Shyheels

I agree that heels are an accessory - a finishing touch, but the act of choosing heels is a statement. By the same token the heels I like are those in which the heels are part of a larger whole. They should contribute to the overall aesthetic, not dominate it. I love the aesthetic of 12cm heels but 14 and up just ruins the look for me. At that point it’s all about the heels

Heels themselves are a statement - they’re about self expression

I don’t have any 11cm heels but it sounds like a great idea to buy some and use them to train for the 12cm height.

Absolutely! In places where I’ve moored the towpath is doable in heels and there I’ve certainly noticed the difference between that and walking on the hardwood floor in my boat! im not embarrassed by the fact that I like wearing heels - but I would be embarrassed to be seen fumbling around in them.

Because I have to walk a ways down the towpath to do my shopping I have a good sized rucksack for carrying groceries. No problem to put my stiletto boots in and change at the park once I’m off the towpath. The walking surface is good in the park. As for photos you are mistaking me for someone else. I’ve never posted a photo of myself in heels. There was another member who lived in the north of England who used to post pics of himself at cafes. Not me. That said I am thinking of setting up some shots in the park if I can work out some good compositions. Professional pride won’t allow me to post snapshots. So I’ll work out some good angles and backgrounds, practice a bit and see how I go

To everything a season

Like you I wish I had been able to summon the nerve to wear boots and heels much earlier. It is silly and foolish to allow yourself to be so hobbled by the opinions of others, especially in something that in the bigger scale of things is so trivial. It’s not like wearing heels is a sin, or a crime, or damaging to anyone - it’s simply expressing yourself in fashion. Allowing yourself to have fun. And once you realise and accept that it is such a relief to unload all that useless angst

Yes, living on a boat does make things tricky in terms of wearing heels. Obviously I can wear them in the boat, and while I’m working at my home office. I’ve a nice hardwood floor and can get up from my table and putter around the galley, make coffee, cook meals, and do chores, and in that regard I suppose I am no different than anyone who wears heels to an office in the city- they spend most of their days sitting down at a desk or conference table. I just don’t have the commute! I also don’t have a ready means of practicing and acquiring the effortlessness in wearing heels that is so important. Especially with regards to mastering the 12cm stilettos to which I aspire. Even in the 10cm ones, which I'm fairly comfortable with, I could do with some longer walks etc. I really need to figure out some way of managing this. I can go to the local park, change into my heels and practice there, although I am reluctant to do my practicing in public as I feel silly looking like such a beginner in my 12cm heels - yet if I don’t put in the practice I’ll never gain the skill. And I really want to gain that skill. I also worry about the fragility of my stiletto heels. I know the song These Boots Were Made for Walkin’ - but how far and in what conditions? I’m not at all worried about going out in my chunky heeled ankle and OTK boots - and as long as the towpath isn’t a sea of mud (and it sure hasn’t been lately in our drought) I’m happy to walk to town in them. And on the bright side with my stilettos, I do derive some benefit in wearing them in my “office” simply for the liberated, creative feel wearing them inspires. I’m just not gaining that effortlessness that completes the look.

I think if you’re going to wear heels you really need to be able to wear them well, especially the loftier stilettos. It can be easy to look foolish or a little desperate. The trick is to make it look effortless. i can see where 12cm could be hard to pair up with something nice for the office. I’m fortunate in working from home, my boat, and can wear jeans and stilettos whenever

@higherheels - yes boat life can be challenging on many fronts and certainly isn’t for everyone ! It does make wearing heels problematic as the towpath and grassy banks are tricky in heels and can easily wreck a pair of stilettos. I can wear my chunky heeled ankle boots (8cms) and often do - but stilettos are tough. If I’m moored in a city I can do it - tied alongside a paved wharf. Otherwise the way to go is to change into stilettos once I’m off the towpath. It’s one of the reasons I’ve procrastinated about taking up my 12cm heels - it’s easier not to bother. But now that I’ve started this I’m going to make the extra effort! There is a park about 3kms away with nice paved footpaths for practicing, im rather shy about being seen in my 12cm stilettos - not because im embarrassed to wear them but because i am not good at walking in them yet, i need to boost the skill level. @mlroseplant - I am really impressed with your distances. Like you I like the athletic challenge of mastering heels - and if I can master my 12cm stilettos I shall be well pleased with myself! I know you walk quite long distances in 10cm - distances that would be beyond me. I can walk quite well in 10cm in pottering about but I’ve never attempted a long walk @higherheels - are you walking 1.5kms in 12cms? That’s a real accomplishment if you are! And inspirational. i might as part of my training take my 10cm as well as 12cm to train in the park. i really would love to master the art of 12cms …

For me it is very much the elegance and the aesthetic lines of the 12cm heels with the athleticism involved an attractive bonus. The degree of difficulty adds to the imperiousness and majesty of being able to walk gracefully in them. I agree - Anyone who wants to shorten their tendons is just an idiot in the end it’s just footwear - fun, stylish, chic and with skill attached. But that’s it

Yes, welcome! I would like the 60s too. It was the era of the go-go boot and fun.

