Lime15

Well, mobile computing is the flavor of the month, perhaps the future of computing as a whole, so I'm not surprised the interface does have a tablet-like feel. Speaking of which, it took a wee bit of effort to get used to the new design, but I suppose I'll get used to it in time.

I tend to dislike any kind of inventory based website that dynamically populates the page as one scrolls down.  I would much rather have a fixed number of choices and be able to dictate how many I see at a time.  The interface though, I can get used to, that's fine and just how things go.  Selecting size 13 and then being tossed three dozen styles that haven't been available in size 13, online or in any local store, for half a year makes for annoying shopping.  If I wanted to be disappointed that a style I like isn't currently available in my size, then I'd shop in their stores exclusively.

So I am starting to dig the style of the platform and there is also something about the way you have to walk in them that I dig too. I do have to say that it is far easier to walk gracefully in non-platform heels though because platforms seem to want to snap right into a vertical position where as single sole pumps tend to rock. I think to walk really smoothly that the rocking action helps.

This pretty much sums up how I feel about platforms as well.  As with all my heels, and other shoes for that matter, I like what I like and that tends to throw any kind of supposed iron-clad preference I may have for a loop time and time again.

I agree the the inventory check actually works finally but navigation is a total pain now.  Not only has the site been redesigned to have a tablet interface be the lead navigation method, searching by size now gives you results that may have been available at one time but have been sold out for years - rather than showing you what's actually in stock.

Thanks bluejay!

Playing a little catch up.  I don't take pictures every day but lately I've been doing so again so I have a reference for different looks going forward.

Starting off we have a pair of black Fioni booties with a long black skirt, brown shirt and black tie.  Everything kind of blends in with this one but I was going for something more subdued and background than I usually do.

Next is a look that I thought came out great.  These are Christian Siriano black patent stilettos with just a bit of a hidden platform, black hosiery, black skirt, gray shirt and a blue tie.  I felt this look was really well put together and reflected my idea of a skirt and heels working as menswear.

Last is today, where I felt compelled to pull out the Torrid platforms used in my avatar.  Along with a green skirt, black skirt and teal tie - everything comes together in my mind better than it should.  Perhaps it's just the wash of color.

I completely agree with everything you said about Torrid. They used to be a guaranteed stop for a shoe fix but their styles have turned to crap. I have really wondered what happened in their organization that lead to this.

Also, it appears that Payless must have dropped the Brash line. Very bummed about that.

Best,

Larry

I think we spoke too soon about the Brash line as Payless just offered up a few new styles, one of which I purchased instantly.

Available in both cognac with gold hardware and black with silver hardware.  I went for the cognac as I think it pops a little more and regret not picking up heels from Payless in the past that were offered in that color.

Once they arrive I'll give a full rundown and full review and of course post the same over at Payless.

Perfect look in my opinion.

Awsome outfit Lime15! You have a great style

Thanks! With warmer days I suppose spring has finally made its way to me.  I decided it was time to break out the yellow pumps as it had been awhile, along with suntan hosiery, a black shirt, emerald green Torrid skirt, yellow tie and a wristwatch with green hues.

Is anyone else having any better luck with large sizes?  Sure seems like the retailers are scaling back again after a flurry of availability for a while there.

Nope and as you said, Nordstrom Rack is pretty much a non-stop for me now.  They used to have a decent selection of size 13 (and tons of 12 as you said) but after a recent remodel that was the end of it.  I can find MAYBE a single pair of 13's there.

Payless has always been way more miss than hit unless I want to travel 45 minutes or so up the Bay but selections are still pretty limited and I can almost always get a better deal buying online from them.

The local Torrid used to have 12w sizes that would fit me and I would often stop in to look at their older styles, which would not only be on clearance for like $20, but were more in line with the pin-up vibe their shoes had a few years ago.  The local store closed and relocated and with it so did most of the inventory they carried.  Most of their shoes are wide width but I've noticed this past year that a lot of their sizes are mediums and stop at 10.  The best is when they re-brand shoes from another manufacturer (usually slightly scaling down the quality a bit) and offer them all the way up to 13 or 13w.  Sometimes they retain the original branding but often they're simply relabeled as Torrid.  They did this years ago with TUK (was fortunate to find a pair of heeled creepers in 12w second-hand recently that was from that era) and Iron Fist and last year with a couple styles from Dolce by Mojo Moxie (bought both styles and love them).  The rainbow leopard platforms in my avatar are from Torrid that use the upper material originally featured on a pair of TUK pumps (that were Hot Topic exclusives - not surprising as Hot Topic and Torrid are the same company) but the style is that of a pair of Iron Fist platforms, however they are Torrid branded and were only sold by Torrid stores.  It's a strange incestuous world of shoe designs over at Torrid I tell you!  And of course 95% of Torrid shoe purchases (unless specifically branded as a different manufacturer) will come without a box - which irritates me as it's not like they ask $20 for their shoes and often they get beat up in warehousing and/or transit because they are not properly packed.  Lately they've also been sending 12w marked with a sticker as 13w and it seems this has happened to other people as well looking at some product reviews.  Hopefully they'll go back to the pin-up and classic style pumps they used to sell and dump the frumpy old lady shoes they've been selling for the past year or so.  I buy so much less stuff there these days as their offerings have become overpriced (always were a little to begin with) and ugly for the most part.  A shame as between my girlfriend and myself I've probably spent thousands with them over the years.

