Cali

2 hours ago, pebblesf said:

It was like Cali said in the Levis store, the women's jeans did have waist/inseam sizes on them.  But, I don't think those measurements can be equated with the men sizes we might normally wear.  Women are built differently, have different curves, and pants sit differently.  Nonetheless, it seemed helpful to me, directing me a little closer to a size I might be able to wear.  But, it seemed confusing to me that no conventional women's sizes were listed on the tags.  Nonetheless, seems like women's styles might be changing (duh, no that was a dumb observation), because I didn't say much labeling about stretch/super skinny etc.  Most of the jeans were 501s, high waisted, which I wasn't really interested in.  Wore these conventional 512s for many hours yesterday, tucked in and out of the boots.  I think I made the right choice, at least in terms of what the store had to offer.   Will work on pictures later.  

30" waist!  Dang, you take good care of yourself Melroseplant!  

sorry, didn't mean to derail the original discussion.  D

I hope you tried on many styles while there. I wear 311's, size 30 x 30, mid rise, I like the shaping of the 311's.  I was thinking that 501's might work for you.  You are correct, the variety of sizes and shapes can be overwhelming and confusing. I also have a  pair of curvy jeans size 8 that fit great. It's like heels, you got to try many to find that one that fits right.  Might try Express and look at legging while there.

Flare jeans are the current fashion.

I wear Levi's, Express, and a few other brands of jeans.  Sizing is inconsistent because of many things. How flexible are the jeans? Are they "curvy"?

Levi' come in width and length, others in only petite, regular, long fixed lengths. I have some Hyper-flex jeans from Express in "M" that are a range of sizes. I have many size 10 and one size 8. And then you have the rise: low, mid, high, sky high, ...

2 hours ago, pebblesf said:

I suppose this is a case where I should go to an actual retail store and try on different sizes and styles that I might like...

Thanks  Don

The best thing to do is to go try on different sizes and styles.  I not saying go try and buy, but go find what fits so you know what to look for.  Go to a Levi's store and try on as many as you like.  The staff is use to men trying on women's jeans as well as women trying on men's jeans. Go to other brick and mortar places and try jeans on.  But most importantly, have fun.

5 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

I am with you about almond toes being my favorite. I don't find a significant difference between the way pointy/almond/round fits, but maybe that's because although my big toe is the longest, it is by a mere millimeter. As far as square toes go, I've never owned a pair in my life of any style. Not even in the '90s did I succumb to the idea that square toes were ok. I think I can probably survive the rest of my life without square toes.

I, also, have not bought men's shoes for a long while, but it has nothing to do with ankle reconstruction. Since neither of my ankles has ever been de-constructed, there is probably little reason for re-construction. My reason has to do with the width, since my feet are both short in length and narrow in width compared to what is commonly available for men's shoes in your typical retail establishment. Other than width (and sheer choice of colors and styles), I have not found a great deal of difference between the way a woman's shoe fits and a man's, if one is comparing similar styles. A men's size 7 Nike athletic  shoe is going to fit similarly to a women's size 9 Nike athletic shoe, except for the width.

Once you get into dress shoes, yes, I will agree there's a huge difference. The man's shoe is constructed much more sturdily, with thicker materials all around. A man's dress shoe will last many, many years if taken care of. Not so with women's dress shoes. I suppose that's ok with us because we like to switch it up a little more often than every 15 years. A woman's dress shoe is just a little wisp of a thing, init? Not very supportive, which is why we have to have stronger feet than your average person.

Pumps did take me a long while to get right, but I think I've found a few pair that are a decent balance between staying on and not pinching my toes. I still don't understand how many women manage to slip into their pumps no-handed, yet not walk right out of them afterwards. That's one of the mysteries of life, I guess.

My toe box has a wide girth and I have thin heels, pear shape.  In men's sizes I have to go to a (U.S.) size 9 - 9.5 EEE just to get my toes in.  Then I have about 3/8+ inch gap on each side of my heel.  So my ankle can slide side to side and I can't plant. That led to hundreds of ankle sprains.  But I fit women's size 10 with no problem.  Toes go in easily and heel does not side.

Flat men's sandals never fit, the ankle strap girth was always too long without the strap itself so could never get them to fit.

Because of my large toe box, the vamp or throat of every pump I have ever tried (and there have been many) cuts into my tendons. I have even tried using padding to hold the vamp off the tendons, but it still hurts.

My podiatrist says I have the highest instep arch she has ever seen and recommends (in writing) that I wear shoes with at least a 2.5 inch heel.  She has seen me in 4+ inch stilettos. 

I'm sadden to hear this. I had corresponded with Megan on occasion as well. 

