Shyheels

No point in ruining nice heels in mud and puddles. That’s pretty much all I have when I step off my boat - a rough and muddy towpath for a good mile into town. It does cut down on heel wearing… Your story about the spilled beer reminded me of some advice John Wayne once gave an up and coming actor: never wear suede shoes. His reason - and it sounds like it came from experience - was that when your famous and you go into a men’s room, someone is going to recognise you when your standing beside them at the urinal, and turn suddenly in their excitement, forgetting where they are, and exclaim “my gosh you’re John Wayne!” And pee all over your shoes

I think it’s the kind of bend in the knee that indicates a struggle for assured balance and an element of uncertainty. Like people bending over slightly when they are learning to skate instead of standing upright. Learning to walk in heels does remind me a bit of learning to skate.

That’s nice. I have long fancied a pair of white boots but have never summoned up the nerve to buy some

Our weather here in Britain is fickle to say the least. I went up to Scotland for a couple of weeks this past August and came back with a tan. Sunny every day and temperatures of about 25°C. You just never know. Mind you this past spring and summer was unusually dry and warm. its definitely not warm now! I’ve obtained some wood for heating - much preferred to coal! - and now that I’m warm again am about to resume my practicing in my 12cm heels. I suspect I’ve lost a bit of whatever skill I picked up …

Yes! There is quite an art to this. I think that’s one of the things I find so appealing about it. Heels not only have a mystique and are aesthetically pleasing - especially 12cm stilettos - but require skill to wear well. It makes them special. I want to acquire this skill!

Although I’ve not mastered my 12cm heels yet, I can stand with straight knees in them and can straighten them when I walk. That part is fine. I am just clumsy in them - or clumsier than I would want to be! I feel like I am clomping around

If they’d been living in 12cm heels they’d be straightening their knees. It’s part of learning to walk well in heels - something I’m still working on in my 12cm stiletto boots

I was thinking that too - bent knees is not a good sign.

I passed through London one day last year - via Kings Cross and Waterloo stations - and was startled to see many women in towering stilettos - so many that I began wondering what was going on. I found out it was Ascot. Only time I’ve ever seen anywhere near that many heels in London - or anyplace else for that matter.

Sounds like an interesting evening. I'm surprised there were some in 120mm heels - that's a very elegant, and challenging, height and not often seen, at least not worn around and about town. I suppose an event is different. As someone who is trying to master the art of walking fluidly in 120mm stilettos, I'm wondering how well the people you saw wearing them were able to walk? Straight knees? Bent? Gliding or tottering? I can definitely see why having to climb and later descend 6 flights of stairs would be a disincentive to wearing heels. Did these others go up and down all those stairs to the venue? If so they must have been very dedicated.

Well done! I’m curious to hear what they’re like. As I say, they look really nice! And, yes, a challenge!

Let us know what you decide! Those are really nice

I know what you mean about skinny calves - I have the same but have been able to find boots that fit nicely and having skinny calves works well with stilettos! I too like to boots @higherheels has found, and I don’t usually like the lines of boots with heels over 12cm high. For me 12cm is kind of a sweet spot aesthetically - it projects the full imperiousness of a proper stiletto heel but without verging into fetish. The boots she has found don’t look fetishy at all, merely high - nice find! I hope you do get over to England sometime! We could catch up for a coffee in our challenge heels!

While I agree there is a north-South divide in terms of people wearing heels, I’ve not noticed any of the other characteristics you describe - at least not in Yorkshire or Lancashire, not in height, build or dress sense. Outlook may be more traditional, which is why you will likely see more women smartly turned out in heels in Leeds say than in London, but otherwise it’s all much the same. Unless you were looking for heels, and noticing that you saw more up here than down south, I doubt you’d notice any difference.

I agree - about 13.5 to 14cm. They look very high and very steep. Nice looking boots though. I'm not sure I could stand upright in them!