Gige

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!

@Goose @CrushedVamp Welcome to the forum! I believe that you will find many of the active members to be encouraging and supportive as you progress in wearing heels out in public. I find it to be very comforting to know that what I have and I am currently experiencing, others in this group have also done the same. Thus, that which you share with this group will be very familiar to most everyone and the advice you receive/can find will be very helpful. On that note, allow me to offer a few suggestions. First, read through many of the threads started over the past year or so. As I started venturing out in heels about a year ago, I, too, had many stories of success as well as many questions. I found the responses, encouragement, and advice in the responses to my postings were invaluable. You may not agree with all that has been offered in the words of each individual but for the most part, I have found that which they wrote to be enriching and rewarding. For me, reading the stories of other men wearing heels in public was the motivation I needed to take that first step, both literally and figuratively. Within a year, I have gone from “Oh god! Someone may have seen me in heels!” to “Someone saw me in heels. I hope they thought my skirt and top matched my boots/heels!” I often receive compliments on my outfits and that never gets old (and/or tired). Second, be sure to share your stories, thoughts, and comments with the group. Again, many of us can relate to your feelings and will be able to offer tips, pointers, and if needed, cautions about wearing heels in public. I find that writing about my initial experiences of wearing heels in public was very helpful in processing all of it. Likewise, you will always get a response to your posts. Building confidence in wearing heels in public varies from individual to individual. Some can throw on a pair of heels for the first time and head right out in public without a care in the world. For others, it may take a bit, and there will be a few who may still be hesitant for a very long period of time. Finally, do not feel stupid, silly, ashamed, or otherwise if you truly want to wear heels out in public. There are members of this forum who range from just wearing only heels to individuals like me who are either genderfluid or fully transgender (I have started gravitating to the latter) but what binds us together is that we all wear high heels. The how, when, and where you choose to do so is entirely up to you and I hope that you will eventually become like other members (myself included) who prefer heels to other footwear. At first, yes, it is going to feel as if the eyes of the world immediately fall upon you when step out in heels. With time, practice, and determination, that will change. Again, read through some of the older threads and look at he outfits some of the members have worn out in public. When I first started wearing heels in public, I dreamed of the day I could wear a similar outfit in public. Now, I do and want “everyone” to see it! If you need advice, encouragement, or the like, always feel free to make an outreach!

Oh, I see you get to have all the "fun" weather! 🥶

This post is a spin-off of comments made on another thread that I thought might make a good topic of discussion on its own. As I did not want this to get buried somewhere very far down on the thread for which it was intended, I decided to just create a new topic. I have been giving much thought to the idea of what advice I/we could offer to any man who wants to venture out in public while wearing heels but lacks the confidence to do so. Almost all of the advice I have read here has been solid and offers a great step-by-step guide on how to do so. As far as I know, no one has giving advice to a “first-timer” along the lines of “Get the highest stilettos and shortest leather skirt you can find, go to a biker bar…” I agree that starting small and gradually working towards bigger steps as one becomes more confident is an excellent strategy. The term that has been often mentioned is “confidence,” and I agree that such is essential to a man wearing heels in public. The term “confidence,” however, may have a different meaning to everyone and thus, how such is defined may be open for some degree of debate. I would not disagree with the notion that having confidence is of critical importance, but I recognize that how long it takes for any of us to reach the point of where such exists is dependent on the individual. That which has recently dawned upon me is that there are certain facts/truths that any man who wants to (or actually does wear) heels out in public has to accept. I would argue that in order to build confidence, one must be seen in heels while in public but yet, being seen in heels while out in public is that which we fear. This fear, in turn, prevents an individual from heading out in a pair of heels, which, in turn, prevents the building of confidence needed to overcome the fear of heading out in public while wearing a pair of heels. As just over-explained here, this can be a vicious circle and breaking it may be easy for some, take bit of time for others (like me) or cannot be broken by the rest. I think the key to breaking this cycle begins with the recognition no matter where “we” go, what “we” do, or how hard “we” try to cover our heels, someone will always notice what we are wearing on our feet. Accepting this reality/fact is, as I see it, truly the first step to heading out in public in a pair of heels. If one accepts the fact that they WILL been seen in heels by someone somewhere, and such is the key to building confidence, then “the rest” will eventually come. In time, being seen in heels in public will not be an issue to the wear of such to the point where one may wear heels that other forms of footwear. There have been instances where I have been out in public while wearing heels that have been 90% covered by long pants/jeans and yet, someone notices by directing a compliment to me on what I am wearing. Given what I have learned, I do not know if I would have handled those “early days” differently. Speaking from my own experience, however, now, there is nothing more exhilarating and a confidence builder than being seen in a pair of heels, regardless of if the heels are fully exposed or not. It speaks so much of confidence to go out in public to do one’s whatever, and not give a single care to who sees me or what they think about what I am wearing.

