hhboots

I'm a bit cheap when it comes to this. I typically jump all over the good deals if they are below $50, occasionally I go higher, and I do have a couple of pairs that I really went outside of my boundaries for and spent around ~$100-120 on them. Although in hindsight, there are times, when I wish I would have bought maybe 1/2 as many pairs as I now own (~60) and maybe spent a bit more to get some higher end shoes, but overall I am happy with most of what I have bought over the years.

Some are really weird, the first one for example was quite shocking, but not entirely in a bad way, i love the one you mention (number 12) the color is great and i think it's the only one in that collection that i would really want.

Agreed, far too much going on in those shoes in Barney's first link for my taste. Although I do like the boots in Barney's 2nd link. I guess i just like plain simple styles much more than flashy colors, flare, gems, studs, blows, ribbons, etc.

When wearing ultra high heels, or heels higher than you're used to:

Is the walk more like a stomp with your whole leg, than a heel to toe with 2-3" heels.

I just bought 4.5" pumps, and it is easier to walk with a stomp. I'm used to knee, and ankle boots with a lot more stable ankle support.

Will it take a long time to walk in tall pumps easily?

If you are accustomed to walking in a moderate heel of say 3" and try to suddenly jump to a 4.5" you probably will look awkward and take time to get used to walking normally in them. Every half inch increment especially once you go past 4" makes a significant difference in the angle and proportionally increases pressure on the front of the foot. It might be easier to move up in height gradually or in stages, in other words try a height in between such as 4".

My heel limit for walking longer distance comfortably and taking natural strides is about 4 3/4" without a platform (and in a platform I can go higher if the incline remains the same). Recently, I've practiced quite a bit to be comfortable in a newer pair I have that is 6" heel with a 3/4" platform, so basically equal to a 5 1/4" non-platform heel. It is taking me a long time to get there, but I feel like I'm pretty close. I still get sore (ankles and feet) and my muscles strain after about 30 minutes in them and I don't know if I will ever get 100% comfortable in them, but I really love the shoes a lot, so I am willing to keep at it with the hope I can wear them out all day and look good in them.

I guess my advice is to be patient and keep at it.

particle

Absolutely agree... sort of wish my feet didn't look so tiny in heels, under jeans my feet almost entirely disappear, and it just looks kind of wierd. lol

Nice to have you posting again radiodave, very nice to read about your outings. Wish I could type up the daily adventures as well as many of you do here. I just don't think I can make my adventures sound all that interesting haha I'll just continue to enjoy reading about yours and all the others adventures...

I usually try to do most of my normal daily activities and errands in heels (as many here have stated). For the office, I wear more practical lower heeled 2-3" work type shoes or boots. I have only have about two pairs left that came from the men's side of the store. Even my casual sneakers and flats now come from the women's side as I just dont like the look or feel of anything else anymore.

I have a few pair of knee high boots and regularly wear them under jeans in the winter. I may not have the same issue as you do, as my boots seem to fit over my calf pretty snug (like a glove so to speak), and there is not much give to them. Also, the cut of jeans I wear are boot cut, most are usually skinny above the knee and taper out below the knee. So yeah, I have never really had an issue with the jeans bunching up at the top of the boot at all.

Ah well, might have been a joke, and while it could be more challenging to design without a platform, I am sure its not impossible. Some examples are these vintage cantilever heels, but I think they could be designed today to be more sleek and inclined steeper:

http://www.poshgirlvintage.com/1960s-wood-black-suede-flame-cantilever-heels-665-p-1982.html

http://www.etsy.com/listing/68432087/vintage-shoes-60s-cantilever-heel-mules

Yeah, you could have a point there.

I'll applaud when they do it without a platform! lol

I agree with Dr Shoe, and I've said it before, I am interested in the design and concept, but please take away those darn platforms.

Although, I have to admit, the platforms on the two pairs mentioned in this thread are a bit shorter than many of the others I've seen. If anyone ever finds any of these without platforms, and at moderate prices, I would love to know

Good heated discussion, and some seriously well thought out and long replies. I don't think I can say much more than what has been said in one form or another, but here goes... I am technically a minority in this country, but I have a rather 'white' appearance. I've been on both sides of that line, where I witness others being treated poorly and being talked about or made fun of behind their back, without these people making the comments realizing that I am one of the people they are poking fun at. I have jumped in on occasion and said something such as "hey, you're talking about me", etc, but more often I just let it go because it usually is not all that productive to put myself out on the line. But I know how it is to be different (besides being a minority). I have never really fit in completely, I feel like I really have always looked or behaved a little bit different than most guys, I've always sort of stood out, whether I wanted to or not, so I think for me public heeling is not that much of a stretch for me. I kind of figure, why not really stand out. For most people though, its easier to be on the majority side and just go with the flow of things then make yourself stand out. I guarantee there are a lot more men out there that would like to do more things to express their feminine sides, and do something like public heeling, but when you do something that is well out of the norms of society you are really putting yourself into what can feel like an uncomfortable spotlight, so most guys will never will do it, even though deep down, I think they would love to. As for the tolerance / acceptance debate. I think it varies from person to person, but I would say most people can tolerate seeing a man in heels but within that group they can still find it to be silly or odd (those that might give a little giggle behind your back), to those that still tolerate but find it to be bizzare or preposterous behavior (those that point and say to themselves or their friend, "wtf?")... and beyond that, I think its a much smaller group of people that you can honestly say 'accept' it.

