Shyheels

I agree with you - 8cm is a nice height for chunky heels but too low for the aesthetic of a stiletto.

For me platforms spoil the lines of a stiletto - not so much with block heels, but stilettos have a slender elegance that seem so much at odds, aesthetically, with a platform. It seems like fitting a bull-bar to a Ferrari.

I have a hard enough time giving my seven pair of heels a regular enough rotation!

I can understand why walking or trying to walk in something extreme would then make 12cm seem relatively easy, but I’ll never try them. I really dislike the extreme heel heights. To me they just look ugly, obsessive, raunchy - not at all the sort of thing that attracts me to high heels. To me it’s all about the aesthetics with the heel forming apart of the overall look. I love the lines of 12cm heels with 10cm seeming to be a nice compromise between the imperious elegance of 12cm and real world walkability if it were possible I’d be interested in trying the 13cm Louboutins, just to see what it was like, but the extreme 14cm and up heels have no appeal to me at all. Same with platforms

I tried 10cm heels. Worked a treat! 😀

I’m impressed that you can walk well in 12cm. A friend of mine can also walk well in 12cm - in fact they are her favourite height. She too bought a pair of Louboutin Hot Chick 13cm and while she loved them, aesthetically, she said she rarely wears them. She said she can walk in them but not to the standard she sets herself. As for me my calf muscles go into intense cramps when I try on my 12cm knee boots

Yes a friend of mine who is quite expert in heels says she’s never seen anybody who can walk gracefully in 12cm heels. In her words there’s always some little hitch, some kind of concession And with the point of heels being being grace and style and an easy imperiousness you can’t have it looking like the heel is wearing you instead of the other way around.

They look sturdy enough, and high enough!

Yes. I think you’re right. The cutoff is 12 cm, with a few rare exceptions at 13cm. It’s fairly easy to see why in terms of aesthetics. A 12cm stiletto has very elegant and imperious lines - at 14 or 15cms it’s all about obsession with the heel and nothing else.

I'd use my Jean Gaborit suede OTK boots...

I have never even tried on a pair of pumps but I can readily imagine stepping out of them!

Too high for me - visually and certainly physically. My calf muscles start cramping up pretty quickly in 12cm heels. The better shoe and boot makers scale up (or down) their stated heel heights according to size to keep the same proportions and lines throughout the range. So it’s no easier having big feet - or harder having small feet

Yes I’ve worn almost nothing but boots since I was a teenager - typically hiking boots, but in winter LL Bean Maine Guide boots or those heavy things with the dense felt linings we called snowmobile boots (although we had no snowmobiles) One of the things that attracted me to ladies boots instead of the ones I was supposed to wear was the sheer variety of styles, shapes etc they came in. And heels just added that extra bit of forbidden dash.

Yes I love my 9cm OTK boots I have to admit I would love to try 13cm heels for the experience - but not enough to buy a pair. I shall have to imagine the degree of difficulty

That’s a nice look! I can see where it might seem odd about the foot photos but within the context of your conversation, perfectly natural too - a friendly sort of informality. If you know, you know. a nice compliment too - one that doesn’t over-emphasise the heels, but speaks to the overall look in which the heels are a finishing touch

Maybe I shall give pumps or sandals a try sometime for the experience - although stylistically I much prefer boots. Except for running and cycling I don’t even own any shoes!

I have heard that 13cm heels are a serious challenge even for expert wearers. I love the lines of 12cm stilettos, and own a pair, but I’ve never put in the time and effort to master the art of walking in them. My calf muscles seize up in cramps whenever I try them on! yes a 1cm height difference can make a world of difference. I gave a very lovely pair of black suede OTK boots with 9cm heels and I can walk all day in those.

They seem very presentable and unremarkable with only the colour hinting at their femininity. Sorry to hear about the motorcycle malfunction. Hopefully you can plan another trip soon.

I’ve always preferred boots to shoes - typically hiking boots - so when I went to try high heels for the first time, it was in a pair of stiletto knee boots which I think gave me a bit of an advantage as they offered a bit more support. I started with 10cm heels which was high for a beginner but doable in boots. I've never worn pumps or sandals, only boots. I would kind of like to try sometime, to see what that’s like, how much trickier they are, but because I’m not really a shoes person, I’ve never bought any.

THat's true, and quite a remarkable comment by your waitress. In my experience Americans seem rather prudish or abstemious - I don't mean just on the subject of heels but in so many ways. I lead tours sometimes as a supplement to my meagre income, and generally the guests are elderly Americans. If we visit a Scottish distillery, very few will sample the wares. Likewise wine with meals or coffee or tea afterwards. I feel almost Falstaffian by comparison. They don't sty up late and even the most politically liberal of them have very settled opinions on things like high heels. So in a way your waitress' comment seems par for the course. Unfortunate though.

Yes regular practice or wearing is crucial - even if your heels fit well and are nicely made, you still need to be wearing them reasonably often to develop or maintain the feel of wearing them.

I think your take on the experience most people - women - have with high heels is accurate. Presented as occasional footwear, and with their sole initial experience likely to be something cheap and ill fitting, it’s not likely they would be drawn to trying new and better fitting pairs and styles. One and done. only those who are naturally drawn to them - aesthetically, emotionally or for whatever other reason - are likely to persist. As with anything, you tend to get what you pay for. Although I have heard of expensive shoes being duds, by and large you need to spend more, for better more stable designs, reliable and consistent fit, and better materials - high quality leather and suede. i am fortunate enough to gave a couple pair of custom made boots. The craftsmanship, fit and leathers are beautiful, well worth the money. I’d rather have fewer pair of heels, but comfortable, stylish and well fitting than a closet full of painful ones.

In a lighthearted way I’ve made heels part of my office dress code - since I work from home I can wear what I like and so why not heels? There’s purpose in it too though. I’ve always tried to make it a point to get dressed for work, even though my office is my kitchen table. It can be easy and tempting to slob around in track suit bottoms and T-shirt, but to succeed in working from home you need to create a businesslike atmosphere, to remind yourself that it’s a work day. You don’t need to wear a tie or anything, just make an effort to put on something that communicates to yourself that you’re now at work. What fun it is to do that with stilettos

I think that visually speaking five inch heels are the most elegant - any higher and the proportions start to look wrong, but at five inch or 12cm you reach an ideal combination of height and sophistication. The aesthetics are perfect. Actually walking in them, let alone wearing them all day, is something else. But visually they’ll have strong appeal

I’m glad you had a nice visit. Sounds like your trip is going really well!