OMG!!!!! I am sooo insanely envious! I have my eye about three pairs of boots from FB but, unfortunately, there are some other pressing priorities at the moment. Could I ever so kindly ask you to share the details of your experience in ordering these wonderful boots? Were there any issues with the fit? How long did take to receive them? I absolutely want to get a pair from FB but also want to ensure they will fit me "just right."

That is awesome! I cannot say that I ever have been in this position but if such were to happen, I would be both flattered and delighted.

When I initially read this post, I thought about what I could say or offer in order to help an individual regain confidence/self-esteem that had been lost due to the comments of others. Shortly after I “came out,” I had a similar issue with two women at my office and wrote about them in a previous post which was very helpful in dealing with them. As I was making the long, flat, boring journey from my residence to the Chicago area for Thanksgiving dinner and back home today, my thoughts were focused on this situation because the drive was long, flat, and boring. Before I commence with my answer, I wish to make it known that what I am expressing here is my own opinion and I do not mean to insult, disparage, or speak ill of anyone. In all truthfulness, however, this situation, as it is presented, offers some troubling “red flags” of greater concern and there are many areas that I believe should be addressed. Just to offer my credentials to support my position, I have been married for 32 years and hold a graduate degree in behavioral sciences. First, “…when we first met I told her early on about my high heel infatuation and it's kind of a deal breaker if it's something they wouldn't be into exploring or doing....” This is troublesome because it signifies that the relationship is conditional and based on an unsuitable foundation, that being the wearing of heels, rather than on more metaphysical attributes such as love, admiration, compatibility, and shared interest/outlook on important concerns (e.g. child rearing, religion, etc.). Turning away a potential mate/partner because she would not be willing to explore or actually wear heels is quite unreasonable. This puts the desire to see others wearing heels in front of qualities that are far more important that help determine suitability of a potential mate. This begs the question of if you can truly love someone who does not/cannot/will not wear high heels. The mere fact that this issue was presented for discussion makes me believe that your wife no longer wearing heels is highly problematic for you. Second, “Years have gone by and I've got her over probably 200 plus different heels over the years.” This is extraordinarily troubling. The question I must ask is who made the decision to purchase so many pairs? If it your wife, then I would argue that she is taking advantage of you because the math shows that regardless of when the first pair of heels was purchased, this averages out to more than one new pair every month. If it is you who sees a pair of heels and purchases then for her, then you are feeding your own addiction. Even if it could be considered 50/50 split, this is still troubling - what other items of which you own do you have 200 examples? The only item of which I own 200 or more examples are songs on my iPod. Although I cannot conclusively make the determination as to who buys a majority of the heels, judging by the way the sentence is phrased, I am led to believe that it is the author who does so. I would be inclined to think that, at first, receiving/getting a pair of heels would be a nice gesture but after a while and due to the frequency of such, it would grow old and the thrill of it is lost. Thus, when new pairs of heels continue to be given/received, it sends a message of expectation. Also, think about it in this light - if one pair of heels were worn once a week, it would take about four years to wear every pair just once. That is horribly wasteful. Third, “I'd love to find another couple who lived closer to us [whose] wife is someone who would/does/wants to wear heels when going out so my wife would hopefully regain the confidence she's lost by negative people…” Simple question - for whose benefit should she wear heels, yours or hers? Referring back to the first and second points to some degree, it seems that your hope of having your wife wear heels again may be rooted in satisfying your own desires for her to do so. As you mentioned that you have an “infatuation” with heels, that you have “got her” over 200 pairs, and you want to see her start wearing heels are indicative comments that your primary concern is focused on satisfying your own desires. Wearing heels does not always “make” an outfit as I have recently learned that an elegant pair of loafers can be just as classy and chic as heels if they complete a well put together outfit of matching and “proper” fitting clothes. Finally, “[T]he only thing you should be concerned with is what I am/would think about an outfit/ a pair of heels/ where you're wearing them…” Sorry, but this really struck a nerve. When my wife and I head out, that which is most important to me is that she wears attire in which she is comfortable and is appropriate for the occasion. There have been many occasions where my wife has asked me if I believe, based on the outfit she is contemplating to wear for the evening/event, if it would be over/under dressing or the items match (Color, style, etc.). Then, and only then, should she be concerned with my opinion. Otherwise, what I think of what she is wearing is immaterial unless I feel that which she has selected is grossly inappropriate for the occasion (e.g. flip-flops at a black-tie event, or a cocktail dress to a Kindergarten graduation, etc). If my wife should wear an outfit that is worthy of a compliment, then I will make certain that I express such to her. At no point is there so much as minute expectation on my part that she should be the least bit concerned about what I think of her outfit. She is the person wearing it and her physical comfort in doing so is all that matters to me. My wife has a few pairs of shoes that I think are hideously ugly but she loves. If she wants to wear them out and about to an event when it would be appropriate, then unless there is some safety issue in doing so, my opinion is irrelevant. I do not know what was said to your wife by others but I think there is more to this than just their comments. Truth be told, those making such comments may have a valid point. There is a time and place to wear heels, and a time and place not to wear heels. Although I enjoy wearing some form of heels when and where I can, there are times when grabbing my purple, or blue, or red Vans, or flat heeled riding boots is far more practical, comfortable, and wiser than going for a pair of heels. Based on what is written in the initial post, especially in regards to that which is/would be a “sort of a dealbreaker,” I get the impression that there is some sort of expectation about when and where your wife should wear heels on your part. As I see it, based on how many pairs she has, it seems that wearing heels 24/7/365 is what is desired. If so, this is unhealthy for any relationship. I hope, however, I am wrong.

