Shyheels

Absolutely! That will be fun for you! How nice it will be to wear them out to a stylish evening! Splurge! Treat yourself! im really excited now that ive a goal to shoot for. And thanks for the vote of confidence!!!

I’m quite excited by it - something to aim for! I can actually start believing I can do this!

Your English is good enough that I forget that you’re not a native speaker. Your 200 metres has now become my goal for my 12cm heels. I needed something to shoot for aside from a vague aspiration to walk fluidly in them. I can aim for a smooth 200 metres and then work on improving and hopefully becoming more comfortable in them

Thank you! I had to laugh when I realised I was still in my 10cm heels, but the bright side I suppose is how completely at ease I feel in them - hoe nice it will be when I do the same with 12cm! Our little support group is really proving useful! I think of both of you when I put on my heels each morning. Oh, and I meant to say that aside from being hugely impressed by your newly acquired abilities in the Hot Chicks - 200m would amply take you through a night out in them, say to a restaurant or something - I am also hugely impressed that you’re doing all your posting and reading ours in English! That’s brilliant. i have - or had - a gift for languages at one time and could speak several but for various reasons never stayed the course. I’m envious now of those, like you, who are multilingual

Yes walking 200m gracefully in Hot Chicks is quite an accomplishment. I cannot imagine achieving that myself - I shall be delighted to walk gracefully in my 12cm stiletto boots. Speaking of which I had an amusing episode this morning, when I got up and put in my stiletto boots to start my workday. I get up very early - typically 4am - since that is my most creative time. I’d left my stiletto boots by my kitchen table, ready to put on in the morning. Now, I have three pair of stiletto boots - one is quite a luxurious OTK pair in black Nubuck suede with 9cm heels. The other two are the same style in Italian Heels, their Tina model. One is in black leather with 10cm heels, the other is in very dark brown leather in 12cm heels. I thought I had put in my 12cm ones this morning and was happily congratulating myself in a major breakthrough. To be sure I was only traipsing around my boat, but doing it was an ease I’d never imagined myself managing in 12cm stilettos. I was really quite chuffed - bring on the Hot Chicks! I did a lot of extra walking around, just to enjoy this breakthrough all the more. Had I been moored ina more heel friendly location I’d have gone for a celebratory stroll. Alas, I discovered I had mixed up my boots and was wearing my 10cm stilettos, not the 12s. Back to beginners again ….

There are an increasing number of companies that are suspending shipments to the United States - it’s simply not worth the costs and complications I see that Royal Mail is no longer accepting companies parcels for US delivery …

That’s hugely impressive to go 200 metres in a pair of 13cm Hot Chicks. And @mlroseplant is literally miles ahead of me. I’m afraid I am very much bringing up the rear. I can walk quite comfortably for a decent distance -when opportunity offers - in my 10cm knee boots and my 9cm OTK boots. And yes, it is quite exciting to do it and satisfying to be able to do so. I am very much looking forward to attempting my first 200 metre walk in my 12cm boots. That will be really fun

For me the problem is getting that half mile! Heels - especially stilettos ! - and boat life is an uneasy mix. I can, and do, wear my chunky heeled boots out and about. It can be a bit of a challenge along parts of the towpath, but it’s doable. Stilettos are almost hilariously inappropriate. It’s not just a matter of balance, it’s also a big risk for ruining the heels/boots. Nevertheless I’m practicing on board and working out places where I can go to practice - changing into my heels once I get there. It takes a certain amount of dedication and I must admit there are days when I decide I’ll just wear them here on the boat, and make another pot of coffee …

Wow! Thats great! And very impressive - as I work at mastering my 12cm stiletto boots, the thought of adding yet another centimetre and without the ankle support offered by boots seems a really serious challenge. Well done for going for a stroll outside in them. Real world walking is also vastly more challenging than pottering around the house. I can imagine you’d be well motivated. its funny how these little successes motivate you to press on and keep trying. I am finding that with my 12cm heels. i also find that after wearing my 12cm heels for a while, my 10cm heels feel so incredibly easy.

Hideous. Truly hideous.

