freestyle75

Hi shafted,

thanks for you opinion, very much appreciated. First of all: I am glad that you didn't tell me that it's totally wrong, something like "with your body type this really doesn't fit"

About the turtleneck: Oh well... I do have a box with about 10 or 12 scarves, but I seldomly wear them. I might give them a try if it's a tad warmer here. I really like turtlenecks, I've got the same type of sweater in 4 other colors (off-white, petrol, black and brown).

It may be your appearance of confidence. You have to look like you belong in that outfit. That is really what you have to do to wear any alternative fashion.

That might be it. I am normally quite confident, but the first couple with that guy taking a picture might have been a little too much for me. After that (and yes, you are right there), my confidence basically was non-existent.

Well.. at least I am better prepared for such a situation next time.

Okay... here you go (just made this photo for you, Shafted!):

So... what do you think?

To be honest, I have to wonder what you really looked like. That's just seems like too much negativity all at once.

No hard feelings, but next time I will take a photo of myself before making a posting here. Just imagine all the things I already posted I was wearing + an average looking male human head on top of it with a 2 week old 6mm haircut. No, I wasn't dressing up as an alien or something

Oh well... sometimes I want to quit freestyle fashion altogether

I went grocery shopping yesterday, wearing the following items:

Yes, it's all women's clothing, but nothing over the top.

I just had received the jacket from an online store this week, it was the first time I was wearing it. I had originally bought it for my navy-colored kilt, as the blue colors match nicely and the jacket is shorter than all other jackets I own so the kilt doesn't get hidden by a (too) long jacket. It doesn't have any typical "women's" seams at the front, so I considered it to be ok.

The turtle neck is not recognizable as a women's one, the jeans have a wide leg throughout, which I have never found so far in the men's department (I love them!). Heels are from Acne boots, bought during a shopping spree in London. All in all, an outfit that I liked and thought that it would match well together.

First, when I walk into the market, a couple in their 30s starts laughing at me, while following me through the market. I am not sure, but I think the guy took a photo with his iPhone. After he got his picture, they went a different way. Yes, I could have confronted them, but at that time I just thought to let it go.

While kneeing down to get some Joghurt, four young men and a girl in the early 20s point at me and start laughing, shouting some things in Russian language (although I am living in Germany), so other people turn around as well. I felt like running a gauntlet from that time on.

At that point, I just wanted to get out. I quickly finished my grocery shopping. I forgot to buy a couple of things I needed, because I felt scatterbrained as I was so upset. After these two events, it also felt like everyone was watching me, which probably wasn't the case. Not a very positive experience.

I had some negative experiences before, but not condensed in such a short time frame. I have worn the pants before with the heels, no problem. So I wonder whether the jacket is too feminine, although I like it very much. I am currently trying to figure out whether it put me "over the top" so to say, and made me a laughing stock...

I don't have anyone to talk about this, so I just wanted to put it here where people are more understanding.

Today's outfit (sorry for cutting off my head, but I don't want my picture to reappear somewhere on the net):

Cropped jacket: Marc O'Polo

Turtleneck sweater: Darling Harbour

Kilt: Burberry

Boots: Marc by Marc Jacobs

When I look at the picture, I guess I will have to clean the tiles of my balcony and paint the wall again once the winter is over...

@Heelster: Ok, inspired by your post I thought about a way how I could bring it up again, telling her of a colleague that was to afraid to ask her directly... (silly story, but it worked). In the end, it was a skirt by H&M - a site which I had searched, but I hadn't searched the "sale" section (picture here). I went to H&M right after work and got the skirt in my size

Have you ever had the case that you saw a girl at the office and liked her skirt so much that you wanted to buy the same one? It's probably also caused by the fact that I do have a serious crush on her, but she has already got a boyfriend. Today a colleague of mine walked in with a tweed (herringbone pattern) mini/mid-length skirt, petrol/cyan / black color. Gosh.. I like this skirt. I didn't ask her what brand it was, but I've never seen it before on her, so I think it's a new one. I've searched the 47 online shops that could carry such a style, but didn't find it. Bummer. Too bad I can't ask her what brand it is, that would make finding it much easier... but which guy would ask a girl about the brand of her skirt... :-(

Hey Matt,

just use http://www.myus.com/ - you can sign up for free and will get a shipping address within the United States.

You can then receive packages from sellers who won't ship internationally. MyUS will combine all your shipments into one single box to save shipping costs and ship it to Switzerland. The shipping costs aren't cheap, but if you really, really want to have something shipped, that's your solution.