So with that I'm pretty much down to online purchases as I'll only drop into a Nordstrom Rack or Torrid if I happen to be in the vicinity of one and my hopes are pretty low going in.  No more making specific trips to look for shoes.

I really like both of those, mlroseplant.  Great purchases!

I was planning on wearing my TUK creeper heels today but ended up having to do some repairs on them that I didn't notice on their last wear.  Instead I opted for my Torrid re-branded Dolce by Mojo Moxie pinup spikes paired with my go-to Torrid black skirt, grey shirt and a skinny red plaid tie.  I wasn't sure about this one but I feel pretty put together with this look.  These are awesome shoes and I was hoping the Torrid re-branding (which expanded the line up to US13) of Mojo Moxie's styles would continue but it looks like outside of the two styles I purchased that was it.

Looking great!  

I wore black leggings a sleeveless black dress and white heeled booties I found at Payless several years ago but haven't worn.

Many times when I see someone wearing shoes that Payless sold years ago I wish they would go back to offering the variety they had in the past.  I would buy so many of those styles in a heartbeat.

Awesome, saudade!

I have not posted in this thread in a while, but I really think those are pretty cool and interesting outfits you are putting together lately Lime with the men's shirt, tie, skirt, tights/hose, and heels.  I have to admit I have not read through the last few pages of this thread in detail, but if I remember, you only wear this while working at home right? 

 

Have you ever gone out like that at all?  It would take a mighty leap of courage, but I would think you probably would do really well going out like that.  If you don't feel like you want to risk seeing anyone you know while dressed like that, maybe try doing it in a nearby city where your chances of seeing anyone you know are virtually nil. 

 

Just wondering, I think it would be fun 

 

The closest I have come to that look in public was a man's black polo type shirt, above the knee length black 'skorts' (hybrid skirt/shorts) and ~3" black gladiator strappy wedge sandals that don't really scream femininity.  Not exactly groundbreaking or as bold as your outfits, but was by far the boldest look I have ever done publicly.  It was fun as hell, but I don't do something like that very often, I should really, but I don't  lol

Thanks for your comments.  I have been out now and again but tend to walk upwards of 10 - 15 miles a day so I don't heel when I have things to do.  I've been so busy over the past few years that I haven't gotten "away" much but years ago I did wear heels out with regular men's business attire fairly frequently but that was awhile ago and it's really not an option at present.  I do go out every now and again still, however it tends to be the men's business casual with heels, and is very infrequent.  I just don't have the desire to heel publicly to be honest.

Same tie, different everything else.  Another warm day so I had the AC on early and decided to go with a white button up shirt, black Torrid skirt, and Payless "Krime" peep-toe pumps in black and white stripe to fall in line with my tie.  Very, very comfortable and cool.  More uniform that some of my other looks but still quite contrasting.

Looking great as usual, JeffB.  Thanks for sharing your jaunts with us, truly an inspiration.  

 

While I was very pleased with how well things went, I'm smart enough not to let that success go to my head because I know there's plenty of places in this city where the end result would have been anything from disastrous to horrific, there are places I don't dare go in freestyling mode, so I stick to venues where I feel comfortable and safe. And that's what makes what I do all the more enjoyable.

This is excellent advice as well.

Very nice pics, Lime! You certainly look sharp!

Thank you, JeffB.

Damn! I just love the juxtaposition in your outfits Lime.

Thanks Shafted!  I'll admit that I do love some sharp contrasts in the way I dress without something looking completely out of place.

Looking good, Lime15. Thanks for the pics.

No problem at all, thanks bluejay!

Well since getting these Preview International black pumps I've worn them every day I heel.  The more I wear them the better they feel and the better they feel the more I want to wear them.  I was on my feet working on some design documents at home for about nine hours yesterday and barely felt anything - other than feeling good in heels. Same goes for today.  Another day of unexpected rain means the windows have to be closed but it's still pretty warm in here.  So I decided to break out a stretch miniskirt, black shirt, my favorite striped tie, suntan pantyhose and of course the Preview International pumps.  Much cooler.

Went looking for something that I thought would look a little less noticeable with jeans. Kinda wanted give the impression of a mens shoe but in heels. DSW had the solution.

