Shyheels

They look very nice! And well done for walking a mile in them! But I think that’s the drawback with lofty stilettos - the quick wear!

That’s really nice. Fun to have a friend with whom you can chat about heels

Carrying a heavy camera bag is likewise a bad idea in heels. It’s doable, and not too bad in fact, in chunky heels of 7cms or so, but no higher or thinner …

Sounds like you had quite a time shopping. The staff at these places sound helpful and non-judgemental. which is nice. You're fortunate that you can go shopping. My feet are much too large for that. I can buy nice heels - very nice ones in fact - but ether custom or special order.

Men's fashions tend to be puritanical - sombre tones in office wear, plain blocky colours in anything else, and absolutely devoid of any sort of personal theatre. Conformity is the overriding theme, not self expression. And certainly not 'fun'. And as far as footwear goes, sensible shoes only. We're supposed to admire heels on the feet of women while scorning such frippery for ourselves as somehow beneath our masculine dignity. There is so much wrong with that thinking I scarcely know where to begin ...

I’ll third the motion. I love knee boots, with or without heels and those are very nice

No, not at all. Wearing heels, at least for me, and I think for @mlroseplant and @higherheels as well, it’s a matter of style and fashion and I think it’s fair to say that we like stiletto heels in the 10 to 13cm range. And to be able to walk well in lofty stilettos you need a lot of practice. In my case I had a pair of 12cm stiletto knee boots I bought for their aesthetics but had never learned to walk well in them. @higherheels has a pair of imperious Louboutin Hot Chicks with 13cm heels which very few people can wear with panache, while @mlroseplant walks marathon distances in lower heels but also likes the aesthetics of higher ones. But other people will have entirely different aesthetics and personal styles. It’s by no means a given that everybody wants to move up into ever higher heels.

Thank you! I felt pretty chuffed! And yes, 10cm is like a magic border! 8cm chunky heels are fun but proper high heels start at 10cm - and (for me) the perfect aesthetic is 12cm stiletto boots

Deep freeze along the canal - the frozen lumpy towpaths not at all inviting for anyone in heels, but a good day to be puttering about inside, putting extra lumps of coal on the fire and click-click-clicking about the galley making coffee and a hot breakfast! So the year seems off to a good start

Indeed! A nice bit of recognition and acceptance

Wow, @higherheels I’m impressed! A New Years Eve in 13cm boots is quite an accomplishment! My new years was fairly quiet, but nice to stand outside on the boat in the frosty air and watch the fireworks over town (in the distance) in my 12cm boots - which were also pleasingly warm too. Starting the year as I mean to continue! And yes, once you get to 10cms our heels are viewed as insanely high by most people’s standards, yet aesthetically the heights between 10 and 13cm seem to me the most elegant - not at all freakish, just challenging to wear with the grace and fluidity this elegance requires.

Here's an opportunity for a New Year's resolution ...

Yes @higherheels has been a real inspiration, not only wearing 12cm as a matter of course but taking on the challenge of wearing Hot Chicks and her even higher boots out and about. It’s nice having that sort of example and inspiration - as well as your high mileage efforts. i am going to do exactly what you describe - set a number of minutes or metres each day and work up. I’ve already noticed how the challenge has dramatically improved my abilities in my 10cm boots. I’m looking forward to the new years challenge!

Firstly, congratulations! I think 365 sounds like a sensible goal for 2026 - one you know you can achieve yet still requires a high degree of dedication.

New Years Eve and one of my great resolutions for 2026 is to master the art of walking gracefully in 12cm stiletto boots - ideally to take a stroll around a city in them, call in at a cafe and enjoy coffee and cake in my 12cm heels. My other ambition for the year is to take up sketching and watercolours - something I’ve been wanting to do for ages. That too will require practice. Maybe I can somehow combine these two ambitions, wear my heels when I go out with sketchbook and pens …