trickrider1

Very relevant thread for me as well, my wife of many years went from someone I trusted and cared for to someone who turned completely malicious towards me. I've never worn any "true" heels in public, but do own a few pairs that have been worn in private. She was unsatisfied with the intimate side of things for years and when my kids started thinking my shoes were interesting and cool that was all she needed to try to use that against me. She tried to accuse me of truly criminal level things which was all false and collaborated with her mother who has a long history of mental illness. My wife is probably "off" as well because she has shunned many of her long time friends, etc. and people who have no idea anything is going on say she has become very "weird". But here again part of the issue has been her major hangup with the small feminine side of me. The worst part over the past months has been her literally holding me hostage by refusing to let me be with my kids unless "supervised" even though it was never court ordered, etc. We're finally getting into the divorce process and mylawyer will fight it to the state supreme court on discrimination grounds if I'm denied rightful access to my kids just because I own some shoes that don't quite fall into the conventional category or not perceived to be "masculine" enough to be a viable father. However, she is starting to realize how much this all costs and is showing interest in mediation and getting past it all. Nonetheless the intolerance is very disheartening.

I'm a Jeffrey Campbell fan too and have had several different pairs. Overall, I've been pleased with the look and feel of them. I'd like to get a pair of Mulder boots next.

Hello,  I understand.  Like most of us here, this "interest" started at a young age.  Try as we might, it really is part of how we are "wired" and although we're unique, there is nothing wrong about it.  We have different tastes in favorite styles, but the common thread is that we like "altitude enhancing" footwear that has generally come from the women's department.   I am in the middle of a terrible family ordeal that was largely caused by my shoe interests and a huge surge of fear and jealousy on behalf of my wife of many years.  She has known about my interest in shoes and has been the recipient of plenty of shoes as gifts over the years.  However, she has never actually understood where it all fits into my personality and that lack of understanding has now caused a very painful situation.  However, whatever the outcome and whether I'm able to stay married or not,  I have learned that being open about this is the best plan.  Some women may be completely turned off and it's best to leave them alone.  Others who understand a more true loving relationship will at least accept it and some truly think it's special and unique. 

Guess I botched that one, sorry for my reaction and the terminology I used, I just felt for the guy posting his pics.

Love your collection and want to add similar ones to my own.

I love that style and do own some "Ellie blade shoes" from about six or seven years ago.  I can walk in them rather well, but do have unusual balance from gymnastics training so I might not be quite "normal" lol.  However, I think these disappeared from the market due to structural strength issues as even the slightest side step can bend the sole unit which I did with mine.  Nonetheless, I love the look and style and wish some shoe company would re-introduce them and do their engineering homework to make them durable.

The very thought that "intolerance" is being shown here is sad and very ironic. Good grief I would have thought that this forum if any would embrace and encourage another man out there who enjoys wearing footwear that doesn't fall into the typical boring realm of male footwear.  I don't even own a pair of platform flip flops and have a fair collection of "real" heels, but come on, let's be supportive here.  Maybe I'm just too accepting, supportive and open minded to contribute to this forum.  I rarely "speak my mind" but this warrants it.

Solestripper,  you've done a great job with the toe polish and making your feet look great.  Carry on and enjoy your favorite styles. 

I like them and I think you look good in them..  The whole idea here is ACCEPTANCE of guys wearing shoes that aren't the ordinary which means any kind of criticism is not needed.

I'll post new pics of mine soon.  My Rachel's are the mostly white leather model, but I like them all.

Love those red shoes fiddler.  I'm wanting some too.

I wear mine more all the time as they feel so good.  I now have four pairs,  my original Skechers Plus 3's, Puma Sky Hi's,  L.A.M.B.  five inchers, and a very cool pair of Rachel Zoe Geri's that I got a few weeks ago.   I have worn the Skechers a lot this summer with shorts and aside from a couple compliments including a teenage boy, there has been nothing negative.  I do notice that people, usually women, will glance at them but I've not sensed any disapproving looks as they simply aren't radical looking shoes and they look very trim and make my somewhat small feet look even smaller. 