 

http://www.dsw.com/shoe/tahari+salena+pump?prodId=285786

 

Havent been out yet. Still need some break in time, but I will be doing some business travel in the near future, and I'm thinking this will fit the bill.

 

Best part is they were in the clearance aisle, and with a $5.00 coupon, they came in under $15.00

Awesome choice, Heelster!  I found a pair at the local DSW after seeing bluejay's pair awhile back.  Of course DSW doesn't get up to my US13 but I have had some close calls over in their 11+ clearance section.  No luck finding a pair of those that was even close to fitting, unfortunately.  I may have to swing by again as my girlfriend liked them as well but we ended up leaving them there in favor of three other pairs.  Easily some of my favorite "meanswear loafer" heels I've ever seen.

Thank you Bubba136 and bluejay.  

I think that's a very smart and effective look Lime15. I think what impresses me most about it is that it's a look, with heels, that actually looks better on a man than it would on a woman, and I mean that totally as a compliment. In all honesty a shirt and tie isn't my personal style, but more importantly it is your style and it's pretty ground-breaking in presenting heels and a skirt as menswear, and I really admire that.

Wow, thank you very much for the complements SleekHeels!  I tend to usually wear some kind of pop of color in the way I present myself every day.  Can't do a whole lot of that during the 9-to-5 as the dress code is relatively cut and dry but I do mix it up with some more off the wall sneakers every now and then.  Same goes for my usual daily wear, if it's not an out there pair of sneakers (which I've always said are way louder than any of the crazy heels I own) it's some type of graphic t-shirt or the like.  For businesswear when working from home (and outside the home to be honest) I tend to blend the two but move the pop of color to a tie, and in the case of when I'm telecommuting, a skirt or heels.  I've found I can find really cool ties, lots of colors and styles which mean lots of options, without spending a lot of money.  I think "options" is the key word there as I'm going to go out on a limb and say that wanting to increase the amount of style options open to us is a prime reason why many guys heel in the first place.  I find these ensembles so comfortable and natural that I've begun wearing business-casual with heels on days I don't even have any work to do.  It just feels comfortable and relaxing to me so I figure what the heck.

Back to my obnoxiously bright tie against black look.  New skirt, it has button details on the sides at the waist and on the kick pleat but is pretty relaxed otherwise.  Black shirt and black hosery along with my new black patent open toe Preview International pumps.  These were a little tight the first couple times I wore them but feel really good today.

I'll echo what has already been said, nice look, SF! Been away for a while as work has been taking up much of my time with long hours making me dead tired and wanting to do not much other than go to work and come home.  However I thought I earned myself a little retail therapy and made a couple of purchases recently.  Things thin out next week and I look forward to utilizing my purchases.

First is a pair I've been after for years but never seem to find in US13.  My girlfriend has a pair of these in raspberry but I've wanted black patent for myself.  I was finally able to track down a pair.  These are old Payless heels under the Fioni line, model name is Joy.  These fit amazingly well, probably the best fitting pair of heels I have ever worn.  Now that they tend to offer plenty of inventory in larger sizes I wish Payless would go back to basic pumps like these with lots of patent and tons of colors like they used to.

Second pair is from Preview International, which I believe to be a house brand of Nordstrom primarily at Nordstrom Rack locations.  I haven't been in a Nordstrom Rack location since the ones near me removed all US13 shoes during renovations late last year (tons more 12M however, which I've never been able to squeeze into) so I'm not certain.  I've had bad luck with this brand in the past as they always seem to fit extremely tight around the toe box and heel without any give to make me feel that they can be better broken in.  I took a gamble with these but I've wanted a pair of classic open toe black patent pumps for awhile.  As I feared, they do fit tight around the toe box but not bad enough to be of any real concern.  I've worn them twice, for less than two hours each time, and by the second wear they felt much better even though they've hardly been worn.  Worst case I'll just stretch them a bit but I really think they'll work out fine with regular breaking in.

I like the look, but the tie is too much contrast.  Remember contrast becomes the focus of attention.

 

However, the concept of wearing a tie while working at home is too much for me.  I still have several but haven't worn any of them for a long time.  If I need a closed neck look, I use a turtleneck.

Thanks.  When working from home I often video conference, which is why I tend to wear a tie.

Thank you bluejay and Shafted!

I like the concept of your outfit Lime15. The colors of the shirt and tie aren't doing it for me with the blue of the skirt. Maybe blue shirt and black tie. Try to keep with a close hue and saturation on the blue. Tie could be any neural or complimentary (yellow if you dare) color, not just black.

I agree that I need to work on my upper half in relation to my lower half.  I'm actually going to pick up more varied neckties in the next week or so which I think will punch up the variety of my choices.

Back again, today with my blue and black color block skirt, black shirt, peach necktie, black hosiery and my much loved Mojo Moxie / Torrid lace up pumps.  I really liked this one and found it extremely comfortable throughout the day working.