Gige

My wife has larger calves and had many a pair of Duo boots, the first coming in 2012. I can attest to the fact that any pair of boots from them are very well made with high quality materials and worth the price to get them. Duo used to have great models every season from flats/low heels to 4"/10cm heels in many wonderful styles. Some time ago, however, Duo, for completely inexplicable reasons, changed their name to "Ted and Muffy" after the owners of the company (as I understand it). This, seemingly, soured with customers and led to them just about going out of business. A buyer for the company was found and changed so much, and in my opinion, not for the better, upon taking receivership of the company. The name was changed back to Duo, and styles became more basic to the point of being almost "frumpy." Likewise, taller heels were gone, and varying calf sizes for each model were reduced. Boots became the sole focus as pumps and other styles were no longer offered. Yes, all stores across the UK were closed (and I think the one in Bath was one of the larger stores) and now, they are only an online retailer. Although the product lineup for the current season has some nice styles, they are nowhere near the jaw-dropping models they once offered. I have a pair of 4"/10cm ankle boots from them, and my wife may still have a pair or two of their boots and pumps. If Duo were to return to making the boot styles they did before the whole Ted and Muffy flop, I would be more than willing to sign over every other paycheck to them for new pairs every month. Yes, wasteful but worth it regardless of the price. FWIW, a retailer that I have come to love is Noe (there should be an umlaut, my favorite diacritical mark, over that "e" but my computer does not have a number pad...) in Antwerp. I just ordered a pair of custom knee high boots from them and should have them around the start of March. I currently have four pairs of ankle boots from them, and have two pair of pumps on order. Although they are not at all a fancy design, the color selection is amazing. The price of the boots I ordered was actually slightly less than those offered at Duo. If Duo ever started making this model again, I would be the first in line to get a pair!

Your MIL and my father are about the same age and based upon that which you have wrote here and my own experiences, it seems that "it's a generational thing" is the most appropriate way to explain it. My father has always been about 'neat and tidy' appearance and what ever may have not fit in with his view of that was considered messy and not welcomed. Thanks so kindly - always appreciated!