If you have an American Express credit card, you might even be able to save on the shipping costs, as they do have a special deal with Amex, see http://www.myus.com/en/amexinternational/

I've shipped with them once and was very satisfied, although you should get some info on how much the boots weight before getting them shipped with MyUS, as the shipping is expensive. Still, I would always recommend them.

Alternatively, you can always become a movie star - Nicole Kidman probably didn't pay anything for her pair

A LOT of a pricetag on most footwear is the name. The same applies for tools, cars and all sorts of other consumer items.

As with any consumer good, there are certain economic principles that apply to it.

Normally, the law of demand states that the higher the price, the lower the quantity that gets sold:

There is also the assumption that the higher the price, the higher the quality. I can only say: It depends.

I got wedges from Jil Sander at a sales price of around 700 USD, and my cobbler was totally blown away by the amazing quality of craftmanship and the quality of leather. He said that these boots are worth much more than what I paid for.

On the other hand, I got heels at prices around 200 USD that were of similar quality as 600 USD heels. Price does not always equal quality.

But a very low price often equals low quality in terms of materials: If heels are glued, not sewed, if it is made from "man made upper / synthetics" and not leather, it is a no-go-item in my opinion.

Michael Kors and Guess both produce their shoes in China and while I like the design, the quality is (in my opinion) only so-so.

Same applies for a skirt (actually a kilt) that I bought from Burberry Prorsum. I do sew items myself, so I looked how well made it was. I saw seamlines that weren't straight, finishes (inside) that did not look as neatly finished as I would have expected from Burberry. Made in China. Ok... maybe a little China bashing here, but these brands actually charge a very high premium on goods produced at a very low price. Here, the so called Veblen effect might come into play:

With a Veblen good, the regular price curve also applies, but above a certain threshold (snob value), with higher price the quantity sold rises again. Many luxury goods follow the Veblen principle.

Some brands are seriously overpriced in my opinion. Louboutin: Really nice quality, but are boots really worth over 1,000 USD a pair? Maybe not.

The only point that I see in buying heels > 500 USD per pair is if the pair has a certain uniqueness to it. In the end, copies of some iconic brand items will appear 12-15 months later in stores like H&M and Zara, at a fraction of the price, in a lower quality. It really depends whether one is wearing heels for a short time because there is a certain trend (e.g. wedges) - in that case, buying designers might not be very smart. On the other hand, if I like a certain item, I am willing to wear it even if it is no longer "in", so I can also buy a higher quality.

... but you are aware that you are already on the 0.00001 % of the WAF curve?

I think I'll wait a little while and let ...

Wrong, wrong, wrong. *shaking my head in disbelief*

You are sooooo lucky and still want to push her. Be content with what you have, 99% of men that want to wear heels in their relationship don't have this possibility.

@Shafted: I don't know whether anything happened after the appeal, but the last information I got was that Louboutin won the case in the 2nd US Court of Appeals in New York. Business Week states:

The U.S. Appeals Court in Manhattan ruled today that Louboutin’s red sole is entitled to limited trademark protection, extending only to a red lacquered outer sole that contrasts with the color of the rest of the shoe and not to shoes that are monochromatically red.

Full article here.

I wonder why Buffalo Boots in Germany are still producing their red soled boots with that court ruling in place. But I guess Louboutin worries less about "copies" in that price range compared to what YSL tried.

Yippee! I got my boots today...

The heels are higher than expected (probably because of them being size US 10.5 / 41) - nearly 5 inches on both boots.

Although they are by the same manufacturer (Ballin), the suede ones fit more snugly than the black ones, and are also a bit more difficult to walk in, perhaps because the bootleg isn't cut as high and therefore doesn't provide as much support. Don't know.

What I like: I don't have to bring them to my cobbler to get a rubber (Vibram) sole installed: Ballin has put a rubber insert in the middle of the sole to prevent slipping. Very well done.

Walking: Ok, I still have to learn to walk gracefully in 5 inch stiletto heels. Right now, I think I am walking a bit clumsy, at least I am noticing that I am not walking as natural as in the other boots I own. I guess I will need more practice...

Also... I just had gotten back some trousers from the alteration service to get them hemmed for my Costume National boots. The fit perfectly for those boots, but are a little too short for the new boots. Probably have to get new trousers at one point for these boots.

