chicks66

what i have done is take a length of elastic and weave it in and out of the lining all lthe way around at the top of the calf, just tight enough to keep the boots up. works like a charm.

they are making things for this exact purpose these days. i have not tried them out, but the reviews seem good. one product is called "Insolia" and another is called "catwalk insoles." also i have seen other gel arches that are just the arch (no insole) that just stick in with adhesive.

i would love to see pics

very nice. i was thinking of a similar mod, but didnt know what kind of substance to use. looks both sturdy and attractive!

none of the image links in the above posts seem to work fgor me and i would love to see these x-rays. they say the link appears to be broken. boo hoo! what to do?

thank you jen, thats very sweet. since you said to keep you posted... i just got very lucky and had a major influx of shoes!!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/chicks66/MyHeels?authkey=6MV4fKG4mPI#

HHFanatic, are you saying that you make shoes or that you know where to get them custom made? i may have a question for you. i dont want to derail this thread and i dont know how to private message yet, so please forgive me, everyone. thanks.

but, Pata, you are THE MASTER (or mistress)!!!!!!!!!!! what then is the answer? i am dying to know, as i really want to wear ballet heels (and not look foolish). and i am sure others would like to know too. i am surprised to see no one in this thread has asked you to elaborate. or perhaps, because i am so new here, i have missed something.

by the way, how do i subscribe to this thread?

i just love this! i am new here, but clearly i am in the right place. in my search for the perfect, wearable 6" high heel shoe (i wear size 7.5 US), i have spent quite a few hours at my computer armed with a t-square and a protractor. my friends think i am out of my mind! well, maybe...but i see i am in good company! thank you! my findings are along a SLIGHTLY different line...i have found 6" heel shoes with the heel meeting the shoe at anywhere from a 30 degree angle up to, i believe, a 50 or 55 degree angle. it is my theory that the greater the angle, the greater the comfort and wearability...i am presently attempting to verify this theory in real life. costly, to say the least. to answer the poll question: i think it is all about proportion and the look that one is going for...fashion or fetish.

Hi, my name is chicks66. I love shoes, and especially high, high heels! I love to talk about shoes, look at shoes, buy shoes...you name it. I think most of my friends find my detailed rants about shoes and their construction, etc. , to be rather tedious, and they never have any answers to my questions about shoes, nor do they wear the extreme heels i like to wear. Having found High Heel Place, I feel like I have found a long-lost home or something. I mean, a whole bunch of people who want to talk about shoes, and especially high heels, as much and in as much detail as I do! This is fantastic, and I am so grateful to have found you. About me...I am a student (long past college, at this point), a mother (of a six year-old), and a dancer. I am now an exotic dancer, but I was quite serious about ballet until college. As an exotic dancer, I am the only one I have ever met who actually dances in 6" heels (single sole, of course)...you know, 6 hour shifts, actually moving about with a modicum of grace, etc. Furthermore, after more than a decade of exotic dancing, I have managed to do this without injury or discomfort or any of the general aches and pains (back, feet, knees) that so many dancers complain of. So, as you can see, I have dedicated a bit of energy and thought to the whole high heel thing...because I AM dedicated! My next high heel challenge, when I can afford it, is to master ballet heels, and do to so with grace. Can I meet the challenge? Well, I know that I have a greater chance of success due to having found y'all at the High Heel Place. So, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!

dear Shoerepairer, as you are the professional, i hesitate to push my point. so, for any readers, please note that he IS the professional, not me. Having said that, i will only go so far as to say that i have done this many, many times with no ill effect. of course, i always spot test first, and there have been a couple of pairs of shoes i did not use this technique on, as it was clearly going to mar the finish. i just love the fact that i have found this option for stretching shoes, and the guy at the shoe repair did tell me that what they used to stretch the shoes was isopropyl alcohol. i would definitely recommend using the 99% isopropyl from a pharmacy over the iso-heet, for purity's sake if nothing else (although i have used iso-heet many times with no problems). maybe try it on a not-so-important pair of shoes first to decide how you feel about it. i swear by it, myself. thank you for the welcome! and any thoughts on my question about where to find the post about the modified ballet heels?

i plan to try to walk in those and ballet heels. i have not yet, as they are very expensive. i figure, if i can do ballet en pointe, i can do this. but it has been a while. oh,yes, by the way...can anyone help me here? i was on this site a few days ago and read a post that references a pair of ballet heels that had been modified to have a different style toe that stuck out front...sort of like a regular high heel shoe. the person had modified a pair of Devious ballet heels and i think they mentioned that they had added a steel heel or something. does anyone know where i can find that post again? who the poster was? or how they did it? thanks a million.

i have never posted here, so i hope i am doing this right. please tell me if i am not:-? i take it these are leather boots? for myself, i have found the answer for stretching leather. it works like a charm! ok, so in a previous post the stuff called "Stretch" was mentioned. it is great, but expensive. however, here in the US anyway, it is made of 99%isopropyl alcohol. the thing is, it is not isopropyl alcohol as found in the common rubbing alcohol found in the pharmacy section of stores, which generally contains 30% water. so, what you need to do is find 99% isopropyl alcohol. in the US, some pharmacies do carry it next to the regular 70% rubbing alcohol. the other place i have found it (and it was really cheap) was in the automotive section. a certain gas anti-freeze called "Iso-Heet," used in the winter to remove water from gasoline, is made of 99% isopropyl. it does contain some petroleum distillates. but that does not seem to affect its performance in terms of shoe stretching. again, SPOT TEST FIRST, just to be sure. so what you do is...(first SPOT TEST to be sure the alcohol does not affect the color or finish) saturate the foot of the shoe or boot by pouring a generous amount of the alcohol into it and over it. then, wear the shoe until it dries. you may have to do this over, but usually twice is enough, even for heavy boots. you can pour more over the parts you want stretched the most while you are still wearing them, if they are drying and those areas still seem to need it. i usually put a bit of petroleum jelly on my feet first to keep them from drying out. if i want a great deal of stretch, i will also put on a pair of heavy socks. if the shoes or the particular area of the shoe i need to stretch is way too small or tight (like across the ball of the foot or right at the tip) and the rest of the shoe is ok, i soak that area and use something like a small bottle or one of my kid's super balls or any item that i can gently wedge into the spot that needs stretching. be careful of dyed leather and patent leather, you dont want to ruin them. those you probably want to take to a shoe repair place. however, i have found that for most shoes/boots this works just perfectly. you can also use the alcohol with those shoe trees and shoe stretchers you can buy. Good luck! i'd love to know how it turns out.