Shyheels

It’s always boot season in my book…

Yes, there is certainly a falling off of heel wearing, possibly a legacy of the pandemic when casualness became chic. I do not see many platforms over here but when I do, they are, as you observed, generally the massive soles on combat boots or Doc Martins and not really heels as such. 

Nice though that her top-of-mind thought was that you were wearing sandals - cooler in the heat - than that they were heels. A sort of matter of fact acceptance of the heels 

Delivery services are pretty dreadful these days - at best they just dump the box at your door and walk away whether you’re home or not. And it’s not too infrequent that you’ll get an email to say they’ve been unable to deliver a parcel and you know damn well they haven’t even tried because you’ve been in all day

I know that the first time I wore five inch stilettos, my calf muscles got the best workout I’ve ever had

That’s quite a story!

I love their boots - the fit, the leather, the craftsmanship are all just superb and as you say they are made to last. And made in France too, not some Far East sweatshop

Nice story and nice boots! You’re lucky to have such a fun living and supportive wife 

Great minds - I’m lounging in coral shorts and a dusky pink T-shirt today in our 25°C “heatwave”. No heels, or shoes of any sort, just barefoot, with a book and a cool drink

Sorry to hear about your previous girl - Slovenian? - as it sounded promising but delighted you’ve moved on so successfully. Good luck with the citizenship!

1 hour ago, bootsmike said:

I hope you don't mind if I ask, but did you by any chance have these boots manufactured by Jean Gaborit?

Indeed I did!

Yes thanks. Obviously they scale the heel height to match the size of the boot, which maintains the right proportions and lines up and down the size range. 

2 hours ago, bootsmike said:

The brand is Sanctum from Italy. I bought them at www.shoebidooshoes.com

I like those a lot. Do they come in large sizes? 

Such things can be intensely frustrating, especially when you see them repeated again and again with such blithe ignorance. In such circumstances shouting at screens is entirely acceptable!

There is a kind of Fall-of-Rome feel to the world these days, isn’t there?

It depends on the sole. The leather soles on my boots - admittedly custom and expensive - are sturdy and durable, designed to be worn, walked in and last for ages, and then be resoled if necessary. So leather soles can be good, but you have to find the right boot or shoe maker.

Those are very nice boots!!!

I am not into leggings, but I’d love to find a nice pair of leather jeans to go with my ankle boots.

Yes, I was just reading just this morning about IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes trick of “adjusting” the reviews of various “woke” movies to ensure they are glowingly reviewed, whether the reviewers themselves liked the film or not. 

Why not? One would expect a pair of boots to outlast a two hour rain

I have some quite nice custom made boots by Jean Gaborit that have lasted for years already and still look great. They can be re-soled as well so I will be  enjoying them for many years to come.

Ultimately so many reviews - good and bad - are written after a single wearing, or a single day, and are fairly meaningless. As was noted earlier, by the time you give something a fair try, enough to comment meaningfully on its durability, and ease of break-in, it’s fit over time, there’s a good chance that model will have been superseded in the relentless rush for “the next thing”.

People write reviews based on all sorts of loopy or idiosyncratic criteria. I noticed a review just this morning on Amazon where the reviewer gave a book a one-star review because it arrived a few days later than he had expected. So, no, a lot of reviews just aren’t fair or are simply useless, and that would apply to footwear as well.

Most reviews are useless anyway as they’re usually written a day or two after the item arrived - before the purchaser can possibly have used or worn it sufficiently to judge its merits.

What a lovely offer!!! 

Heels aside, I love the sound of those eggrolls and crab rangoons. I wish you'd open up an annex in Sussex!