Shyheels

It was probably so they could feel a bit warmer!

I took a bus to a nearby town today to do some shopping. I had thought about bringing my practice heels and practicing but I knew I was going to be doing a lot of walking and carrying a rucksack full of shopping so I went in my chunky heeled knee boots. As you say, both for men and women trainers seem to be de rigueur these days That said, winter - boot season - is the time of year when you will see the most heels. As I was liked around the town I did see a number of women in heeled knee boots. The men, with the exception of me, were universally in ratty trainers. Although I wasn’t practicing in my 12cm stilettos, it was nice to walk about the town in my chunky heels - it’s all good grist for the mill!

I lived in a very down at heel inner city neighbourhood called Newtown in Sydney many years ago when I was at university. At the time you could get one of the dilapidated old townhouses there for about 60k. I was much too smart to waste my money there … Today they are well into seven figures

Not at all! There’s a Scot moored just up from me who wears shorts when it’s below freezing. Lots wear shorts. I didn’t wear them when I lived in Australia either!

I just don't do shorts - not unless I'm cycling or going to the gym, and in neither case am I wearing heels.

I don’t think anybody would be walking long distances in Hit Chicks or your new boots. They are strictly for going out when you walk only limited distances - and the fact that you can do that is really admirable. Hardly anybody can from what I understand, even people who consider themselves adept at high heels. So you can take a lot of satisfaction in your accomplishment.

I was fascinated by stilettos - aesthetically and for the allure of the forbidden, to say nothing of the intriguing physical challenge of wearing them. Just how easy or hard was it to stride briskly along a city sidewalk or waltz across a ballroom floor in lofty stilettos. The thought that I was never meant to know only heightened the appeal. And yet at the same time it was chunky heeled boots that most caught my fancy. Stilettos appealed because they were the Ultima Thule of boundary breaking, which chunky heel knee or ankle boots I could see myself aspiring to wear every day. i know what you mean about feeling funny wearing stilettos in more casual situations. They are inherently dressy. It’s one of the things I like about wearing stilettos in my home office - when you’re a freelance and work from home it’s a good idea to make at least a bit of an effort to dress as though you are going to work as a reminder to yourself that this is an office, not just your kitchen table, and a place for work. Wearing stilettos is great for that. Nobody just lounges around in stilettos! since we started doing this challenge I have really begun to feel at home in stilettos. They are starting to feel as much my natural style as chunky heel boots. I feel quite proud of my ability to get around briskly in my 10cm boots, even if I struggle with 12cm. I can admire your abilities to walk long distances @mlroseplant and @higherheels remarkable abilities to wear Hot Chicks and her even high new boots. You’ve boot been great influences and examples

Yes stilettos are certainly more feminine than block heels. They’re also more fun. Funnily enough it was block heeled knee and ankle boots that originally attracted me to heels - I loved the look and lines and wished it were open to me to wear them. And I would say that these 8 to 10cm block heeled boots are my most natural style in high heels. But there is something fun and racy about stilettos that appeals to me. I don’t feel threatened by their femininity, but enjoy the challenge in learning to walk well in them. I love the elegance and lines, especially at 12cm, even if I do feel that the style is outside my natural comfort zone.

Once I started wearing heels I too found they suited my narrow feet better than most men’s shoes. It’s rare to find men’s shoes, boots or trainers in narrow fittings whereas women’s seem to be narrow by default. When I used to do a lot of running, only ASICS and New Balance trainers worked for me. ASICS had a narrow fit and New Balance came is a wide variety of width fittings. The other brands I would step right out of. Same with hiking boots. A lot of those were too wide for me. Italian made Scarpas worked well - perhaps Italian men have narrow feet - but most others were too wide. When I finally dared to try wearing heels I was pleasantly surprised by the fit. I just wished they made more styles in bigger (length) sizes

And I too personally raised the standard in my office - from not wearing heels to wearing heels, 8 to 12cm every day! 😊

I think there are heels and there are heels - yours look quite presentable. I can understand the basic idea of the rule though. In a lot of offices too 10cm would be the upper limit of what would be considered presentable in a work environment. Happily in my office I've declared 12cm to be pretty much the workplace standard!

I have quite narrow feet - long and narrow - and that would be my worry about trying pumps: that I would step right out of them. Especially if my feet were already steeply pitched on 12cm heels!

I’ve never worn any pumps or sandals in heels, only boots. I’m curious to try them sometime

I’m not following your math. If you bought for 180, put 50 into it, and sold for 250 that’s only a 20k profit - or 10k a year.

I know what you mean about the apprehension in terms of walking around the block in your new boots. I feel much the same about my 12cm boots. At the moment I have no place I could do that, but if I did I would still feel nervous about it. As you say, you have to start somewhere and you’ve already managed a 100 metre walk in them -which is something I’ve yet to do in my 12cm boots. it is funny how even just sitting in these lofty heels can help you get used to them. When I stand up to go make myself some coffee or make lunch, I’m automatically expecting the steepness and height of 12cm stilettos - it’s a mental thing but very useful for accepting the height and challenge of these heels