ShockQueen

I have also found that it's way easier to pull it off by co-ordinating your heels with the rest of your outfit. If you do it half-arsed, then it looks bad no matter how you slice it. There is a certain pride when it comes to donning a pair of heels to go with an outfit. I know it's something I've taken to heart when picking out a good pair of heels - knowing that I can actually wear them without them sticking out like a sore thumb.

I don't need to tell a story when heeling in public - if they ask what I'm wearing, I'm very straightforward about it. Yes, I've gotten looks, glares, and questions, but I really don't care - I wear what I like, period. If they can't handle it, then they don't need to look - they can go elsewhere. I think my poor sneakers have been worn maybe once or twice in the last few months.

It does feel good, doesn't it bladerunner? The key is to just act like you always do, and don't really put any emphasis on what you have on your feet - just think of them as your everyday wardrobe, and the rest just falls into place :-) I think it forces you to coordinate your wardrobe a bit more too, and those in charge will notice you are taking more care to look good, which is an added bonus!

This is how I feel, so please........no flame wars........ I am very, VERY proud of what our country has done this year. We have made history for our nation by electing Barack Obama. I believe that he will bring about the positive change this nation SO desperately needs. We broke a stereotype of what person can become president, and if we can do that, we really can do anything. This is my own bias, but a large portion of my friends are of the gay/lesbian community, and I know if McCain & Palin would have been elected, their rights would have been flushed down the toilet faster than you can say "Trent Lott". I am grateful that did not happen, and now we have a chance for real change in our country - to move in a new, and positive direction. Yes......I am VERY proud to be an American right now. GO USA!!!!

For a Kathryn Kerrigan brand, that's not a bad price. Until I saw who made them, I almost choked on the cost, as that's usually steep - just not steep for her brand :-) Nice find!

1986 Subaru XT Coupe - 5 speed, 1.8L engine. My "Tron-mobile", as it were, since it looks like it could have come out of a videogame with all the interesting angles.

white mock turtleneck dark blue flared jeans from Lane Bryant 3 1/2" grey suede ankle boots dark purple nail polish w/pearl tips french style

I'm amazed things have gone so well this year with my fashion choices. Anyone who says you can't have your own style and still be professional must be in a very limited work environment. Perhaps I'm just lucky where I am, but they don't mind the little things I do. I now regularly wear women's jeans with nice tops, paint my nails, have nice moderate heels on (4" or less - no thin stilettos), longish hair, and now have 2 piercings in each ear again. What I find interesting about this whole style change, is that I've gotten to know more of the women on the floor on a conversational level and have visited with them much more than I think I would have othewise. Perhaps it's the similar interests, but some say they keep an eye out to see what new style I'm sporting that day. I don't make a huge deal about it - it's just another set of clothes as far as I'm concerned, and I work as hard as I usually do - nothing changed there. I do count myself very fortunate that this place allows a degree of latitude as far as style goes as long as it's kept professional. It's also guided my choices in clothing to more well-done styles, which is a nice side benefit too. No skirts or anything outlandish for me though - I like what I've achieved thus far, and it's helped out immeasurably as far as being able to be relaxed and it's been a real shot in the self-esteem arm as well. SQ -still floating on cloud nine - most likely never to come back down

When I first saw that, I thought the people were the ones WEARING the heels! It took me a second look to realize that they were just the legs on the keyboards.

I haven't been exactly told I look *sexy" in my heels, I've been told by friends and co-workers that I have great taste, and ithey make me look good - is that close enough? :-)

Ah Dr. Shoe.....if I could only afford to fly to the UK, I surely would - but with the dollar-to-pound conversion, it's going to be some time before I can afford to make the trip abroad. I keep thinking about it though! JeffB - you are braver than me, in that you go out in a SKIRT and heels, while I have yet to make that jump. I rather enjoyed your recent thread as well. :-) While I think skirts are WAY cool, I haven't found that magic one yet that does it for me as far as wearing one out goes. Maybe once I drop a few stone - then it might be more possible. I think the only thing I'm wearing to work right now which is technically from the men's side are my pseudo-turtleneck shirts - everything else is from the women's department - pants, polish, heels......oh yeah - love it all!