Do we get "retro month" entries? That is, if I missed submitting an entry in, say, July for example, can I submit an entry now for that month? I ask because I wore this super cute outfit to the office and after the day was done, I went to the Ulta (cosmetics) store for a few products. While there, just about every woman in the store complimented me on my outfit and needless to say, it was quite flattering.

Yes, indeed! Quite comfortable....I haven't worn them for a bit and kind of forgot how much I enjoy walking in such tall heels. I have been wearing more lower heels for work.

Nice! It just so happens that I have two pairs of this style of ankle boots, both from Schutz, and why I have two pairs is beyond me (can you say "impulse buy" on the second pair?). Both are ~4" in height and I wear them with long boot-cut jeans for an rough but elegant look. Oh and forgot to add, yes, I will be wearing these to work in the next few days!

Thank you to all for the wonderful responses - I truly appreciate the support and kind words! As I have made known in several previous responses to other threads, had I not found this forum and read the stories of other men venturing out in heels for the first time, I do not know that I would have ever found the courage to do so myself. Given how far I have come in just about a year, it seems somewhat foolish that I did not do so earlier in my life. As I was driving home from the office in a ridiculously cute outfit I wore today, I was thinking that it is almost a year to the day when I first wore heels (boots, actually) to the office. Although ~95% of the shaft and heel were covered by long pants, I was still so nervous about doing so, and that someone would "see" my footwear and take note of what I was wearing. Then, after my work day was done, I headed out for a quick haircut and as I was waiting in the salon/barbershop, store, I was so nervous my hands were sweating. When my name was called, it was a "here goes nothing...!" moment. I was not ready to have anyone see me wearing heels at that time but, admittedly, it was a thrill knowing that I was "secretly" doing so. Now, a year later, I could not possibly care less what anyone may think as so many people, at the office and in public settings have seen me in heels, that it has become routine. I do not consider myself to be "Superman" or the like when comes to wearing heels out in public but I realize that if someone has an issue with it, oh well...not my problem. I truly do not know why I have so quickly overcome my fears of wearing heels in public. I think that once the first few times were "under my belt," so to speak, it just became easier and easier to do. Not to sound like a broken record but the words of Dr. Seuss have truly taken on a new meaning for me..."Those that mind don't matter and those that matter don't mind." Well, enough of my rambling...Thanks again to everyone! Richard Photo - the aforementioned "ridiculously cute" outfit for work today!