I find it to be quite serendipitous that the topic of age and miniskirts should occur when today, I wore this delightfully cute outfit to the office. Whether or not the skirt would be considered a miniskirt or simply above-the-knee is a matter of debate and/or personal preference. I believe that there are two important considerations to wearing a miniskirt. The first is undoubtedly having the confidence to do so while the second is being able to style it for the settings in which is going to be worn. I am of the opinion that wearing a well-fitting miniskirt exudes a highly elevated sense of confidence and style. I understand that not everyone wants to wear a miniskirt for a variety of reasons. I do, however, strongly agree with some of the other opinions offered here that if one should feel good/comfortable/confident about doing so, then do it – age be damned! I have come to truly admire those individuals, regardless of age, gender, and whatever else, who are so confident in themselves that they will wear a miniskirt despite any conventional wisdom that says to the contrary. Please excuse my apparent brashness, but I believe that well a styled and fitting miniskirt is the epitome of confidence. Just a note/warning – this year I am upgrading some of my boots to higher heels and skirts with higher hemlines because they reflect the confidence I feel about myself in every aspect of my being. So, watch out! After I took the photo that is part of this post, I looked at it and feel is it a great example of exactly the point I am trying to make. I “know” that I “can” wear a skirt with the helm line hitting where it does and I am proud to do so even though yesterday was 54th half-birthday. I feel this way because of how I styled it (color and fit) and that I am supremely confident in myself to wear such an item. Perhaps it is a degree of a circular argument but wearing miniskirt and higher heels boosts my confidence. With such, I am more inclined to continue doing so because it builds my confidence. As my confidence increases, I will wear higher heels and shorter skirts. I have, in fact, recently started transitioning my skirts from being long and boring to shorter and a degree of flair to them. There is a time and place where a straight black, knee length skirt is best for the occasions, but I asked myself why not make that a leather pencil skirt? I do not know about anyone else, but when I finally retire, I fully plan on wearing a pair of five-inch heeled leather over-the-knee boots and a leather miniskirt (with some sort of top) to my retirement party. And I plan on looking Meryl Streep level fabulous, and yes, I will post pictures! What bothers me about this “debate” (not here, but by fashion “experts”) is that every such individual has his/her own opinion on the matter that is based solely on his/her own opinion. It is rather common to read of fashion advice that individuals over X age should not wear a miniskirt while others say, “if you’re comfortable doing so, do it.” As far as I am concerned, any advice about the appropriate age at which individuals should not wear a miniskirt is nonsense. I have miniskirts, knee-length skirts, and longer skirts that I find to be wonderful because they all express a sense of style - their length is unimportant. As has been said many times before on this forum, it is not so much what is worn, but more so, how it is worn. It should be well known that I am supremely disappointed as to what passes for acceptable attire nowadays. I so enjoy seeing old photographs of a time when going out anywhere meant presenting oneself at his/her best. I have seen old photographs of a crowd at a hockey game in the 1940s, and every man and woman is wearing a dress hat of some degree. One will never see that again! But I digress. Many years ago in these here United States of America, there was an advertisement (both on television and radio) for a more popular men’s chain clothing store. The advertisement ended with the owner of the store saying, “You’re going to love the way you look…I guarantee it.” That line has been such an inspiration to me as if I love the way I look when wearing a miniskirt, heels, or whatever, then gosh darn it, I am going to do so. When I exit my residence in the morning to head out to my car and off to the office, I see my reflection in the glass of the front door of the residents living across the way from me (I live in an apartment complex). It was so gratifying to see my reflection of wearing today’s skirt and with the sounds of my heels hitting the pavement as I headed out to my car. It is not just one day, but every day I see this that makes leaving my residence so worthwhile. Remember, it never goes out of style to have style! Today's outfit - Skirt by LC - Lauren Conrad; heels - NineWest. I must offer my most polite and respectful disagreement with some of what you have wrote here as well as my apologies if I misunderstand your point. It sounds to me that your wife has a very flattering figure and is completely comfortable with such as any sweater dress, regardless of length and/or style will easily accent the slight flaw of one’s bodily shape. Wearing a sweater dress, let alone a shorter one, to many events, especially a religious service, can been viewed as a bold decision (but one I would support). Generally speaking, attire for such is much more conservative, so kudos to your wife for doing so! The question is, however, if she can wear a short dress/skirt now, why should she stop doing so at 50? I think anyone who lets age dictate what they “should” or “should not” wear is blinded by a strict adherence to conventional wisdom. 50 is too old to wear a miniskirt or high heels? White should not be worn after Labor Day? Well, says who? I believe that wearing a mini-skirt after 50 (or even 60) gives a middle finger to “traditional” and perhaps “conservative” thinking, which so rightfully should be done.

Stunning! Yes, it was rather cold about two weeks ago. Downtown Chicago, I presume? Looks like the race for "Best Dressed 2025" has started!

Thanks! Can't wait to go! Super excited! Thanks! Can't wait to go! It's a place that my wife and I have wanted to visit for quite some time - super excited to finally being able to do so!

Heading to France - Loire Valley via Paris, for a week in late April/early May. I anticipate a lot of walking so I'll be in my trainers but expect to be arriving and departing in heels of some sort.