This thread and SleekHeels comments made me think about something I haven't thought about until now. So, I buy about 1/3 of my shoes from the stores, the rest from online. When I do go to the stores, I just realized, I tend to always go to the self-service type of stores, where all the sizes are on the rack, and you put them on yourself, etc. I can only remember going a few times in my life to the types of stores where you have an sales assistant helping you the whole time, and my wife was with me each time. So apparently, I don't like to do the full-service type of stores unless my wife is with me. Really never realized that until now I guess she just makes me feel more confident and less worried about what others think when she is with me.

I think heels definitely keep the legs more toned as you use more of your leg muscles to keep control and balance. My legs are by far the most toned part of my body, solid muscle, and have almost zero body fat... As for the rest of me, well, thats a different story unfortunately.

Its probably my own problem, but looking at these pictures I feel a dissonance. I tried to understand the origin of my feeling and I think it comes from the huge difference between the very feminine body with very masculine head. May be its because i'm not used to the look ? So, its very daring but not my taste. ET

I am somewhat in the same camp as ET88. I really applaud your style and boldness in being able to do this so openly. You actually do look good in the outfits, but there is a certain mismatch and its probably just me, where there's a man's head attached to a mostly feminine presentation from the neck down. I myself often go out with a rather feminine appearance from the waist down, I wear short shorts, skinny jeans, and even recently skirts a few times (really a new thing for me) while in heels, but I guess I feel I just don't have the body to pull off what you are doing, but I think you do ... so anyway, kudos to you heel-lover for being able to do this.

haha, nice one gary.... creepy looking picture, but still funny

Those are ok boots, in fact, I have similar looking pairs myself. Not exactly what I would call 'masculine' either, but they are rather toned down / plain looking in appearance (probably why Jeff considers them to be un-stylish) and with jeans, they do fit in with what a stealthier heeler wants. I can understand why Barney likes them. Yes, Jeff: "to each his own"

Great looking heels on display there spikesmike, you wore them well. There wasn't really that much attention on you except maybe that last shot, which was probably due to the photographer taking shots of you while you're standing there I like that description too, "iconoclast"

...After wearing compression pantyhose much of the time and continually for some of the time just about all the leg hair is gone. Now this is also not a problem. So any comments will be interesting.

I've noticed thinning and more sparse leg hair in the last couple of years myself, however, I am not sure if it is due to my continued use of tights/pantyhose a good percentage of the time, or if it is more likely due to several years worth of shaving, using an epilator, and use of depilatory products (hair removal cream). I notice my leg hair is much finer and sparse than it was before I started, even when I recently let it grow out for a couple of months, it definitely does not look anything like it once did.

But really, I am pretty sure its more from all the products I've used on my legs than from wearing tights & pantyhose. I do own compression hose, but very rarely wear them.

Hmm, that sounds a bit different than normal ankle strain which I've done before, but your symptoms seem like something else is going on. Is your ankle swollen at all? Can you flex your foot up and down without pain or issues? Is there any numbness or loss of feeling in your legs or feet? I would try to take it easy for 48 hours. If there is swelling, elevate and ice it for a while, and occasionally flex and rotate it gently but not too much. If things get worse or it lasts more than a couple of days, you probably need to see the Doctor. Good luck. EDIT: I found this article about a condition called "foot drop", which has some symptoms closer to what you might be experiencing, but I hope this is not what you have, as it doesn't sound like fun to heal from: http://www.ehow.com/about_5635554_foot-drop-symptoms-broken-leg.html

In general that is just how a lot of people are, but I must tell you that if you go out in the real world, the percentage is not going to be anywhere as high as 90%. My thoughts for the particular scenario you describe, is that you are going to a video chat website and broadcasting yourself with a primary emphasis of showing your legs in skirt, tights, and heels. The fact you are wearing these in general is not that big of a deal, but the fact you are going to a video chat website presenting yourself in this manner, is sort of wierd and is just begging to have a bad experience for you. Additionally, internet chat rooms and forums bring out all sorts of rude characters, the semi-anonymous nature of these sites seems to give many people a free ticket to display the dark side of their personality, and I am sure rudeness just flies freely on those types of websites. So, I am not sure if you have ventured out in the real world yet, but I can promise you that you will have a better experience doing that then lurking in the dark corners of the internet. If you have never done it before, start with baby steps, such as wearing mid-height heels (3"), and with jeans (as opposed to doing 5" heels, tights, and a skirt). I started out pretty slowly myself for the longest time, and still am not quite as open and freestyling as some of the guys on this forum, but I definitely feel pretty comfortable now showing my heels in public without much care for what others think. Just my 2 cents... cheers and good luck to you

I sort of like the concept, however, all of the ones I have seen in the last year have all been trying to copy each other. Why do they all want to put a giant 3 inch platform on them? I actually would be very interested in a similar style of shoe but with a mini-platform or no platform. With a 3 inch platform, I have to say, "not my thing".

Encourage? Never. In fact, I would hope that particular genetic/environmental trait passes my son by, and I would be perfectly comfortable in my hypocrisy.

Because as much fun as heels are, and they are great fun, they complicate life and relationships for many (most?). And as a parent, I simply want the best, most uncomplicated life for my children.

Good point HHeeler.

My interpretation of the question's meaning was more along the lines of: "would you be supportive of your son if he chose to...", rather than: "would you influence or persuade your son to do this...".

So with that clarification:

-Would I be supportive of my son's own choices: ABSOLUTELY.

-Would I persuade my son to do this: HECK NO.

Both parties are pretty much crap, they're far too out on the fringes to be considered representing the people. I did have some better hopes for Obama, while the economy he was left to work with at the end of the Bush administration was in a complete freefall, I would have thought more could have been done after almost four years in office, but Obama has just turned out to be like the rest of them in Washington.

Joining the choir on this one... Your wife should be the first or one of the first you tell in your life.