November's entries - I think I wore the orange turtleneck outfit to work...definitely wore the red/maroon dress to the office!

It is purely coincidental that we should be discussing heels breaking away/off the sole when a year and one day ago, one of the most publicized heel failures in recent memory occurred when one of the Taylor Swift's Louboutins gave out during a concert in Rio. IIRC (I'm not a "Swiftee" by any stretch of the imagination!) she pulled the heel off of the sole and tossed it into the crowd. I am sure her Louboutins cost her well into the five figures which goes to show that price is no guarantee against heel failures. You would think that if one should spend such money on heels/boots, especially Louboutins, heel breakage would not happen. But as pointed out, price is no assurance against product failure - even Ferraris breakdown.

I think my fear of breaking off a heel, especially for a stiletto, has been the greatest concern that "prevents" me from wearing them. I understand that it is the quality, and thus, strength of the shank and not necessarily how well the actual heel is attached to the shoe that may result in breakage. One of the "issues" I have noticed about stilettos is that of what I call "heel flex." I have and had stiletto heels in which, when the bottom of heel makes contact with the ground, it firmly sticks in place but as the foot bed comes in contact with the ground, there is a slight bend of the sole, pushing the top of the heel slightly backwards while the bottom does not move. When the foot is rolled on to the ball of the foot, the heel "flexes" backwards. My concern that the repeated flexing/bending, ever so slight, will eventually lead to a fatigue failure and the heel becoming detached from the sole. This flexing/bending, however, is not limited to stilettos as I have noticed it happening to other heels, even block heels. I am not sure if this is "normal" or is a reflection of the quality of construction of the shoe/boot. I have learned that heel breakage is not limited to stilettos or other taller height heels. Some time ago, I was shopping at a larger retail store while wearing a pair of "flat - heeled" riding boots. Shortly after I entered the store, I noticed that the 1" heel on the right boot was making a strange sound. As I looked at the right heel, I noticed that it was barely attached to the sole as the glue holding it in place was minimally applied. I removed it, placed it in my pocket, and hobbled around the store quite embarrassed by the situation. When I returned to my car, the boots came off and I tossed them into the back seat. When I actually returned to my residence, I noticed that the left heel was starting to come loose from its sole and what followed was a sting of profanity that, last I checked, is still hanging above Springfield, Illinois, and has been known to cause some degree of turbulence for air traffic in the area. What made this situation infuriating is that the boots were a designer brand from which this type of nonsense should not be expected. I glued both heels back to the sole and sank three small screws into each heel to help secure them in place; I had no issues with the heels when I last wore them. The point to this is, what has been echoed in previous replies, materials used and craftsmanship of the product may be the ultimate factor when/if a heel should become detached from its sole, is right on point.

Glad to hear it! I, like you, recently traveled and also did not pack a single item of men's clothing. The reason I did not do so was not necessarily by choice but due to the fact that I recently purged my wardrobe of all clothing that was too large for me! So, I have somewhere around 1/2 items of men's clothing. I would have jettisoned all of it but I decided to hold a few items "just in case." Interesting prediction, indeed! I suppose that depends on what one defines as a stiletto. Would you consider the heels of the ankle boots in the added photo as stilettos? If so, then yes, it is only a matter of time as I plan on where these to work in due time. If no, they are not stilettos, then only time will tell if you are correct.