The Rachel Zoe's are nothing short of awesome and they are a really nice heel height at about 4". They also have a nice tall "boot" with lots of support and it is amazing how comfortable and easy to walk in that they are.  I haven't worn them with shorts, but they are awesome with jeans and the "bump" on these is less noticeable than the Skechers.   As for the Puma's, they are totally stealthy and probably the least "feminine" of the bunch.   The LAMB's are way cool, but they are definitely high and the main problem I have with them is finding the right jeans that go over them but don't go under them as the footprint on those is very small.... about  8" toe to heel length. I have mostly worn those around home, but largely because of not having a pair of jeans yet that work perfectly with them.

Consequently, I got my LAMB's and Rachel Zoe's at deep discounts, right around $125, not the usual nearly $300.

Oh yeah,  cute feet, cute toes, high heels.... love it!   Here's my take on the old saying just a bit modified....   faster horses, older whiskey, younger women, and the higher the heels (both on "her and me", the better).

Obviously, no pair of shoes would make up for an unpleasant personality, etc., but we're just talking that initial "catch the eye" reaction here...lol.

I'm in south central KS, near Wichita a few times per year.  What are your tastes in shoes, etc.?

OK, I've often thought about this question.  Although I'm not in the dating scene, I must admit I form a lot of my first impression of women I see by their choice in footwear.  To some extent this forms an impression of guys too, especially if he might show signs of having more than the typical, horribly boring tastes.  Anyway, I honestly think if I was "looking", I could definitely be influenced to some extent by the shoes a woman wears.   Anyone else pondered this?

I have a seven year old daughter who really likes my shoes.  Albeit I'm more into chunky heels, clogs, etc. so they are a not quite the classic women's high heel look of stilletos even though I do like that style too.  She often just says, they might be "girl" shoes, but dad looks good in them.  Of course we will see what her opinion is in about eight or nine years, but she's pretty open minded and will hopefully stay that way.

I got my L.A.M.B. sneakers and they are so cool.  First off, they fit, albeit snug, but they fit and feel awesome as they don't come make them any larger than women's 10.  Secondly, they are so fun to walk in and they honestly measure 5" at the back of the heel which is easy to see since my model has mesh sides.  Anyway, I posted some pics on my profile.  I expect to wear these out because with jeans, they are very discrete in spite of such a high wedge.

A couple shots of mine, more in my gallery.

I'm loving the whole wedge sneaker thing.  I've added a pair of Puma Sky Hi's and they are very comfy, with a 3" wedge,  I also just order some L.A.M.B. wedges that were half price and they sport a 4.5" heel which I'm anxious to try..  It does seem though that there are very few models out there above the 3" level.  Fortunately I'm small enough size to fit most available styles, just want more height.

Looks really sharp.  Well done.

Tongue, nipples, naval.  Tongue is definite favorite, had it done about ten years ago.  Even though I usually don't wear anything, it has not closed and I can use it whenever I want.  No tattoos though.

mtnsofheels, I really like those, are those Mori boots?

Stability is definitely a plus with the chunkier heels.  After all the heart wrenching issues of dealing with my wife's broken ankle and subsequent complications, I'm all the more aware of stability while still having the fun of getting more "altitude" from some of my footwear.  I like the hefty feel too, but that's just me.

Just bought some Jeffrey Campbell "Fusion" platform cowboy boots, should arrive soon.... 5.5" heel, 1.5" platform, very funky.  I'll post pics when they arrive, similar to my JC "Franz" boots.

I know way, way, way too much about ankle troubles after my wife had a severe compound fracture in 2012.  It has been an incredibly hard journey, five surgeries already and a long way to go yet before maybe she can wear something with a heel again if ever, right now we'll be happy to attain normal walking.  Her initial injury repair was done wrong and that caused almost immediate arthritis.  We have worked hard to pursue the most cutting edge treatments that give hope of restoring the ankle to relatively normal function and maybe at least enough flexibility and stability to wear some heeled boots again, although probably never more than 3" It is true that a messed up ankle can result in extremely limited shoe choices and that is not something any of us here want to be faced with..  Anyway, with that, I will say the ankle is a very complex joint and it doesn't take a dramatic injury to mess it up.  Take good care of it, ration the heel wearing or give it a complete break for awhile and don't put off getting it checked if symptoms don't subside. 

Sounds interesting, although I figure if I can stand up on the saddle of a running horse, no heel is too high for me to walk in just fine...lol.