then look for calf high boots, like the motorcycle boots from Carlos Santana.  It's either that or hope for a late in life growth spurt.

I'm not a big fan of calf-high boots, it's either all or nothing for me, I guess. It all comes of having short legs. I don't feel that calf-highs are very flattering on me, unless I wear them underneath pants, in which case what's the point?

13 hours ago, Bubba136 said:

You can always take a pair that you like and fit properly to a cobbler and have the shafts adjusted to your calfs.  Thighbootguy used to do this all of the time.

The thought had occurred to me, but since I wear boots like, half a dozen times a year, it probably wouldn't be worth it. I'd have to find just the right pair, and it most likely wouldn't be Jessica Simpsons.