Cali

This is what I refer to as large or thick toe box. Shoes with un-adjustable straps and pumps cut my toe tendons. I have had a little relief using a strip of dense foam under the strap. The foam coming from packaging of new shoes. I got this idea from a woman shoe sales associate in a Women's Macy's who was using tissue paper. I put my heels on early in the morning and go off to work. Many times I have them on until late at night, 9:30 pm, so this method does not work long enough. I will sometimes use this method with adjustable straps.

A few months ago I was making small talk with one of the excutives. She always compares heels with me. I had a pair of blue faux suede impo short sitlettos on (3.6 inch) and she said she wish she could find a blue boot as well. I told her that years ago when I got these, the style also came in black and red, but I only bought the black. Her responce, "Why didn't you get the red?" I have three heels in red, two slitghty different styles of Jessica Simpson red suede stiletto booties (1.5 platform, 5.5+ heel) and a burgany Nine West leather knee high booties with a stiletto-ist 3.9 inch heels. I have to pick the time and place to wear them, but I do wear them.

I purchased a hole punch to create extra holes to increase the vamp. This is the reason I can’t wear pumps; I have a large toe box girth. I could never find a pair of men’s sandals that fit my toe box and I could also close the top strap. I would run out of strap to tighten before it was tightened enough. When I converted to only women’s shoes, I found the first sandals that fit my feet.

I have a new pair in my closet waiting for an old pair to give up a strap so I can lengthen the straps that came with the heels. Or maybe I'll just pick up a pair of old shoes at a yardsale.

I have heard some wild things from women while getting a pedi. Eye opening.

My first heel I ever wore out in public was a shootie like this one. Acquired from my first wife's closet around 1979. I needed a pair of dress shoes for a wedding. Wore them until 1998 when they wore out. Good luck with your heeling.

A few days ago, warm day and I needed sandals.

Here's my first entry....a work outfit

It's also thick padding under rugs in plush hotels. I had troble in my JS 4+" knee highs and had to switch to my impo 3.5" high calf boots the next day. Several women told me that they had trouble in heels at the convention and asked how I managed to over come the challenge.

For me it is the girth of my toebox vs the narrowness of my heel. I have to use mens US 9.5 EEE to get my feet into most shoes, then have to deal with 1/2 inch of space on both sides of my heel. Women's regular US size 10 (sometimes 11 on pointed shoes) fits great most of the time. I just have trouble with vamps, especially all pumps and shoes with toe straps that aren't adjustable. I wish I had known this many decades ago and avoided numerous ankle and knee surgeries.

Walking on lawn's in stilettos also causes the stiletto to get very dirty.

As a kid I had metal taps put on my dress shoes. Hated those metal tabs. I also had to endure arch supports, which caused uneven wear. In the 50's early 60's that's part of what they did to control uneven wear on my shoes. The real problem was that my foot is very different from a 'average' man's foot, so all those those things they did to me was to try to force my foot into a boy's shoe. I now understand the damage it did to my knee and ankles. Women's heel is like wearing slippers compare to any ill-fitting men's shoe.

I could easly fill this thread with 365 posts a year. I was at a conference yesterday with over 300 people. Second conference with this group, but I am known by almost all by my foot wear (and nails). Several women told me they wore heels this time because of me last time. It nice to have that sort of influence. I had planned on wearing my knee high JS suede stillettos, but I had trouble walking in my Jessica Simpson 4 inch block knee high on Friday because the carpet padding was thick (plush hotel). So, I wore my 3.5 inch Impo Owney knee high (really only high calf boots). I had several conversations with both women and men about my choice of footwear.

The value of my house has increased by 300% over the last 10 years. If I had bought Apple stock at $10/share, I think it would have now be worth 10000%. And I think @kneehighs hopes his bitcoin investments will be worth more than 100% of what he paid for them.

I agree 100%!