benno

Here's some photos of the very high Choos. They are all listed as pretty much 5 inches actual rise on Net A Porter's web site. I'd love to see them in person and try them on... I might have to go to one of their shops next time I'm up London. : )

Here's the Topshop boots.

I personally don't care about the exact height, as long as I get a shoe with the proportions I saw advertised.

Click on the link after the 1st paragraph in my post above, or type Topshop Augusta into google. As soon as HHplace sorts out the photo upload problem, I will post a picture.

I think I maybe found one designer who made a true 5" heel with platform.

Some of the latest Jimmy Choos are 5 inches if you factor out the platforms.

Just for the record. I went to Topshop in the new Westfield shopping centre in Stratford today. I wanted to try on a pair of their Augusta boots.

TOPSHOP Augusta

The large shoe department was fairly quiet, there were about 10 women browsing and a couple of women were trying on mentally high, skyscraper, leopard print boots and shoes.

I picked up the display pair of the boots I wanted and waited for a free sales assistant. I asked for them in a 41 and she came back and said they only had the tan version in a 41. I asked if I could try them in tan brown 41 and also the black in a 40. She came back and said she found a pair in black 41.

I sat on a chair opposite the 2 women and took off my shoes. I had stripey pink socks on, bright red skinny jeans, a vintage 80s blue and white striped slightly batwing womens T shirt and a white hooded top printed all over with retro red and blue lensed 3D glasses. I popped the boots on and had a walk around and looked in the mirrors.

Guess what...

NO ONE SAID A THING TO ME & THE WORLD DIDN'T END!!! The sales assistant looked at me and gave me a warm smile. The leopard print women didn't even look up as they were absorbed in their own world.

I went to the cashier section and there was a young Asian guy on the till. He opened the box and looked at the boots. He didn't say a word about the style. I felt a little cheated, so I told him that they were really similar to some super expensive 'mens' boots I had seen in a designer shop. He looked a little surprised so I told him that my girlfriend and I had recently started to dare each other to wear more interesting clothes and that life was to short to not have fun with your clothes.

So is there a moral to this story? Yes. It's all in your head. No one cares.

Cheers and good luck with the Choos,

Ben

If you made a scale model ship, would you put a 30 foot high funnel on it? Any decent shoe designer will make sure the shoe is in proportion. They would want to see the design manufactured to look as they intended. Factories might use the same heel and/or platform on a small selection (say 3 sizes e.g 39, 40 and 41 EU) to cut down on costs. It's the same reason you see diving fins made to fit both 40-41 in one moulding.

Why?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15079620

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_rights_in_Saudi_Arabia

Get out there and wear whatever the hell you want. It could be far worse guys!

It's your choice, but if I were spending upwards of £500 I would HAVE to try them on before parting with my money. They are there to sell shoes... A sale, is a sale, and it's worth remembering that the sales staff WILL have seen it all before. If you don't want to admit they are for you then make up a story, say your evil size 9 booted mistress insists you buy her some boots!!! : ) Also, next time someone asks for sizing help, you can help them.

I read a quote in a fashion blog a while ago... It said something like: Clued up young men are having far more fun with their clothes than the girls.

It's better to try too hard, than not to try at all.

As a guy, expressing femininity is still perceived as a failure. I think that's wrong.

Exactly what I have been saying for bloomin' ages!!!

http://www.net-a-porter.com/product/163851

Have a look at the size and fit section. It says 'true to size' and 'Italian Sizing'

Also if you're going to spend that kind of money, then you should really go and try them on in a shop before you splurge the cash.

Hope it helps.

Cheers,

Ben

In reference to my previous post about saying 'men in heels look silly' is sexist against women, I remembered this... I recently read an intelligent magazine article that said gay men and straight women get on because they both have one thing wrong with them... The main premise of the article was why most women have a close gay male friend. The writer's reasoning was that being male and heterosexual was the strongest and most looked up to ideal (e.g movie heroes are usually straight men). Therefore a gay man and a straight woman both have one un-ideal element. The article went on to say that straight men don't usually have close lesbian friends because a lesbian has two thing 'wrong' with her whereas the straight man is perfect. At first the article annoyed me a little, but then I re read it and thought it made some very accurate observations. I guess we all like to give and receive a little charitable attitude in life. If I can find the mag I will scan it and post it, but my girlfreind may have chucked it in the recycling.

One night, at about midnight, I was driving home in my little bright red 1980s Honda CRX, sports car. It broke down on one of the busiest street in Brighton, right outside Burger King. I was there for about an hour and also managed to lock my keys in the car! The city was full to bursting. I got so much abuse from boy racers. I brought grid lock to the whole area, as my car was stuck in the middle of the street at a main bus stop. I was wearing very normal male clothes and trainers, yet I felt that the whole world was looking at me. Honestly, I've felt more comfortable in situations wearing heels and interesting clothes than I did on that night. When I wear heels, it's been my choice. Breaking down was not my choice. There are parallels here. I had done nothing wrong (my car broke or wearing heels). Yet people had a good stare at my situation. Are we too fixated on our choice of shoes and clothes? There's so many opportunities to make a scene in life. Shoes are just a little part of it all. As long as you have not committed a crime and live in a 'free' country, you should become a little more thick skinned and move on.

Kobi Levi is an artist, some of his shoes are amazing and all of them make you think and question our world (for good or bad, it doesn't matter, you are still made to think). The makers of the stripperesque gun shoes are just after some quick money from the pole/strip footwear industry.

Look mum, no zips! A big yay from me. I hate zips.

The ones in my avater are 2008 version of the christian loubouten pigille in 'blue tiger'

they are amazing, i brought them for my girlfriend for an xmas present, but shes only ever worn them once

If they are a size 40 or 41 then send them to me and I will make sure they get worn.

That would be a nice part time job.

The horrible platform shoe is the problem. If they were used as heels on simple but amazing black court shoes, with Scaramanga's Golden Gun as a reference... then they would be amazing with the right person and outfit. My girlfriend wearing them, all bronzed up, and in a gold bikini on a yacht in a secluded tropical cove... Mmm!!! See attached.

It was the comments I found to be the most bizarre. Notice how so many men still think that heels=gay.

I thought that too. At least it goes to show that a lack of education is the real problem. Did you notice the poor spelling and grammar used by the haters?

I think it's OK to hate war.

I hate football, war and religion. I must be a woman.

Saying men look silly in heels is sexist against women? Society allows women to do masculine things because male traits are seen as confident and stronger and therefore 'better'. Just look at differing ways baby boys and girls are treated. What's the male equivalent of a Tom Boy? Feminism was all about women becoming equal to men, making society equal. It was not meant to make women better than men. In the future this thread (whole website???) is all going to be seen as a quaint relic of the past. We need to tolerate each other. We are all just people with the same desires and wants and needs. There shoudn't be the need for any last bastions of this or that. Gender has nothing to do with the bits between your legs.