All in all a good buy at the price that I paid; the original retail price would have been a bit too high in my opinion. Definitely two keepers :-)

Yes, I know. Well *sigh* ... I've read about the red soles of Louboutins. The red is gone quite quickly, and after that, it's just a leather sole. Slippery, some patches of red still visible... the best way to keep the resale value up is not to walk in them. There are also other ways to try to protect the sole, e.g. adhesives that are placed onto it, but this won't prevent the slippiness. Quite honestly, I've never resold a used pair of shoes, and whatever pair I buy, I wear. The only shoes I've sold again (always brand-new condition) so far were those that didn't fit and that I couldn't return for some reason. As I don't like to walk on slippery leather soles, I get > 80% of my new footwear resoled at my cobbler. For me, it counts that the shoe is well made and that I can enjoy it. It seems more people are thinking along that way, otherwise the site where I got these protective soles from would be out of business (they specialize on that kind of protective soles). Nonetheless, for those that sort of collect shoes more than they use them, your note is completely true. If you know any way of protecting the red sole without actually destroying parts of it, let me know! (it would be applied for the next pair of Louboutins ...)

Only counting those with a heel > 2 inches, black where otherwise stated.

There are three that I haven't worn so far (#5, #6, #22). #5 just looks ugly (I shouldn't have bought it), #6 is so high that I cannot walk in them, but they look just awesome, #22 are a bit too small an hurt when walking. I will probably sell #22.

I wear 21 out of the 35 (not counting those that haven't arrived yet) on a (more or less) regular basis, although I must admit that I sometimes look at a shoe box standing in my wardrobe and wonder what's inside. Then I discover "oh, that's this boot/shoe/whatever, I should wear it again some time".

I guess everyone has a place near the entrance where he keeps those shoes that are worn most often. Same with me. So it boils down to around 8 pairs of shoes that I wear day-in, day-out, about 2-3 of them with heels. At the moment, my favorite ones are Marc Jacobs knee-high equestrian boots, which are off the chart because they don't have much of a heel.

Not so far from heeling. A colleague from the UK called me a "fashionista", a term I hadn't known before at that time (it is not that common in Germany). I like "bootsy johnson" the most - due to the closeness to the fashion designer's name, it almost has a positive connotation to it !

I haven't gone shopping so far with any of my male friends (I am wondering why that never happened... don't know)... anyway... a girl at work looked at my dress shoes with brogue detail and said that she really likes men's shoes, especially those with brogues. She even admitted that she has some pairs of men's shoes that she wears (she is quite tall, probably wears a US size 11). And yes... even the women's coats ARE nicer. So much variety...

Marc Jacobs. Wears skirts, heels and dresses. I like that he is so fashion forward oriented.

Hmm... I did a google picture search on "stripper shoe" and looked at the result. Platforms are not a necessity, but they are present very often.

In my definition, a stripper shoe has to fulfill the following conditions:

- the one who wears them is a stripper

- it must have a heel of at least 5 inches, doesn't have to be a stiletto, can also be chunky

- can be a sandal, pump or boot

- often in patent leather, some synthetic material or transparent (e.g. transparent heel)

- often with a platform that is very high, such as 3" or 4"

- often produced by "Pleasers" - they seem to have a market dominating status

- quite frankly, also often not very high quality - synthetic materials, made in China

... or put differently: If you imagine an average girl of above-average beauty going to a location where she could dress up, even with higher heels, and the shoe you are wearing is something she would never consider outside the bedroom, it is probably a stripper shoe.

Hi,

I recently bought Louboutin boots that I wanted to get a protective sole for. I found that saveyoursole.co.uk is offering Vibram protective soles that should match the red color of Louboutin's soles. Does it really match the color? Let's see.

These are the boots...

... ordered from a trustworthy German retailer. Original Louboutins...

The Vibram soles are close, but do not match the color completely. The Vibram soles are a bit darker than Louboutins color:

They are still better than black protective soles in my opinion. Nonetheless, I wanted to find out what color Louboutin uses. I went to the local DIY store and asked them for a RAL-color chart.

Although not visible that well in the picture, RAL color 3001 ("signal red") is the best color match.

I've emailed Vibram and sent them these pics, asking them whether they will change the color of their red sole production line to create an even closer match to Louboutin's creations. With some luck, we will soon have perfectly matching Vibram soles to protect Louboutin's red sole.

I am thinking about recreating (old entries are lost of course, but we could start from scratch) this blog... what do you think of this name? The name "high heels passion" was already taken, even in different ways of spelling / putting it together.

http://heelsformen.tumblr.com/

I am new to blogging, new to tumblr, so... everything can still be changed. Any suggestions?

