yozz

I'm suprised there are not more shops doing larger womens sizes in Amsterdam, as far as i know (and i stand to be corrected) aren't dutch women supposed to be the tallest (on average) in the world so by that reckoning a fair majority would take a larger than average size....just a thought.

Maybe there are many more, but I just don't know about them. For myself I don't need that as I wear size 39-40. My wife though needs 42 and we have been looking and there are shops with 42-43 but we did not find too many. Have a look at Cynthia and Cinderella (one in the Kalverstraat and the other in the Leidse straat or the other way around). They have some shoes in 43 and even some in 44. But of course there are also the shops in the red light district, but that is a style that does not attract us very much. They do go to big sizes.

We had the impression that in Berlin it is easier to find sizes like 43.

Y.

My wife thinks that I would not be normal if I would not look. She will even point them out to me in the case I missed some very hot heels. Y.

According to the definition of cross dressing that we have agreed upon here, I am not a cross dresser., even though I may wear heeled shoes, tights and sometimes a skirt (only inside). I would not even consider trying to pass like a woman. The attraction works just the opposite way: if she wears something that attracts me very much, I might feel some jealousy and would like some shoes like that as well. Nope. I do not think it has much effect on our relationship. She knows about it, supports it and we have both fun with it. And that is all. Y.

Welcome! You can have many good discussions here. So what is it you are looking for? Y.

I think it is just a matter of what you are used to. If you have seen a man with facial hair often in heels, no matter what heels, it becomes part of the scenery and you start thinking it is normal. That is how fashion works. Y.

Bolivia

I think you are doing fine. She is adapting to the situation and indeed open minded. The worst thing you can do is push too hard. She seems to come up with the right ideas and sooner or later she will realize that you are together in the shoe shop, not just for her shoes. This hold especially when you start looking at the shoes in your size. She was very honest about that some things will take a while for her to get used to. That doesn't mean that you should not wear those shoes. It just means that you should wear them when she is in a positive mood and not when she may have had a bad day. After a while she will hardly notice. That is how it went with my wife. For her it is very normal now. The main thing she worries about is that I might make a fool of myself if I wear things too obvious outside. For the rest I have lots of 'freedom'. And don't forget: women love it when you can go shopping together. Real shopping and not the typical husband sitting somewhere in a corner looking very bored while she is trying shoes or skirts or dresses. Your remarks and participation will be very much appreciated. If you like that too, you will automatically have much fun together and eventually there will be lots of things for you too. Y.

I don't.

Maybe because you are on the website team?

Could it be a matter of priviliges?

Y.

I get the same error message. Y.

I agree with most of the above. The part I do not agree with is the shorts, skirts and dresses. It is not so that once you wear heels you have to go to those automatically. The people on this site are divided in groups that only wear heels, those that wear a bit more and some who go to full cross dressing. You should do what you think is right for you and you should not feel peer pressure to do things that you feel uncomfortable with. A good way is to select your clothes and then stand in front of a full length mirror and just have a good look at yourself. What do you see? How would you react if you saw someone like that in the street? It is even more brutish if you take a picture of yourself and have a real good look at it. Be critical. When you can pass that, you are ready to go out. As people say, start with lower block heels and long trousers. Then it is not so obvious and hardly anyone will notice. This helps you build up confidence. Then you take it from there. You can make the heels a bit higher or thinner, or have the legs on your pants a little bit shorter, to make the heels more visible. It is all up to you. Occasionally someone notices and keeps looking at your feet. So what. (of course it helps if you live in a city like Amsterdam, London or San Francisco). The important thing is to radiate confidence. If you behave like prey, you will be prey. Y.