I switched to wearing only women shoes in 2011. Haven't purchase "men's" shoes since. After my last ankle reconstruction, I determine the major reasons for my ankle issues was my foot really didn't fit men's shoes. My foot shape fits so much better in shoes designed for a women's foot. No ankle issues since then. But I am very lucky that I'm mostly a U.S. women's size 10.  I enjoy in-person shoe shopping, since I can try on shoes and decide right there and then if they fit, but I purchase maybe 40% on line. I have about a 60% luck with on-line purchases. And I only buy new shoes.

When I first started purchasing heels higher than 3 inches I would hide them under long pants. I never thought I would be wearing knee high stiletto boots over my skinny jeans. Since then I have embraced the fact that I NEED to wear shoes with at least a 3.75 inch rise, so I no longer hide them, but proudly display them.

I have never found a pump that fits my foot, so I don't even look at them any more. 

Lululemon leggings are nice BUT pricey.  I have legging from various sources.  Compression leggings are great for sporting endeavors. I really like my textured pairs from Express and wished I had bought more therma leggings from VSX while they sold them.  And I do wear them in public with heels.

Today I wore a related garment, the yoga pant. Less compression and flared legs, pic when I have time.

1 hour ago, pebblesf said:

I would really love to try leggings, but have short "chicken legs".  Was thinking about some of those athletic leggings also, even though I'm no athlete...

Short legs, try petite length.  Know you size and look at the different lengths available.  

Luckily she is very mobile, walks without a cane. Stopped playing golf when the pandemic hit, it lost the social aspect of it.

I wear lots of open toe shoes with out socks or stocking, so I want my feet and toes to look good.  I've been getting pedicures for over 16 years.  I enjoy the lower leg massage and foot scrubbing. My pedicurist remarked that I getting the same pads that women who wear heels get. I'm a regular, so I know many of the other clients. I have heard some wild things from some of these women, it's a side of women many men never see.  LOL

I either wear shorts or leggings in so I can pull them up.  Each time it is different color scheme - design - art. Red and pink hues are very, very rare; I might have red in a black with red stripe zebra design.  I have 10 pieces of art on my toes that I like to change monthly.

I visited my mother for her birthday shortly after I tore my calf and it was still too swollen to wear pants. Heels and/or a scooter was my only way to get around so she saw me in heels.  Which is good since I wear heels almost all the time. But I haven't shown her my colored toenails.

She just turned 101 a few months ago, unfortunately she is starting to lose it.

I remember all the nice heels I saw in the stores and on the streets in Argentina in 2015. But I couldn't look at them or try them on in person.  Too bad.

There once was a brand, Cathy Jean, that had their shoes made in Argentina, I have only one pair but they are very well made.  Too bad they went out of business.

High Heel Day Sandals.

Pulled these 'vintage" lace-up wedge Steve Madden sandals for my trip to Costco this morning. Ukraine Tip nails.

13 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

I actually injured myself (slightly) trying to parody how a young security guard used to react to me at the social media site where I work. I didn't think that was possible, but I guess I'm getting old. To be clear and G rated, she used to jump up and down and throw her arms up in the air, and yell "Squirrel! Squirrel! Squirrel!" when she saw my car coming up to the entrance gate. I'm not making this up. Ask my coworkers. This slight injury doesn't affect my ability to wear heels at all, luckily. It only affects my ability to do my job. So, no problem.

I see workman's compensation for your injury at work.

Sorry to hear this.  Surgery like this is scary as a patient. I wish you good luck and swift recovery.

A major part of wearing heels in public is CONFIDENCE.  If you act like it is no big deal, most people wont even notice. If you show any weakness you leave yourself open to criticism. 

So @Puffer are these sandals? Open toe perforated (with a back) or the open-toed backless mules.

How about these?

3 hours ago, 5150PLB1 said:

You guys are so lucky to be able to wear sandals in public. It's closed toes for me only, even for men's shoes. My toenails are so hideous they have been declared super fund sites.

Stop being envious and do something about it. Toenail problems can indicate other issues. Take care of your health, you want to wear high heels for as long as you can.

I have major titanium non-OEM parts and those don't set off the detectors, but the zippers in my boots do.

I would avoid stilettoes because airport floors are usually slick.

I have been flying in heels since 2015. Ankle boots with zippers always, easy off/on.

Remember you might need to remove your shoes, especially if they have metal zippers.

Scotland in May is damp(?), go with the jeans.

I have come across a few men with painted fingernails, more than  "novelty".  Many more with painted toes.

Market driven, Law of Large Numbers. Do you want 50% of a small market or 5% of a huge market. If I write an entry level book and get 10% of the market, that could mean 500,000 copies sold whereas a high end book might get 80% of the market and sell only 30,000 copies.  The ideal situation is 80% of a large market. 

Only one day a year????  Come on, every day is High Heel Day.  Why limit yourself to one day to celcbrate????