Definitely worth it! These will fit beautifully and last for many years - on that basis a bargain

Yes shortened tendons can become a problem - although I think you have to be pretty much living in high heels and over a fairly long period of time for it to become a significant problem. You’re doing a lot of hiking by the sounds of things so you should be fine but there are lots of Achilles tendon stretches one can do. I used to loads of stretching back in my marathon running and fencing days, something I really want to get back to - and not just for wearing heels. @higherheels I can totally sympathise about lack of opportunity to wear lofty heels. I live on a canal boat. Towpaths are usually muddy or stony and even getting off a narrowboat in heels can be a risky proposition - a great chance of breaking a stiletto heel or toppling over into the canal. I am probably one of the very few people living on the canal who owns high heels, let alone 12cm stilettos. And I’d be willing to bet almost anything nobody owns a pair of Hot Chick 130s!

For the longest time I've wanted to master the art of wearing 12cm stilettos. I've always loved the asthetics and lines of that height a heel and wished could manage them - although without ever really putting in the necessary time and effort to accomplish this. I own a pair of elegant chocolate-brown 12cm stiletto knee boots, which I try on wistfully every now and then, but take off when my calves start cramping up and because I feel too teetery in them. In the course of breezy exchanges with @higherheels who wanted to master her 13cm Hot Chicks and @mlroseplant who wanted to improve his already formidable skills (both of these members are way beyond me) I've been making a concerted effort to put in some time in my 12cm stilettos every day, even if its just sitting down to write and getting up every now and then to make coffee or fix myself a snal, or take another fascinated turn around the room. It's not going badly - and it's certainly fun. Today I'm in Scotland on assignment, and have brought along my 12cm knee boots - for hotel room practice Even if I ws competent in them, they're not exactly suitable for waling in the heather!

As I sit in a hotel in Scotland this morning, where I have come on assignment (and yes I brought me 12cm stiletto boots!) I am wondering is we oughtn't to start a separate thread to support each other in our effects to aim high? I thought I would start one in the For Everybody column if that's all right?

Up early and into my stilettos to make coffee and breakfast - but not so successfully. The breakfast was great! The practice in 12cm heels not so much. I was simply clumsy this morning - no other word for it. I wasn’t wearing my heels they were wearing me! I do have some excuse. Those who know me know I live aboard a narrowboat and this morning for whatever reason the boat was shifting a little even thought the canal was smooth. It was very subtle but when you’re perched atop 12cm stilettos and you’re not used to it having the floor shifting even slightly can have an exaggerated effect! still I put in a couple of hours in them - mainly sitting and writing it must be said - but keeping to my vow to practice a little every day!

Great minds think alike! I wore my 12cm stiletto boots while cooking too! It’s the perfect way to practice. You move around and stand and start to develop a feel for them. My calf muscles did all right. A bit of cramping when I first stood up, but not too bad. i get up very early to write (I’m a writer as well as a photographer) and I put on my boots to make coffee and then wore them just while I wrote. It was just nice wearing them. And then made breakfast in them - after that I needed a break! Well done on the Hot Chick 130s! I hope you made a nice meal while wearing them.

Hurrah! The more the merrier! I did in fact get out my very elegant chocolate-brown 12cm stiletto knee boots yesterday afternoon and tried them on - for the first time I well over a year. Well! Those extra two centimetres do many a difference! I'd forgotten! I tottered about a bit, as a means of reacquainting myself with this loftier height. I love their imperious aesthetic and was pleased to be wearing them - and with the benefit of this little support group that seems to be forming, I'm going to stick to it!

Absolutely! I might even give mine a try this afternoon … small doses and start building up! No time like the present! I’ve been meaning to do this for some time! Let’s see how we do

I shall do the same! Except 12cm in my case. I just had a birthday so it makes it easier to sound like a New Year’s resolution! Train to walk gracefully in lofty 12cm stilettos …

I totally get the laziness and routine when it comes to taking the easy way and choosing heels you know are easy to wear. I have some chunky heel ankle boots (8cm) that I wear a lot - they look nice, and I like them, and wearing them is easy. And for stilettos, the 9 and 10cm are again the easy option. Moving up to 12cm - possibly via 11cm - requires commitment and effort. As with the 13cm ones for you. I’m sure it will be worth the effort - in both of our cases. But actually summoning the energy to do it …?

That’s a good idea. I would love to be able to walk well in 12cm stilettos. I really like the aesthetics of them. An 11cm heel would make a good compromise as I work my way up. I have 9cm and 10cm stilettos both of which I am quite comfortable in - to manage 12cm would be a nice accomplishment. Speaking of accomplishments, good luck with the 13cm heels! That will be very impressive to master the art of walking gracefully in those.

I wonder if maybe the initial cramps I suffered were because my calves were strong as @higherheels originally suggested - I’ve always done a lot of sports that require strong calves, to the point where if I was going to the gym I would actually have a hard time finding an exercise that would really work my calves - until I tried wearing 12cm stilettos! The 10cm would do it a bit but the 12cm heels were the killers. I suspect it was the combination of strong calf muscles and the unaccustomed isometric exercise of wearing lofty stiletto heels that was the cause. i seldom wear my 12cm heels much as i like the appearance. I’ve never developed the skill to wear them gracefully and so I always opt for other boots. I should make a concerted effort - although I expect at the start I’d experience those savage cramps again

There are definitely benefits to wearing stilettos - balance, muscle tone, posture, strong ankles It ought to be better known!