Hi, I just got back from Antwerp. I met Ian at a classic car exposition. He was there to sell boots like the ones you see in pictures of cars in the beginning of the 20-th century. He had brought my boots and hence I had to try then on. He had stretched the boots a lot. First the right foot. With quite a struggle, I finally got in. He explained that after you have been wearing these boots for about an hour, things get easier as the boots adjust. Then the left foot. Even with the help of two people it was impossible to get the boot on. So he inspected my feet and said that I have what they call dancers feet. People who have been practicing ballet when they are young have this a lot. Well, I have never been doing that. The closed I come to that is that I had two sisters who took some ballet lessons. He measured by left foot carefully and said that he would stretch both boots more. Especially the left one. He also took some pictures of my foot. I guess next time they will fit perfectly. Then about my wifes boots. He will strtch them also, but we will also send him a picture of my wifes feet. I asked him whether he could put a zipper in my wifes boots in the ankle area and he agreed to do so, just to get the whole issue resolved. Also he had not realized that the distance Amsterdam-Antwerpen was a two hours drive. In conclusion, it looks like the problems will finally be out of the world. It was a pity that it took this long and that I had to complain like this, but it seemed the only way to finally get my boots. If indeed the problems with his spam filter are now resolved, this should not happen again. If there are problems, try the telephone of his workplace. The shop is in Paris while the workplace is at the coast. In the shop is a person who is not so great with his English and also they cannot deal with difficult problems. When trying to call him, keep in mind that in weekends he is often away to fairs and exhibitions and needs Mondays to drive back. Y.

Well, finally, after two attempts I just got a hold of Ian. He sounds like a nice guy. He says that they lost lots of e-mail due to an extra malfunctioning spam filter and that they found out about that very recently. He is at the moment at a car fair in Antwerp and says he has the boots with him and has stretched them a lot and that they should fit now. He says that he measured them again and admits more or less that they were too tight. If the streching is not sufficient he is willing to mount a zipper in the side although that is a rather messy affair. I will know on Sunday morning only whether I can go to Antwerp to see him there. That would be the best solution. He can then see whether there is anything else that is not OK. If I cannot come he will mail the boots on Monday. Finally something that sounds very positive. I will post when I know more. Y.

sounds like a direct phone call is in order here

I just got hold of his mobile phone number.

I'll try to get in a call tomorrow. See whether that works.

All calls to his shop ran into an answering apparatus and no calling back.

He is probably just as sick and tired of this case as I am, but I still think that is a poor excuse.

Y.

ditto here. We have a dozen pairs of JG Boots and have not had any service issues. have you written directly to Ian Edgerly?

David & Cathy

I know that you have good experiences. That is why I kept telling my wife to have more patience. But there is a time that that stops. I have written e-mails to both the service address and to Ian directly. Many times.

It seems that he is not very prepared to deal with problems.

Mostly he will get it right immediately and my guess is that than everybody is happy.

It is just that here he (or somebody working for him) has made a bad mistake and then he has a mental block to bravely deal with the consequences.

But for me the result is that I paid 14 months ago and still don't have fitting boots.

Y.

