Shyheels

I totally get that last part. Go-go boots are just for retro parties and sold at costume shops. I would still love to have a pair, but the longing is based more on unrequited desire and fond memories than any practicality - what would I wear them with? I’m not really a mini skirt kind of guy

As a cyclist I could never understand why so many other cyclists go around with ear buds listening to music. Aside from the safety implications - I’d much rather hear what’s coming up behind me - why would you want to miss out on hearing the dawn chorus, the birds and insects, nature coming alive. One of the joys of cycling is the way it immerses you in the landscape. Why miss out?

I have fond memories of listening to the car radio on long road trips when I was young - driving through the night, hundreds of miles for no better reason than the sheer joy of being in the road, fiddling with the dials on the radio to try to find a radio station somewhere in the middle of the Great Plains. These memories come with a 70s soundtrack.

I know you’re right. It’s just that I’ve become quite proud of my new abilities and can’t resist showing off to myself! Tomorrow morning it’s back to the 12cm stilettos! I’ve a goal here!

So true! I have been amazed by the difference practicing in my 12cm boots has made with my ability to walk in 10cm stilettos. I am very at home with them now - in fact, I’ve been so delighted with my newly earned ease in 10cm heels I’ve been neglecting my harder work 12cm heels. Must get back to business!

It’s very unusual not to like music, that’s for sure - I mean if I understand you correctly in that you dislike all forms of it. I will readily agree though that it is being forced upon us by constant advertising and social media. You can’t look at an Instagram post any more - even one that is primarily text-based - without music being blared at you, or some pretentious chords being played. It’s a nuisance and insulting to have it assumed that this is necessary. I find myself muting even songs and music I would normally like because it’s distracting and annoying and being forced upon me.

I see your dilemma perfectly! I’m muddling along in my own fashion trying to lift my abilities in 12cm stilettos but going for long walks - while it would no doubt lift my skill level - just doesn’t seem workable

I much prefer almond toes myself

I know exactly what you mean! I too have my own very particular aesthetic when it comes to boots. In a nutshell clean lines and classic styling. I know it when I see it

A trick to photographing interiors so your perspective looks right is to crouch down a bit and have the camera lens at what would be about mid-chest level instead of standing fully upright and holding the camera up to your face

I’m impressed! That thing is huge! My musical talent is limited to playing the iPad, which I do rather well, even in 12cm stilettos!

Go-go boots certainly evoke an era - one that was bright, colourful and optimistic. For those of us who love fashion boots they were also a major cultural stepping stone. When Andre Courreges came out with the go-go boots in 1964 he very neatly tapped into the mod Sixties zeitgeist - the space age was one of his influences - and his sassy white boots became one of the defining looks of the decade. Boots were also given a basic boost by Roger Vivier who reimagined a 17th century musketeers cuissardes as the modern thigh boot in 1963, and by Nancy Sinatra whose hit These Boots Were Made for Walking in 1965 boosted boot sales dramatically on both sides of the Atlantic. By the end of the decade boots were a fashion staple for empowered women and they've remained so ever since. And yes go-go boots typically had lower heels - about twi inches and some even lower. I think Correges original go-go boots had pretty much standard heels of an inch or so. My attraction to them is not for their heels but for their styling and their evocation of an era and because when I was a kid and saw them being worn I really, really wanted a pair. I've never bought myself any because I can't find nice ones, alas - I'd be happy to do so if I could, but the only ones I find are in costume shops. There is too, as you point out, a difficulty in figuring out what to pair them with. Back in the 60s it tended to be mini skirts but I wear jeans and have not figured how I can make that work with shiny white patent go go boots!

I think that were a kind of special group - in terms of interest, passion and knowledge when it comes to heels. We’re far more likely to notice nuance and subtle differences than the average heel wearer

People should really mind their own business.

I agree as well - nothing about them appeals to me