I wanted to expand on this a bit as it leads to a point worth making. @Shyheels is correct in noting women's clothing offers far more choices in terms of colors, cuts/styles, fit, versus men's clothing. As a result, women do have far more ability to express themselves in what they wear whether it is in a professional, business casual, or a relaxed setting. This, in turn, leads to greater acceptance of what women "can" wear in professional/business casual settings when compared to men. I make my case via a pair of camouflage pants. I have struck up a casual friendship with a woman who works in another unit in another part of my office building. She often dresses in what I would describe as "relaxed professional" attire - well fitting jeans, a solid color sweater, "appropriate" make-up and accessories, and modest trainers (for footwear - no flashy colors, etc.). One day not too long ago, she was wearing a black sweater, matched with camouflage dress pants, and black loafers. The pants were clearly dress pants due to their cut, style, and fit - they were certainly not fatigues nor aerobic style tights/leggings. I commented to her that I not only loved her pants but that she wore them into the office in a very stylish manner. She mentioned from where she purchased them (which was a higher end department store) and a short time later, I purchased a very similar pair but from a different store. When the weather warms a bit, I intend to wear them to the office with a some sort of maroon or black top and loafers or kitten/low heels. I expect that no one will notice/care and if I do so and head out somewhere after the end of the day, to receive a compliment or two. I would tend to believe that as women have far more latitude to express themselves via the clothes they wear, wearing a pair of camouflage dress pants to an office will not receive much attention. If a man, however, should do the same, that would clearly be noticed and depending on a variety of factors, may very well be frowned upon even if a relaxed dress code where in place. I will not be shy in suggesting that when it comes to attire in professional environments, women have a much greater ability to express themselves via the clothes they choose to wear. I am indicating that, yes, there is a double standard in place where, in certain situations/environments, male conformity in attire is expected or even demanded. Not that I am at all trying to disparage, belittle, or insinuate any negative comments towards anyone, but at my building, the only men I occasionally see in camouflage attire are the heavy maintenance workers (e.g. HVAC, plummers, etc.). Although my superiors have established a reasonable dress code for all employees, I would tend to believe that a man wearing camouflage fatigues to the office would not be welcomed. This is the result, in part, of certain clothing holding certain stereotypes for men and women. Camouflage pants/shirts, etc., for a man are "automatically" fatigues but more 'houte couture' for women. Just to prove my point, I recently purchased a well fitting, knee-length camouflage skirt I wore to the office yesterday with rather plain, 3" heel, knee high black leather boots. From my point of view, I felt the outfit looked quite fashionable but I did not receive any comments on the outfit as there were very few other individuals in a work station (still digging out of a snowstorm and arctic cold). I would also make the same argument for animal print clothing and cargo pants as well.

Well, congratulations for a job well done are in order! Should anyone ask me how many miles I walked in any specific pair or all of my heels this year, my answer would be far more modest, probably along the lines of "Thursday...!" Like you, however, I am under a polar vortex and it has been rather chilly around my part of the world. And, and, AND to top that, this past Sunday/Monday, the central midwest/plains got hammered by a major snowstorm which dumped 9.5"/24cm of snow on my area. In fact, my little hamlet received the most snow of the central Illinois area. Winners! Unfortunately, the snow has hardened and turned to ice, so the areas that are not well plowed are very slick and will be for the foreseeable future. Thus, until the spring thaw starts in about 2.5-3 month, my outdoor footwear will be my heavy-duty Timberlands or Hunter boots. I will have to limit my looking pretty to the indoors for the time being.

I realize that I do not need to share the excruciating details of my everyday life on this forum, but I had an encounter this evening that made me wonder if, while out in a pair of heels, we do not notice others who may notice us? A bit of a backfill is needed. My employer mandates that all employees have to exhausted certain types of Acquired Benefit Time (i.e. personal days and/or vacation days) by the end of the calendar year or lose it. As Christmas and New Year's Day fall on Wednesdays this year, about 99% of the staff take extra days off throughout December. I am, unfortunately, that one percent that still has to make my way into the office. As we approached the end of 2024, my bosses began sending emails to their staff indicating on what days they would/would not be in the office over the last two weeks of December. Given that I was the only poor soul who was not taking any time off over the holidays, I decided to make the most of all others being away by designating the last two weeks of the year as "High-high heel days." I decided that I was going to wear those 4+" heels into the office with some outfit that, until very recently, I would never have otherwise considered doing so. I very much wanted to make sure that I was comfortable doing so now so that I could do so again in the future. This past Tuesday, for example, I wore an exquisite knee-length leather skirt with my 4.5" Jessica Simpson - Tulip (model) boots. Today I wore a delicious animal print, just above the knee skirt with 4" wedge boots and a black turtleneck. As a whole, the ensemble was quite haute couture if I do say so myself. After the end of the workday, I headed over to the local wine bar in town as the place has a Friday after work special. After sharing a drink with a friend and colleague from another department that is the monstrosity of my employer, I decided to engage in my favorite, least desirable activity - weekly grocery shopping. FWIW, my colleague raved about my outfit and I told that if she continued, she was going to make me blush, which was not that hard as I was already wearing a nice rose colored blush! As I made my way into the hair care products aisle, I encountered two younger aged women, who I would place in their early 20s. I took notice of one of them because she was wearing very casual, just over-the-knee, 2.5" block, black microfiber heel boots, with distressed jeans. I grabbed some hair conditioner and made my way to the end of the aisle where I encountered the two women. The woman wearing the boots then says to me words along the line of "I love your outfit - you look fabulous!!" "Oh, thank you ever so kindly!!" was my response, which is my standard response and I truly do mean it. The same woman told me that she loved the skirt and I find that making small talk when given a compliment has been received is a means by which to show sincere appreciation of such. I told the women that, in fact, I found it at the local second-hand store, and was amazed to find an item so cute and in my size. Seeing that it fit me so well, I "had" to buy it for the few dollars marked on the price tag. The woman continued to compliment my outfit and then told me that as soon as she noticed me turning into the aisle, she was "checkin' me out." I told her that I honestly did not notice her doing so and again, thanked them both for their kind and encouraging words before heading to the next aisle. In all, I would estimate that I was in the presence of the woman for ~15-20 seconds before she made any compliment to me. Needless to say, it is encounters such as this that I truly enjoy and reinforce my confidence. The fact that I did not notice the woman looking at my outfit made me wonder if, after a certain point of routinely being out in heels, do we drop our guard and not even realize it? Do/can "we" become so confident that over time, we no longer notice who notices us? I suppose one could argue that it is a defence mechanism for any of us to focus on what we are doing when out and about in a pair of heels so that we do not notice others reaction to our presence, if they actually should have one. There have been may posts on this forum regarding whether or not others actually notice "US" when were are out and about while wearing heels. I would venture a guess that the consensus is that no, many others do not notice us when we are wearing our heels and if they do, they care little about such. So, I have to ask if we become like "them" and after a while, take no notice of those who notice us? I can certainly say that I have reached the point where when I am out in heels, I do not notice what anyone's reactions may be as doing what I need to get done is the focus. Thus, if someone should notice me, my reaction is..."And?" The wedges were supremely comfortable but as I had been in them for 12 hours when I finally got home, although my feet and calves were not screaming "uncle" they were tired. I think @Tech will be awarding me "Best Dressed of 2024" any day now!

