p1ng74

Come

Soles

Filet

Job

Wounds

Component

Space

Slide

GT2

The 3.75” heels were feeling really comfortable walking around the room so I thought I’d see what it was like to take them out for a stroll outside in a very familiar place, and see how different the experience would be.  First thing I noticed walking to the elevator is how much shorter my strides are.   I have been wearing 2.25” heels every day for years, but the extra 1.5” is already a huge difference.  

I decide to also retrieve an item from my car, and it is on the second level of the garage.  Rather than take the elevator, I thought I’d see what it was like to walk on stairs.  Going up was really easy - just went on the balls of your feet like I always do. The parking ramp was on an incline, which is similar to walking down and up hills, and none of this was a problem.  I figured now coming back down the stairs would be easy too.  Wrong.  It was a good thing I held the rail.  I often failed to lift my foot enough to clear the step and was in for a surprise as the heel collided with the corner of the step I had just come from.  This will definitely take practice, and i have new found impression at heelers’ ability to gracefully descend stairs.  Do you all seek out stairs, or would you take an elevator at every opportunity?  

In summary, actually walking outside in heels is a different game than just stepping around the house.  But I also confirmed that the best way to get comfortable in a pair of good shoes is to move in them.  I wore the heels until I went to bed, and when I pulled them off they were still comfortably snug with no pain or numbness.  

Gum

Neptune

I am starting to think white does a better job featuring this color.  Brown seems ok too.  

Clint

Cheese

Macintosh

Yes, noticing someone’s shoes and opening up to strangers to talk about them may be two different things.  People notice my cowboy boots and it leaves a memorable impression, even in Texas.  You don’t initially realize how much people make a mental note but say nothing, until you see someone for the second time and they say “I remember you, you are the guy who wears cowboy boots.”  Or a person talks to someone else and says “I met this guy today, and he was wearing cowboy boots.”  

Conversations with strangers about my shoes are not as frequent, but still relatively regular, happening around once a week.  I’m not sure if it is due to where I live, or even something about the way I make eye contact with strangers that indicates that I might be open to conversation.  These are beyond canned “nice boots” compliments. I get comments like “Wow those boots look really comfortable” or “I can’t believe you are wearing boots when it is this hot outside” which are hooks for deeper discussions about boots that can lead to stories about how you found them, etc.  

And all this is just from wearing cowboy boots with a 2” heel.  It would be safe to say that high heels get noticed, even if no one says anything.  In my opinion, the more comfortable you get with your fashion choices, the more open you look to talking about them through subtle expressions and eye contact, and the conversations might come.  

Larry

Man

Yes they are suede.  I think I get it now, that these are feature shoes, and the rest of the outfit should point towards it.  I have some ideas to work on now, and will report back.  

Thanks all.  So far the heels I find most interesting so far are wedges and classic pumps, and we’ll see how this season goes as the sandals start clearing out.  

16 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

I will respond to your last paragraph first, and I agree with you and Cali. There is just no sense in wearing shoes that are so uncomfortable that it's your main thought the whole time you're wearing them. However, I've learned over the years that there's a difference between pain and PAIN. There are a number of shoes I got rid of too hastily because I thought they were painful, when in fact I now know that I just needed to work up to them. Wearing truly high heels is an athletic activity, and a person can't expect to be able to wear very high heels all day long from the outset without a lot of training. Maybe other people have had different experiences, but I know I wouldn't be able to wear higher heels for a long period of time if I hadn't walked a lot in lower heels for a period of years. There is a big difference between your feet or calves feeling fatigued because you're not used to working them that much versus toes going numb and feet bleeding. I think we can all agree that we're not going to put up with blisters and bleeding feet for the sake of fashion, and it's just not necessary.

I think I know what you mean, the difference between being sore from exercise versus injuring pain.  Also, I imagine the nicer shoes with more organic materials will conform some to the shape of the foot over time.  I have been through this with certain boots and am willing to manage this for heels too, considering many will be initially too narrow.  In my limited experience, I find that a good indicator of whether I am still on track is to gauge how I feel when I move.  After all, like you said, this is exercise.  If it hurts a lot to move, then it’s probably time to stop.  If my feet and going a little numb because I have been sitting or standing still too long, and moving around a bit makes them feel better, then it is time to do some foot exercises.  

I followed these indicators when I wore the new 3.75” heels yesterday for over a couple hours.  Afterwards, my feet were not numb or in pain, but just felt pleasantly a little sore from the new exercise.  Looking forward to doing this some more.  

Friend

11 minutes ago, Cali said:

P1ng74, this is your first year of purchasing women's shoes.  Count this as your learning year.  

(1)  Women's shoes have seasons. Take this year to learn the seasons in your area.

(2)  Styles change fast. Shoes sale out and then they are gone forever.

Life’s too short for heels that hurt!

LOL this is my first WEEK in women’s shoes.  The learning is already really fun, so this can be a fun year.  

I have a question for you all regarding the cycling of styles.  From a business perspective the fast cycles help sell more shoes, but do people keep close enough track of the various styles from year to year to the extent that your heels from last year would be recognized as being out of style?  What do you all do with your heels from 2015?  Do they go to the back of the closet because your heels from this year will be recognized by others as being the latest, fancy model, like a new car?  At some point do older styles become vintage, and then more desireable again because of their relative rarity?

And yes I won’t settle for painful footwear. Many people make the same mistake with cowboy boots too.  Most people I meet tell me they would wear their cowboy boots more often if they weren’t so uncomfortable.  In contrast, I am often sad to have to take them off before going to bed because of how comfortable they still are at the end of the day.  I think most people don’t take the time and money to size their boots correctly.  They are a lot less forgiving of size nuances than lace up sneakers.  Same applies to heels.  

Mitt

On 10/4/2018 at 5:07 AM, jeremy1986 said:

@p1ng74 - these wedge pumps look great on you. Especially w/o socks, though probably great with dark hose too. I really love this style of wedge (well, most wedges actually!), and I have been on the lookout for a similar style, but with a higher heel, maybe around 4-4.5". But 3" will be great and very comfy and I might be tempted too  

keep wearing them out, you'll love it!

I have become a fan of the look but I need to find a higher quality pair.  All the synthetic materials are too harsh on the feet.  Unfortunately I found no high wedges at the outlet stores yesterday, which seem to be filling with strappy open toe shoes that have been shipped down South for end of season clearance.  I did pick up a pair of 3.75” suede purple/Aubergine heels which already feel much better for more regular wear, which should hold me over until wedges cycle in to the shelves here.