I've been taking my own advice, and just mixing it up to see how comfortable I can get. So now lately, all my outfits are very what I call "casual female" to an extent. I don't have many outfits to wear, but it's pretty much a combination of a nice pullover, flared dark jeans, polished nails, nice heels (including these boots), and my over-the-shoulder handbag/organizer.

I've worn such outfits out and about many times now, and I don't even give others a second look, although I still catch glances out of the corner of my eye at people who seem to not believe what they are seeing. I don't consider myself "cross-dressing" at this point, but more just general fashion freestyling, which is what drew me to this fun group in the first place.

It's amazing how well things work out once you let go of that inhibition of what is "proper" to wear, and just put together what you feel looks good. You are the one wearing the clothes, just like anyone else - people like us just have more fun DOING it than others. :-)

I got the Lane Bryant Right Fit flared jeans, and I LOVE THEM! They fit me just right, and are just the right length for wearing my heels - absolutely PERFECT! I am SO never going back to men's jeans again!

As I've told others....my high heels are MY shoes! mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Confidence is key, and you'll get it in no time. Just wear them like you would any other pair of shoes and do like you normally do. Fear is the mind killer, as they say in "Dune", so have no fear, hold your head high, and enjoy the day!

I think it's easier to get away with boots for the most part, but I've had fun with it. I wore my grey suede Payless boots to work this past week, and it's either been not noticed at all, or met with nice compliments. I think as long as you put your outfits together nicely, then it's all good, and no one notices much - or if they do, it's in a good light.

Today I wore my usual outfit of a mock turtleneck, flared dark jeans - and today when I went in, since it was yucky out, I wore my sneakers in - but once I sat down at my desk, I slipped them off and put on my new grey twist bootines I got from Payless last week. My sups took notice, and complimented me on my tasteful choices and said the boots looked nice. Nowadays it's become such a norm thing that the only thing that gets noticed is when I change my style. It's not a big thing, so as long as I'm doing good work like I've been doing, it's all smooth sailing. The compliments really put my on cloud nine though, so it was nice riding the euphoria all day long!

Since this really isn't a heel-related topic, I thought it best to move it over here. :-)

I've found Payless sizing to be a bit more "generous" than others, so I've been keeping a feverish eye on their site for more moderate styles to fit into my everyday wardrobe - and I LOVE it when they arrive at the store, because the ladies and I enjoy talking about all the different styles while I size up my purchase to make sure the fit is good.

I didn't think of it for the longest time until I came here. With all the positive interaction and reinforcement I've gotten from everyone here, it's been a very cleansing and "heeling" experience - and yes....I feel SO much better now! Shoes are the elixir that heels all!

I found myself wishing I had done this a lot sooner!

I think that has been said by more people on these boards than anything else. The hurdle gets cleared, and then......the realization. :-)

Thanks for all the great responses - really! I've gotten to the point where I'm just thinking about it as putting together yet another days's wardrobe, and that's about it. I'm going back to just having natural nails here in a few weeks, since the cost is really piling up, and it's a never-ending one at that. I've done some research on recuperating the natural nails underneath with some OPI Nail Envy, so that should do the trick, plus I still have all my fave colours of polish that I can still use. The other part of the reason for cutting expenses, is that we're moving into a larger place - going from a 2-bedroom 1-bath house to a 3-bedroom, 2-bath townhouse! I think that's well worth a small sacrifice. Besides....I have my heels to continue enjoying!

Great posting, JeffB! You pulled it off flawlessly! I think that's the whole key right there - making the look become totally natural, and just being yourself. It shows that you are comfortable with who you are and what you wear. Once you cross that hurdle, everything else is just icing on the cake.

Johnieheel, you have a wonderful wife, who supports you fully (something that is truly a rare gift), and I'm so glad to hear that you're continuing onward despite what happened. Don't let the negative things slow you down, and keep enjoying life! You two are certainly an inspiration to us! :-)

I rather like the image posted, and applaud him for wearing them openly the way he does. Every person has their own preference, whether it be 4" or lower, 5" or above, or a mixture of each! There are way enough heels to go around to suit all tastes -that's what makes them so much FUN!