First off, thanks for the thanks! Zakk is a great guitar player and I know a bit of his oeuvre with BLS. That show was the second and final time I saw Ozzy live - the first time was with Anthrax opening for him in December 1988. I know he, Rex Brown, Phil Anselmo, and Charlie Benante were touring as Pantera and that is a horribly talented group. I am sorry, but being a purest, without Dime and Vinnie, it does not strike me as "true" Pantera. It is not to say the did not have a great show, I think it is more of Anselmo trying to capitalize on Pantera's legacy. As I have gone back and listened to some of the hair metal artists of the 80's, I realized that there were some decent bands and music but it is hard to separate that/them from the whole scene of the time. Yes, Vito was a decent guitar player but, speaking for myself, I cannot separate him from the who hair metal genre. A

@pebblesf Thanks!

Yeah...I know I'm breaking the rules here, but this outfit was just "too cute" not to share....My leather skirt and 4.5" Jessica Simpson "Tulip" boots. Although I adore these boots and I bought them unworn, the interior lining is quickly deteriorating due to their age (maybe 10+ years?). I have already started planning out their replacement. Regardless, what a thrill it was to wear such high heels to work. Received several compliments in the ensemble as a whole!

Last entry of the year! Wore this outfit to a glassblower/artist's open house. Note: Jumpsuit can be very cute, except when one needs to use the washroom. And just in case I "forgot" any month.... an at the office outfit.