I guess if things are easy enough, there is no problem except for a rather lengthy waiting time. But I object to how I have been treated. The complete story is: 1: in January 2010 I ask how long it will take. Answer: 6 weeks. I order. 2: After 14 weeks I get the boots for me and my wife. They don't fit. I cannot get my foot past the narrowest part. I can get into my wifes boots as they are several centimeters wider there. She cannot. I send them back with the remark that also it is funny that on the bottom it says size 38, while 38 is too small for me. 3: Almost half a year no e-mails, no answers, no nothing. Also no reply to a phone call (answering aparatus that says I will be called back). 4: Finally after an e-mail in which I say that I will put the whole story on hhplace.org I get an e-mail doing as if everything is just normal and that he will change the boots and make them a bit wider. 5: In October I get the boots again. The feet seem to be a bit bigger (it says now 40 on the bottom) but I notice no difference in the width at the ankle. I still cannot get in and still just barely into my wifes boots. I send them back again with a long e-mail explaining everything and a picture. 6: No answer to any e-mails. I explain that if the order is there for a year, I will post on hhplace. No answer, so I post. Still nothing. I send a mail at least once a month. 7: Finally two days ago I send again an e-mail that I posted the story and that my next step will be contacting the credit card company. 8: Then I quickly get an e-mail in which he claims to have sent me a mail just after receiving the boots. I never received it and I seriously doubt that that mail was actually sent. He does not want to change again and he had people with similar feet try them and they fitted etc etc and make it look like it is my problem, and he won't continue till he has seen me and that he will be in Antwerp in the weekend (170 km from Amsterdam). Whether I can come. 9: I send back some pictures on my foot with a tape measure in various positions to show the 31.5 cm, asking him to measure the circumference of the boots. To that, no answer as of yet. Now what is the problem: The boot has no zipper. It is a riding style boot. This means the measurement around the heel is rather crucial. This is measurement 4 in his chart. I gave him the measurement with a sole inside my sock as he advised to measure that way when needing soles inside the shoe. Right foot: 32.4 cm. The actual size without sole I did not provide (31.5 cm). That should just make it easier to enter. For my wife, the size was 34.5 cm. When I measure the circumference of the boot on the outside(!) at the ankle they are just not wide enough. It is impossible that I can get 31.5 cm through there. I can just enter (with a small amount of work) into my wifes boot which should allow 34.5 cm to enter. Hence they are at least 3 centimeters too narrow. The thing that upsets me is that my mails are only answered once I make some thread to do something that he doesn't like. Then he does as if everything is completely normal and now he tries to put the blame on me and wants me to drive 350 km so that he can confirm my measurements. I hope you can understand why I am upset. Y.

The brand is top notch but i have heard that unless in stock waiting time can be very long.

I can confirm that. I ordered last year in January and I am still waiting. Twice they sent the boots and they didn't fit. I could not get my foot past the narrowest part (no zipper in this model). Last time was in October. I had to send them back. They don't answer e-mails once they have your money. I am very upset.

Y.

.....and yet it works, granted in the long term it wont aid their life-span but it works ...you clearly don't know how to express an opinion, please direct your ego elsewhere.

Let us please stay friendly.

He is very knowledgeable about all things concerning shoes (it is his profession).

If I were you I would have a little respect for that.

Y.

Check these out too:

http://www.ernest-chausseur.com/

http://www.jean-gaborit.com/

Be careful with the last. I ordered 13 months ago.

Twice they sent me the boots and I could not possibly

get my feet in. Still waiting for a fitting pair, and they refuse

to answer my e-mails.

Y.

There is also http://www.hogehakken.nl

They are not very cheap though but they have a very large assortment.

I have not bought from them as they do not really have my style.

Y.

seriously? are you mad? and with all due respect, what on earth do you do to earn enough money to able to simply justify anywhere near that amount?

Gucci or not, there is absolutely no need on god's green earth to spend that much money on clothes, footwear etc.

sorry, I just don't understand.

However I will honestly wish you good luck none the less; it's your money after all and I truly hope they are worth it.

R

Maybe you missed the sarcasm.

Y.

Is BigShoe at Leliegracht still in business?

Greetings Hans.

Last time I walked by they were still there, but that is a good part of a year ago.

They are still in the phone book.

You could have a look at their web site: www.bigshoe.nl

Y.

If you are talking that league, you should visit another street. The really fancy shopping street is the P.C.Hooft straat. There is a shop there that sells Louboutins. It is at the corner where the P.C.Hooft straat intersects the van Baerlestraat. It is not exclusively a shoe shop. They will not have the whole assortment. Y.

A nice trip would be to start at the Bijenkorf (Dam square), then walk through the Kalverstraat, not quite to the end, make a right turn into the Heiligeweg and then follow into the Leidsestraat. We recently counted and the Leidsestraat has 15 shoe shops. In total you may pass more than 25 shoe shops in that walk. Y.

Looks like I need higher heels. This one goes right over my head. Y.

Hi Yozz,

you did well to get that background intense black. Well done.

Muddypaws

Quite some work in the Gimp. Pixel by pixel at the edges and a bit less accurate once it is a few pixels away from the object. But the effect is worth it.

Y.