Frankenstein seems to be supplying the style cues to modern fashion designers

If the heel height is actually the same, yes. But many makers scale the height of the heel to the shoe size, as per the Italian Heels size chart above.

Sounds monstrous.

Passing through Leeds train station today. Although the overwhelming majority of people are in trainers, there are a surprising number of heels being worn including stilettos. Nearly all the heels being worn are boots, and generally chunky heels There are sure a lot of ugly boot styles out there …

I’ve made a virtue out of necessity by buying very good quality- but very few pairs. I think it’s worked out well!

According to the Italian Heels heel height chart, a 12cm heel is actually 14.5cm in a size 45. As you can see they base their nominal heel heights on a size 38. So you and @higherheels will be pretty close to the nominal heel height, but I don’t get to “cheat” by having longer feet. The lines, proportions and the steepness will be the same as yours. Which is nice, even if it means I can’t cheat and have to work just as hard to master 12cm heels - it’s not the number that I like but the aesthetics and so I am pleased to have the same aesthetic despite my larger size. How frustrating it would be otherwise! Sizeaaaaaaaaaa 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 . Heel 8 cm 07,0 07,5 08,0 08,3 08,5 09,0 09,3 09,5 09,7 10,0 Heel 10 cm 09,0 09,5 10,0 10,5 11,0 11,5 11,7 12,0 12,3 12,5 Heel 12 cm 11,0 11,5 12,0 12,5 12,7 13,0 13,5 13,7 14,0 14,5 Suede is not readily worn in Britain either although this year you can pretty much wear suede with impunity. We’re having a drought here, our reservoirs and rivers are at historic lows and some of the canals are closed because there is insufficient water to work the locks.

The one in the right definitely looks significantly taller, although I can also see where it could be an optical illusion too. But 6mm would definitely make a difference in terms of wearability - especially at those lofty heights. I wore my 12cm boots for a couple hours this morning - making breakfast (in the midst of which I had to go out on my well deck (bow) to change gas canisters! Right as I was heating water for coffee.) I still have a long way to go to achieve anything like effortlessness in 12cm stilettos

It must be the angle. I'm on my way back to my boat after ten days in the Scottish highlands. Not great for wearing heels! I did get some practice in at my hotels. Slowly getting used to the extra height and steeper pitch

That’s the one! Sitting in front of a tapestry that once belonged to Henry VIII. This image has been brightened up considerably - photoshop? The real one is much more muted. Men in those days were peacocks at court- all silks, laces, bright colours and heels. The along came the Age of Enlightenment in the early/mid 18th century and suddenly science, intellectualism, and philosophy were the fashion. Broadcloth and sensible shoes were in, heels and silk stockings were out

I don’t think anyone should be required to wear heels - or a tie for that matter I would like to see a whole lot less rigidity in how we dress, and much more freedom of expression.

Out and about today in Edinburgh and while strolling through the art collection on display in the Throne Room at Holyrood House I took a good look at the grand portrait of Charles II in all his 17th century splendour - which included ankle boots with what appear to be 10cm heels. A reminder of the days when high heels were a specifically masculine fashion

As a creative I detest AI and boycott it scrupulously - on more grounds than I can count.

I was thinking of your Hot Chicks and guessing they were roughly the same price as my custom OTK boots. It’s nice to have something special like that. Definitely worth the effort of learning to walk well in them! I hope that is going well

Yes they are expensive. Depending on the style - they do quite a range of boots, from fashion to country boot to vintage styles for the classic car/motorcycle/aviation enthusiasts - the prices range from about €650 to €1200. Mine are at the lower end. Most custom makers - and there aren’t many these days - charge a lot more. These are all hand made in France and are fully custom, even the soles. Mine fit perfectly, the nubuck suede is thick and luxurious and they’ll last forever. So it seemed a good investment. My other two stilettos are not custom though. The OTK ones are special

Yes it is very difficult to find nice fashion heels in my size. It can be done but you have to be committed enough to spend. I’d always wanted to try wearing heels and when I finally summoned the nerve to do it, I decided to do it well and buy some really nice ones. Jean Gaborit is fully custom and make gorgeous boots in just about any size. And so my collection of heels is quite small but very nice.