This post was truly inspired by @Mr. X's recent post regarding the wearing of heels while playing a drum set. As I have also done such in the past and did not want to get weighted down in the minute and boredom of the technique in doing so, I decided to spin off a new thread as his post revived a 1/2 unpleasant memory of attending an event which involved heels many, many years ago. July 15, 1989, was somewhat of an unusual Saturday night as I and my then next-door neighbor travelled across the Chicago metro area to attend a concert by the Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne. He was touring in support of No Rest for the Wicked, his first album with his newest axe grinder, Zakk Wydle, and we had fourth row seats. Most unfortunately, there were two opening acts through which we had to suffer before Ozzy et.al. hit the stage. One of those acts was White Lion, a band who then, as they and the whole ‘hair-metal’ genre of the 80’s continue to do, fill an area of a needed void. The first act to take the stage was a four-piece, female, glam outfit who called themselves Vixen. Although their music should be forgotten and they reflected just about all that was “wrong” with the ‘hair metal’ scene of the time, which is everything, to two late teenaged guys, they were gorgeous and we did not want to miss their set only for this reason! That night, all of them wore skin-tight clothing and heels, and had hair that extended several feet in the air, held in place by several gallons of hair spray. Being that close to their heels was the only aspect of their show that was tolerable in any capacity. Vixen had a video that received somewhat regular airtime on the difficult and frustrating to watch MTV’s mistitled Headbanger’s Ball (To the European members, think Eurovision but somehow, far worse) on Saturday Nights. The song was entitled Edge of a Broken Heart and although completely laughable by today’s standards, I went back and watched it on Youtube the other day. Although all of the members of the group are wearing tall heels in the video, it was interesting to see how the style of such has changed from the late 80s to today. This compelled me to think about how heel styles have changed over the years and who was at the forefront of such. Clearly, one can identify those individuals or television shows where the fashion du jour was on full display. That which I find to be amazing is the fact that although the idea of high heels essentially remains unchanged over the past few decades, designers can continually find new ways to change the physical design from year-to-year. Thus, it may be easy to place any pair of heels in the decade in which they may have been worn without any clues beyond the heels themselves. It truly stinks, to put it mildly, to know that some styles of heels have a life-style span of a season or two before they are considered to be “dated.” This, I think, is why I learn towards classical styles as what is trendy now will not be so next year and timeless styles are just that – timeless. I would rather have and wear a pair of heels that hail from Jackie Kennedy’s time than from last year as classic styling never goes out of style. The idea of short-lived footwear trends can be represented in a pair of boots I have – ‘Tulip’ (model) from Jessica Simpson. They feature a 5” heel with a ½” platform but the top has a fold-over flap which was the style about 10 years ago. When I wear these boots, I take that flap and fold it into the actual shaft for a more contemporary look or unfold it to give them an over-the-knee look. As for the show itself – Ozzy, as expected, ROCKED! Zakk covered all of the Sabbath songs very well and played those incredible solos performed by the late and great Randy Rhodes note for note. Sadly, however, it was the second time I had to endure the craptacular show of White Lion, who I witnessed open for AC/DC the previous September. The best part of their set was when it ended and the road crew moved their gear out of the way for the main act. Here is a picture of Vixen. If you should watch the video on Youtube, I highly recommend you do so with the mute on so as not to damage your hearing by simply listening to the song (if you could make it all the way to the end).

OK - I can not resist responding to this topic because, I, too, was a drummer and played a drumset in heel and, thus, can and do deeply relate appreciate this topic. I do apologize if I am giving you tips and/or advice on techniques of which you may have already learned. In sum, abandoned the "heel-toe" method of working the bass drum and hi-hat pedals. I was taught to use that and found it to be good only for limiting my speed and agility. If you keep the heel of your foot planted on the bass pedal, for example, it limits your ability to use that for 16th note pick-ups before the first beat of the next measure. Without wearing heels, keep the heel of your right foot on the ground and hit two 16th notes before coming in your snare or toms on the one. Then, trying the same with your foot in an elevated position as if you are wearing heels. You will notice that the elevated position allows you to hit those pick-up notes much faster than with your heel resting on the pedal. Also, as you have/will learn(ed), using the heel-toe method causes the muscles in your foot and ankle to grow tired rather quickly. Thus, the primary movement really comes from the hip while the knee remains stationary (for the most part) and the second note is a quick follow-up with the ankle. If you are wearing heels while playing and resting the heel on the pedal, the primary movement is still coming from the ankle, which is not what you want to do - movement of the leg from the hip is the best technique. Resting your foot on the pedal, heel or not, limits you ability to use your hip and ankle in combination as all movement then comes from your ankle. You will find that you can move your legs from the hip much for quickly that you can move your ankle on the pedal. Go to Youtube and search: Neil Peart - Cotton Tail with drum solo and watch the movement of his legs and feet - there are plenty of close up shots that will clearly show how he places his feet on the pedals. You will notice that only the ball of his foot is on the pedal and the movement of such originates from his hip. FWIW, this solo is undoubtedly one of the finest on a four-piece drum kit you will ever see. That which I do not like about it is his use of traditional grip - don't EVEN get me started on that!