Shyheels

Banks branches are disappearing in Britain pretty quickly too - a bit like stilettos 

I know what you mean about stilettos. I’ve a couple pair of stiletto boots that I wish I could walk fluently in but my natural aesthetic taste is always fit block heels and so I always choose those whenever I decide to wear heels 

Those are very nice boots.

Those are wonderful boots! Love the styling and the heels! And proper leather too 

I’m so pleased it all worked out so well for you - and also that you have such a sympathetic wife. A nice story with a happy ending 

Even in blocky 3.5” heels a lumpy towpath can easily cause you to miss for footing or turn an ankle. 

My feet are narrow and long and I’ve always had trouble finding shoes that fit with any precision. Footwear manufacturers just do not seem to believe that anyone has narrow feet - any more than they believe there are any females with feet larger than a UK8

Muddy towpaths wouldn’t do them any favours either 

Yes that would just tire you out walking 20,000 steps - not the same kind of foolishness as heavy lifting, mowing lawns, or working locks on a canal (dangerous)

I too have never worn metal heel tips nor would I want to for just the reasons mentioned above. Why trash your nice wooden floor or carpet, or somebody else’s?

since most of my boots are block heels anyway it’s not an issue I worry much about.

And I too dislike kitten heels - they’re neither fish nor fowl as the saying goes. If you’re going to wear stilettos they should be long and thin, like the blade of a dagger - not like the blade of a jackknife. 

33 minutes ago, Puffer said:

Thigh boots with heels (but not perhaps stiletto) would be of benefit in such an environment.   Why not push the boat out?

I do wear OTK boots with heels (and without) and they are a benefit - especially on cold mornings, either inside or standing at the tiller. Stilettos though would not only be silly but dangerous)

If I'm struck down today my last pair will have been some dark grey suede OTK boots with 3" block heels. Lovely and warm on a cold damp day

Yes, a bold move to be sure.

In my world stepping off a boat onto a muddy towpath in stilettos is not something I fancy trying. 

Well I’m wearing a pair of ankle boots at the moment with 3.5” block heels. So if I’m struck by lightning or some such today, those will be the ones. 

Nice styling! And good to see them offered as menswear 

It’s been very wet here - and continues to be so - and I do not wear my suede boots outside for that reason but in my home office where they stay dry and I stay warm! And my feet and calves especially so

Chilly and raw in Yorkshire - for me at work it was heavy suede OTK boots with 4” heels

Why not?

I see noticeably more heels in the north of England that I ever saw in London 

34 minutes ago, Cali said:

Great about the green stilettos, but the man in the skirt could just be a lost Scotlander.  😁

It was no kilt. It was a skirt. Nobody wears tights with their kilt! 😊

I was travelling around northern England today and for the first time saw a man wearing a skirt. No heel, just tights and low-heeled ankle boots. A grey and black skirt and a leather jacket. This was at Leeds. Quite a modest ensemble and nobody gave him a second glance.

Also at Leeds a middle aged woman wearing some bright green stiletto ankle boots with what looked to be 4” heels. Quite striking. Not seen such flamboyant stilettos in quite a while.

3 minutes ago, Jkrenzer said:

I wear stilettos almost 100% of the time. I admit I occasionally get stompy too, but that usually only happens when I'm tired.

I’m relieved to hear that because you are obviously an expert 

Well put! I know exactly what you mean, although I'm no gait geek myself. 

That said, I am conscious of the fact that in stilettos I am too stompy and would like to lose that stompiness.  Likewise I was aware of the moment when walking in my 3.5 inch heeled ankle boots suddenly 'clicked' and I could feel my gait shifting into something fluid and which I knew instinctively to be right. 

Me, on the other hand - all of my heels are boots, and very much on the casual side of things. I've never been one for the corporate look, no suits or ties or even men's dress shoes for me. I've always been the outdoorsy writer/photographer editors sent to remote places - not the one they wanted covering politics or the billionaires' gabfest at Davos. When it came to buying my first pair of heels I veered well away from the iconic stiletto pumps. That corporate look was more alien and unsettling to me than the heels.

I have a couple pair of stilettos but they are knee boots and by definition smart casual, especially with skinny jeans. All my others are chunky or slender heels, from about 2 inches to about 3.5 inches. I like owning a couple of pairs of stilettos, but it's the chunky heels that get worn the vast majority of the time. they are more me.       

Men are still living in the era of the Great Male Renunciation as some psychologist in the 1920s termed it. That was the period in the 18th century when men forswore any form if theatre, colour or ornamentation in dress in favour of some vague ideal of the thinking man. And here we are two hundred and fifty years down the track still uptight about breaking ranks, having painted ourselves into an ever smaller style corner.

I’ve never really taken the trouble to analyse my walk, although I know I could be better, smoother and more fluid. I guess I think if it more like ice skating - so many things needs to come together for you to do it well. I tend to go for overall movement, the whole of the motion, rather than try to break it down into parts. To me that complicates thinks too much.