Designer: L’Wren Scott, see here

Type: ‘Lady’ lattice shoes

Source

Hi,

just for information: The left (retired) pair looks like a pair of Church's (no pun intended), the specific type being the Church's "Consul", see here. The "Consul" in box calf black is one of their most iconic pieces. One of my favorite men's shoe brands btw, they really make good shoes, based in Northampton, UK. Here's a picture that I took of mine when I got them:

You might want to compare the stitching. If the stitching is the same in your pair, you know what to buy if you want another pair. And please... if you get another pair... use shoetrees. Your shoes will thank you by not not getting creases easily.

Regarding the replacement: I like the overall shoe style, the high shine leather, the binding, and the type of toe (not too pointed). I am not a big fan of the sole (too thin, look at your previous pair, they have a thicker sole), and the heel (cone shaped). Nonetheless, I think these would stil be a "thumbs up" for church.

I've got a similar pair that I did make a drawing of, went to my cobbler and got them custom made to my measurements:

I styled them with the men's shoes in mind, trying to achieve a more masculine look with the toe cap, thicker sole and block heel. Then again, I think your shoes are a bit more stylish for church than these, especially as your do have a polished leather, which is what I would wear if I went to church.

In a nutshell: retire your old pair, go for the new ones! And use shoe-trees!

Oh... and just one addition: If you are wearing a suit, make sure that the pants are long enough. Otherwise it would look silly, even with the best heels!

It's hard to explain, but I'd guess, relaxing? I don't know. I just feel better. I think it has to do with coming out from hiding.

I guess the answer is quite simple and very obvious. Whether it's heels, skirts, or anything else that you are not "supposed" to wear, when you first do, there is a feeling of doing something wrong. You want to do something that is not accepted by society, at least you think so.

When first going out in heels, you are very self-aware (at least I was) - you look around whether people ("they") notice, and whether you are getting the negative feedback you expect to get for doing something so utterly and completely "wrong".

Then you find out: Nobody cares (to some extent unfortunately so, because most people nowadays don't care about anything - we are living in a somewhat "anonymous" society). Hardly anybody notices. The world doesn't stop spinning. It's just a simple piece of clothing. That's when you are getting more relaxed. You can step out, wear what you like, and that's a positive feeling. It's liberating.

Thanks for all of your answers!

Tough decision.

Normally, if I see a pair of shoes that I like, I just buy them. I understand that there are some on this forum that are "closet" heel dressers, wearing their footwear only at home. Not so with me, I am wearing all of my footwear to whereever I go, except for work. Due to wooden floors, I even try to avoid wearing heels at home in order not to leave any marks

Although I cannot say that it is "daily" (which would mean Monday-Friday, which is when I work), I wear nothing but heels / boots during my spare time. I wouldn't say that the money is wasted on something I never wear.

Still... all of you are right when you say that this is a lot of cash for a single pair of boots. I always prefer quality over quantity, so most of the shoes I own do come with a certain price tag. Yet, I agree to everyone who said that this is a quite expensive boot.

I searched for a similar pair across many sites... shopstyle, polyvore, zappos, zalando, saks, macys, selfridges, harrods, luisaviaroma, etc., probably having looked at thousands of boots -- yes, there are sites that sell similar styles, but either not in this quality (I try to avoid "men made upper" or "synthetic upper" as the boot doesn't breathe), or in a style (regarding the left one) that has a much higher platform and looks a bit more like the red light disctrict.

@ilikekicks: I've seen the movie "kinky boots"... well... what should I say. The left one might have some resemblence, but I've never seen a drag queen or a stripper with a pair of boots that had brogue detail on it (ok... I've not seen many strippers/drag queens anyway in my life yet). Besides, although the boots might look like patent leather, it is not a patent leather boot. The leather is just a high shine leather, similar to some men's shoes I own. In my opinion, the left ones closely match the style of men's brogue shoes, with a heel and platform.

I do think they are still "ok" also, although I agree that they are probably the most outlandish style I've ever considered.

I debated with myself where I am going to wear them (mostly clubs or going out), at which time of year (boots = fall/winter/early spring => bad weather), and which style I liked more in the end.

Since I started this thread, I checked back on the boots every single day, checked whether they are going on sale, and whether my size would still be available. At some point in time, they will be going on sale, probably at 30% off. Again, I asked myself what I would do if they were sold before I could get them. That's the last pair I've been able to hunt down. In the end, 30% off vs. probably not being able to get them at all is something I concluded was not worth the wait.

I didn't know which one to pick, but luvnheels idea to flip a coin was the right one. I flipped a coin, and out came the right one. I immediately felt bad about not getting the left one.

So... I just ordered the left one. Fingers crossed that they fit. If not, I can always return them.

----

Update: 4 hours later, and the boutique has reduced the price to 50% off...

I've just canceled my order and reordered the boots... both of them... ... isn't that cool? two for the price of one...